My wondeful boy!

My son is six and I really love him. Today is opening day for major league baseball and Ben and I played catch for the first time. We've attempted it in the past, but today we really played. It was so much fun.



As indicated above, we have tried to play in the past, but it was more like a game of "throw and run after the baseball." Today I threw the ball and he caught it. He threw the ball and I caught it. We talked and enjoyed each other as we threw and caught. It was an emotional experience as I realized that this is yet another indication that he is growing up. I find myself in a paradox of wanting to preserve the present, yet being delighted with each new experience. God is good.

Truth, Plain and Simple

At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

Matthew 11:25

I have heard it recently said that the gospel is simply amazing yet amazingly simple. In its simplest terms I believe the gospel can be summed up by saying that Jesus gave His life for us in order that He might give His life to us in order that He might live His life through us. As indicated by the above scripture, God has no interest in muddying the waters, but we do have an enemy who is interested in just exactly that.

As I said in the previous post, I do love George MacDonald and I do realize that I quoted him in my last post. I will impose upon myself a two quote limit per month, but I just can't help but share his thoughts on the subject. Besides, its my blog so I can do as I please. :) Again, this is from Discovering the Character of God, as edited and compiled by Michael Phillips.

"Theological Explainers Hide the Gospel

There is a wonderful thing in the parables, not readily grasped, but indicated by the Lord Himself--their unintelligiblity to the mere intellect. They are addressed to the conscience and not to the intellect, to the will and not to the imagination. The parables are strong and direct, but not definite. They are not meant to explain anything, but to rouse a man to the feeling, "I am not what I ought to be."

Many maundering interpretations may be given by the wise, with plentiful loss of labor, while the child who uses them for the necessity of walking in the one path will constantly receive light from them. The greatest obscuration of the words of the Lord comes from those who give themselves to interpret rather than do them. Theologians have done more to hide the Gospel of Christ than any of its adversaries. It was not for our understanding, but our will, that Christ came. He who does that which he sees, shall understand. He who is set upon understanding rather than doing, shall go on stumbling and mistaking and speaking foolishness. The Gospel itself, and in it the parables of the truth, are to be understood only by those who walk by what they find. It is not intended by the speaker of the parables that any other should know intellectually what, known but intellectually, would be for his injury. When the pilgrim of the truth comes on his journey to the region of the parable, he finds its interpretation. It is not a fruit or a jewel to be stored, but a well springing by the wayside.

Does the Light Blind or Illuminate?

The parables are plainly for the teaching of the truth, and yet the Lord speaks of them as for the concealing of it. This difficulty may be removed by realizing that they are for the understanding of the man only who is practical--who does the thing he knows, who seeks to understand it practically. They reveal to the live conscience, otherwise not to the keenest intellect--thought at the same time they may help to rouse the conscience with glimpses, of the truth, where the man is on the borders of waking.

Ignorance may be at once a punishment and a kindness. "Because you will not do, you shall not see; but it would be worse for you if you did see, not being of the disposition to do." Such are punished in having the way closed before them. They punish themselves, their own actions (their non-doing of what they ought to see and ought to do) results--as it cannot but result on them--in the keeping of their eyes closed. To say to them certain things so that they could understand them would but harden them more, because they would still not do them. They should have only parables--lanterns of the truth, clear to those who will walk in their light, dark to those who will not. The former are content to have the light cast upon their way; the latter will have it in their eyes, and thus are unable to use the light properly. For them to have the light would only blind them. For them to know would be their worse condemnation. They are not fit to know more. Thus more shall not be given them yet.

They choose the dark. And they shall stay in the dark until they choose to come out of it. God is visible all around us, but only to the man or woman who would see Him. Either there is a God and that God is perfect truth and loveliness, or else all poetry and art is but an unsown, unplanted, rootless flower crowning a somewhat symmetrical heap of stones. The light is there, but not all use it to see with. "

I would just like to declare that the content of the gospel is a living person and His name is Jesus Christ. We run to Him as we come to the daily conclusion that "we are not as we ought to be" and find out that He wants to live His life in us and be what we cannot be. We trade the pending heartache and futility of our own self effort for a child like faith that just lets Him do it. That's the good news and that's the truth....plain and simple.

Spring is Springing Forth!

Lately, I have been inspired by the season of spring. Plants, trees, and grass that were dead (okay, dormant) a month ago are now bursting forth with life. Life is all over the place right now and it is beautiful. I think God gives us spring to remind us of resurrection life....life that only comes from Him. If you care to visit this blog from time to time, you will see many quotes from my dear brother, George MacDonald. The majority of these quotes will come from a book called Discovering the Character of God which is a compilation of MacDonald's prose and poetry pieced together by Michael Phillips. This book is one of my very few prized possessions. Take this in:

"There exists a mystery in the world, and in all the looks of it--a mystery because of a meaning. There is a jubilance in every sunset. There is a whispering of strange secrets in the wind of the twilight and an unknown bliss in the song of the lark. We cannot help but be aware of a something beyond it all, now and then filling our minds and hearts with wonder, and compelling us to ask, "What can it all mean?"

The flowers live.

They come from the same heart as man himself, and are sent to be his companions and ministers. There is something divinely magical because profoundly human, in them. Our feeling for many of them doubtless comes from certain associations from childhood. But how did they get hold of us even in childhood? Why do they enter our souls at all? It is because the flowers are joyous, inarticulate children, come with vague messages from the Father of all. If I confess that what they say to me sometimes makes me weep, how can I call my feeling for them anything but love?

And the flowers are only one example. All nature, from the mountains to the sea to the fog that hangs so low on the hills, the heather in August, the hot, the cold, the rain--everything speaks, like the flower, messsages from God, the Father of the universe. The eternal may have a thousand forms of which we know nothing yet!

The beautiful things around us are the expressions of God's face, or, as in Faust, the garment whereby we see the deity. Is God's sun more beautiful than God himself? Has he not left it to us as a symbol of his own life-giving light?"

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

I am not a scientist. In my life, I have not really even appreciated science all that much. However, I must confess that I have fallen in love with a book that at least has a scientific flavor. I am currently reading a book called "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made" by Dr. Paul Brand and Phillip Yancy. The book is delightful! It really is. I am learning so much. I highly recommend it. The premise of the book is to draw comparisons between the exquisite creation of our own physical bodies and the constant, fluid and beautiful creation of the Body of Christ. I have found the book incredibly educational (I know I've already said that), inspiring, heart-felt, deeply meaningful, and (most suprising) funny. I have found myself laughing out loud at times and just really enjoying the writing. Here's a sample:

"I have closed my eyes. My shoes are kicked off, and I am wiggling the small bones in my right foot. Exposed, they are half the width of a pencil, and yet they support my weight in walking. I cup my hand over my ear and hear the familiar seashell phenomenon, actuallly the sound of blood cells rushing through the capillaries in my head. I stretch out my left arm and try to imagine the millions of muscle cells eagerly expanding and contracting in concert. I rub my finger across my arm and feel the stimulation of touch cells, 450 of them in each on-inch square patch of skin.

Inside my stomach, spleen, liver, pancreas, and kidneys, each packed with millions of loyal cells, are working so efficiently I have no way of perceiving their presence. Fine hairs in my inner ear are monitoring a swishing fluid, ready to alert me if I suddenly tilt off balance.

When my cells work well. I'm hardly conscious of their individual presences. What I feel is the composite of their activity known as Paul Brand. My body, composed of many parts, is one. And that is the root of the analogy we shall explore."

What I like best about the book is although it describes an incredibly complex topic, the book somehow comes across as an easy read AND Christ centered. Jesus Christ, and not the author's intellect, takes center stage.

Music, Music, Music!

I love music, I truly do. I believe that God gave us music as a mechanism to somehow touch Him. In fact, often I find myself touched by music in a way that's difficult to describe. I love all sorts of musical styles and genres, but usually those with strictly a Christian flair. Lately, I've been listening to classical, instrumental music in the form of the sound track to the movie Finding Neverland. The great thing about movie soundtracks (especially for novices like me) is that they usually have a constant running melody that pervades the entire cd. I like that. My spirit feels rewarded and somehow reassured whenever this melody is revealed from time to time.

There are two things that the Lord has revealed to me about this type of music. First, ALL of the music has significance. I find myself especially moved emotionally when the orchestra reaches that break out moment when the music is unmistakably noticeable and breathtaking...those wow moments when you think, "Wow, that was gorgeous." However, we can't miss the music in between those "wow moments." The music is always at work in soundtracks like this....it may seem like background music that is more subtle and subdued, but it is just as important and lovely. In fact, the loveliness of the subtle music enhances the beauty and often leads up to and builds up to those "wow moments."

This is the Christian life. God is always working in our lives and much of the time, it may seem like His work is not all that significant...like He's working in the background. However, His daily working in and through us is what makes our life beautiful and occasionally leads to moments where His presence and impact is undeniable and we just say "Wow, look at what God did! And then we realize that He was there the whole time working and bringing us to this present moment that we know has no possible explanation but God, Himself. He's the music of our lives and ALL of the music has significance.

Second, there is something significant to the playing of the music. Each piece of the orchestra is wonderfully unique and has its own part to play in the musical piece. Further, the music that each instrument plays is typically unique. Flutes play different notes and in different tempo than the french horns or the trumpets, but they are all playing TOGETHER simultaneously. The differences of the instruments and the music that they play, but as they are played at the same time often results in those big, wonderful "wow moments." Get this, the trumpet and its music is special and unique, the violin and its music is special and unique, but the orchestra is meant to be played TOGETHER. The beauty and magnificence of the French horn is maximized and at its peak when it takes its place in harmony with the greater whole. I don't find French horn solos all that compelling, but a French horn can hit a poignant note in the midst of a powerful orchestra movement that can bring tears to my eyes. I think we possess the capacity to appreciate music in this way, because it is reflected in our own lives and within the Church.

Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, along with Ephesians 2 (no doubt other passages) beautifully describe the body of Christ as a unit made up of many special and unique parts. In like manner, the beauty of the individual Christian is glorified (or shown off) as he/she takes his/her place with the other members. As we are fit together (1 Peter 2), God's music is played and its beauty is compelling and indescribably good (b/c He is)....much more so than the solo Christianity that has become so prevalent and is no more compelling than a French horn solo. Fittingly, it took a lunch with another Brother for the Lord to reveal this truth fully to me. Oh, how we need each other! I have linked to the soundtrack for your enjoyment!

This Present Life

Let's start out with the premise that Jesus Christ is alive! You see, the good news is not that He was alive, but that He IS alive!

My name is Christopher Taylor and Jesus Christ is my life. This is NOT a doctrinal statement; it is fact. I am a lawyer whose heart has been captivated and stolen away by my precious redeemer and creator. I have not one iota of righteousness that He does not produce within me. In fact, Jesus (Himself) lives within me and is constantly at work to transform me into His likeness. For Christians, eternal life is experienced presently. Not pie in the sky when you die, but really knowing and experiencing Him in the now. This, friends, is what the bible calls the gospel!

I intend to use this blog to express and record His life as it (He) plays out over the coming months and years. You see, He is alive and I fully expect Him to show up and populate these pages through life experiences, answered prayer, pictures, scripture, brokenness, and unexplainable (and undeserved) love and goodness. How do I know that Jesus Christ is alive? Just watch as He reveals Himself in future posts. I have no doubt that He will.