Friday, November 22, 2013

God helps us to Love

We really are left in a great journey trying to understand what love is, how it works, and the way that things can come out of it. I have really been left in a great gap over the past year. And in that gap I have realized that I am also being wrapped up in the love of Christ. This realization has not come easily. In fact it is something that has been very hard won. But Christ has helped to cultivate good things in my heart.

I am very grateful for the faith community of St. Mary's Catholic Church. This environment has been good for me in several ways. Here I was received into the Full Communion of the Church. Here I fell in love, and I also lost that. But I have come to realize, objectively at least, that the entire time I was really being wrapped up in love.

Today is the 50th anniversary of the deaths of President John F. Kennedy, author Aldous Huxley, and Christian apologist C. S. Lewis. All three of these men left their marks on society and culture. How we as people interact with the world and with each other. But Lewis left us something else, understanding in how to approach God when it comes to love.

I grew up in a very loving Christian home, and one of the things that we always got to do was learn lessons of life from stories. Tales of adventure and valor, quests of intrigue and mystery. Lewis was the author of some of the first stories that I read. From Lewis, I learned about Aslan, how he was not a tame Lion, but that He is Good. Later on I learned that I needed to learn to know Him in my world, by a different Name, and come to Love Him even more.

I am very thankful to Lewis for teaching me these things about God. About how much we mean to Him. And how in a very concise thought, he can show us how God teaches us to Love.


God lends us a little of His reasoning powers and that is how we think: He puts a little of His love into us and that is how we love one another. When you teach a child writing, you hold its hand while it forms the letters: that is, it forms the letters because you are forming them. We love and reason because God loves and reasons and holds our hand while we do it. - Mere Christianity

We are all so dependent upon God. For absolutely everything. He is Love, and so He helps us to Love. God is teaching us to Love. Thanks be to God. May we love Him with complete devotion and passion.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

The Terrible Darkness

Darkness is such that I really do not see - neither with my mind nor with my reason. - The place of God in my soul is blank. - There is no God in me. - When the pain of longing is so great - I just long & long for God - and then it is that I feel - He does not want me - He is not there. - ... God does not want me. - Sometimes - I just hear my own heart cry out - "My God" and nothing else comes. - The torture and pain I can't explain. 
- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, M.C.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Going Home

I can't even begin to describe my feelings yet. But I can share the thoughts of someone else, far more eloquent and ready than I am at this point. More than I think I will be actually. Thank you James, for sharing your heart.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Quick Update about my letter to TAC

Just a quick update about the letter that I sent to TAC. As of this morning I had still not received any response from the Texas Aggie Conservatives regarding the letter that I sent them Thursday. Because a lot of people have asked, here is a link to the email that I received Thursday morning.  As of today, I sent another email with the same message to all of the contacts listed by TAC on their Contact Page. At this point, I am really just interested in finding out how they justify their actions, not their position. I actually agree with a lot of what they think, but the way that they go about things by demanding less liberal speakers and calling the university as pushing agendas is just frustrating. What do you expect? People to not act in accordance with their worldview? That's nonsense. Can a conservative learn from a liberal? Yes. Can a liberal learn from a conservative? Yes. Are we all in university and able to ascertain for ourselves how things align with our world views? Yes. Is this attack going to change someone's mind? I  really don't think so. I actually don't want to be associated with super radicals personally. Hopefully, I am wrong about all of this and I have misinterpreted everything that happened. But I won't know this until I get contact back by TAC. Which I really do hope will happen. Then maybe people can start thinking more about working together, as opposed to destroying the opposition because of different political opinions.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

An Open Letter to Texas Aggie Conservatives

EDIT: As of Saturday, 26 Jan 13, I still had no response from the TAC. Here is a copy of their email for people who did not receive it.

This morning I received an email from the Texas Aggie Conservatives. A well meaning group of people who I believe are terribly out of touch with society and need to curb their aggressive stance against liberalism. They wanted me to sign a petition which would ask for a limit to liberal speakers at sponsored TAMU events. To be perfectly honest, I am deeply conservative. However, I will not, and CANNOT, in good conscience support a cause which would limit the free speech of fellow Americans and Aggies. This is not right. And so I wrote a letter expressing my distaste for what I found in my email. The text of this letter is below. Cheers. Thanks and Gig 'Em.

______________________________________________________________

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This morning I received an email from your organization, specifically from your Chairman, Mr. Eric Schroeder.

While I thank you for the time that you took in order to write in such detail about deep issues that bother and concern you, I must say that I cannot in good conscience sign your petition or support your organization anymore.

Though you may have found the comments of Mr. Glover and Dr. Loftin deplorable, I find your response to be unsettling at best and more akin to something incredibly alarming.

Your petition is a travesty. You are requesting for the viewpoints of your fellow Americans to be obstructed, simply because you have not been able to communicate your own viewpoints with same level of media attention or volume. This is not something that you should be proud of.

If I may I would like to direct your attention to an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

If that does not remind you of the way that people should be free to express themselves then may I humbly offer the following:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
           - Amendment I, Constitution of the United States

In short, you are asking for me, and other Aggies, to sign a petition that would limit the freedom of speech which is guaranteed to every American. The freedom of expression which is one of the ideals spoken about in the Declaration of Independence. And the very freedom of ideas and thoughts which is part of our community of learners as a flagship university in our great State of Texas.

In regards to your claims about the History Department at Texas A&M University, I feel the need to reassure you. As a History Major let me assure you that I have taken numerous courses that have extensively covered military, diplomatic, religious, and intellectual issues. In fact, these courses were taught by professors who are not only experts in their field, and not only share their passion for learning with their students, but also ensure that their students form their own, logical and methodical way of thinking, writing, and speaking critically about any kind of topic that they might encounter. The History Department might have contributed to many of the speakers that you disagree with, but the History Department is also completely dedicated to preparing students to be critically thinking leaders after graduation from Texas A&M University.

Lastly, you mentioned how Christian organizations were not eligible for student funding. If you are Christians, and you are worried about the world hating you, then fear not!  Remember these words from our Lord:
If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
                                                                   - John 15:18-19 ESV

Thank you very much for your time and consideration of this letter. I hope that it finds you well! I would greatly appreciate any feedback that you would send and I am anticipating a reply eagerly. I merely ask that you stop attempting to spread hate between Aggies, and instead work to find mutual ground that all Aggies and Americans can stand upon. Thanks and Gig 'Em.

Very Respectfully Yours,

Timothy K. Walker '12

Friday, January 11, 2013

Great Thoughts About Life

This morning I was reading and found some great thoughts about what it is like to lose loved ones. I know that it can be very difficult. For me this is timely as I have seen loved ones lost very recently, and it is also the anniversary of when my family lost several loved ones in a quick succession. Fortunately for us, we do not serve One who is removed. Our Great Father knows us intimately, be He also knows intimately what it is like to losed a Loved One. Praise to Him and all glory to His Name.

Reepicheep: Some honest thoughts about the death of ones you love

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Boys and Girls

I'm in the third chapter of Captivating by John and Stasi Eldridge, and I have been struck by one of the ideas that they really support. The idea that men and women each have a specific question that they ask themselves, the answer of which will reflect pieces of the nature of God which has been embedded within themselves.

Boys ask 'Do I have what it takes?'

Girls ask 'Am I lovely?'

I really think that this is interesting. I am really enamored with this book. The story is somewhat heart wrenching at times. I cannot imagine some of the agony that we place on women at times. It has to stop. This generation needs to rise up, take hold of it's responsibility, and come alive to protect the rights of people. The Church needs to rise to be City on a Hill.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Stories

I really like books (honestly these things are connected). Books have tons of stories in them! I really like stories, I think all people like stories (thank you Eldridges).

Life is a story. People love stories. Think about all the different stories that you heard when you growing up. Think about all of the fairy tales that you read or watched. Think about the stories that you would ask mom and dad to tell you or to read you. They were relatable. Because people like stories, our lives are stories.

Our stories usually start with Once Upon a Time and then end with They lived happily ever after. But what happens in between those phrases? Life happens! And that is where all the questions that people ask are answered! This is where people ask who they are, where they have been, and where they are going. And the hero's questions are answered, the princess is saved, the people rise victorious, and evil is bested.

I am currently reading a lot more books than I have in recent memory. I am remembering my love of stories! But not only stories, books about my story. Jon and Stasi Eldrige are reminding me about the nature of human hearts, the Divine nature that is in each of us as Images of God, in Captivating and Wild at Heart. Francis Chan is reminding me about the nature of God, the nature of man's relationship to that God, and the absolute necessity of God's Grace in Crazy Love and Forgotten God. Timothy Keller is helping to bolster my conviction that God is absolutely necessary. While science and modern philosophy are becoming more and more at strife with the religious community we are also met with an explosion of violence and hate across all levels of society that prove more than ever that we need The Reason for God to explain to us, actually, remind us, of why things happen. Why evil is all around us. Why things are hard. Because. We failed. And we fell. But, there is hope. Because God saved us. And J.R.R. Tolkien helps me to remember the need for books and stories. The Hobbit is a simple tale about adventure and fellowship. Is that not what we are? Friends on a journey? We are all pilgrims on the great celestial road! Some will leave us before others. Some will find themselves Home before us. But we, Christians, are in this together.

This weekend I was reminded of a noble lady. And her life and her story. I have some dear friends at home. A precious family that my family has been close too as long as I can remember. these people are probably some of the noblest that I can think of besides my parents. And this week they laid their grandmother to rest. As I watched the woman who has become my aunt silently weep, clutching her husband, as she said goodbye to her mother, I was struck by the stories of the noble lady again. As she lay in hospice, in the last days of her life, after battling disease for 25 years, a social worker asked: 'How did you do it? All these years?" Her eyes flew open, she said "Because I believe in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He gives me grace for each and every day. I have no idea how people can live like this without the Lord." and then closed her eyes again. A respit, until the Great Rest.

I was struck. By the severity of this comment. This woman's story was of love and devotion to God and her family and friends. O, that I would learn not only form this example, but also those of the others around me. That I would harken to the promises of God! I am so preoccupied with my momentary afflictions, and my desires, and small problems. Oh that I would relish in The Struggle. That I would relish the refining process and the work of the Potter! She was truly a noble lady.

I deeply hope that that I am marked by this reminder. That these books I am reading will remind me of stories. And that I would become more focused again, on my own story. Because, there are monsters out there. But as G.K. Chesterton told us, they can be beaten.