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The picture I choose for here is of a Aurora Borealis, it succinctly illustrates in my opinion what I see my heavenly Father inviting me into, a dance with Him.
Aurora is a luminous glow of the upper atmosphere which is caused by energetic particles that enter the atmosphere from above.
This definition differentiates aurora from other forms of air glow, and from sky brightness that is due to reflected or scattered sunlight. Air glow features that have "internal" energy sources are more common than aurora, for example lightening and all associated optical emissions like sprites should not be considered aurora.
On Earth, the energetic particles that make aurora come from the geospace environment, the magnetosphere. These energetic particles are mostly electrons, but protons also make aurora. The electrons travel along magnetic field lines. The Earth's magnetic field looks like that of a dipole magnet where the field lines are coming out and going into the Earth near the poles. The auroral electrons are thus guided to the high latitude atmosphere. As they penetrate into the upper atmosphere, the chance of colliding with an atom or molecule increases the deeper they go. Once a collision takes place, the atom or molecule takes some of the energy of the energetic particle and stores it as internal energy while the electron goes on with a reduced speed. The process of storing energy in a molecule or atom is called "exciting" the atom. An excited atom or molecule can return to the non-excited state (ground state) by sending off a photon, i.e. by making light.
----------------------------------------------------
It is a majestic and breath taking dance we're all in, the dance of divine dynamic tensions. For e.g.
There's far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There's also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting. You're involved in the same kind of struggle you saw me go through, on which you are now getting an updated report in this letter.
'Trusting', may be nothing more than a moot point without suffering, ergo the dance, (dynamic tension) the struggle. Apart from the Father making known His total loving acceptance of us, there is no way in hell of looking upon, 'suffering being as much a gift as the trusting'.
I remember many years ago when my wife and I were doing a stint with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) a brother that was there for part of our training shared the following.
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
"Consider it a all joy-a sheer gift"!! Our friend went on to say, either this person was loopy or 'he knew something'!
I really don't know how apart from suffering, the reality of "It is no longer I that lives, but Christ" is going to come forth.
This is clearly seen in my opinion in the life of Paul the one who wrote Galatians 2:20...I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and this life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
In all Paul wrote fourteen letters to the believers, and the last seven were written from prison. It was in this setting of dynamic tension he was seeing the beautiful marriage (harmony) of trusting and suffering.
I want to insert a living moment when that occurred in my life were these seemingly diametrically opposed worlds of trusting and suffering hit me like a bad accident.
From the time the Lord apprehended me in 1972, I instinctively knew His call upon my life, trouble was, my perception was terribly polluted, indeed there was a call upon me, not to do, but to be..be His first and for-most!
This head on collision occurred shortly before the end of May 1991, it was only moments away from being euphemistly, 'let go' from all that I had pursued in obtaining my dream of being in the ministry, aka a pastor.
A very long story abbreviated here, while in prayer with my fellow staff members I saw and heard my elder brother Jesus saying to me, 'I now give you permission to enter into the fellowship of my sufferings'.
Less than a week later, the Axe fell. It was in this horrific but unknown to me at the time, scared trust that began a journey into discovering what it meant to be totally lovingly accepted.
This journey is only being intensified right up to the present moments I live in, and it is and has been the gift of suffering that is making it ever more real, 'It is no longer I that lives, but Christ!
I just turned 58 yesterday, and I can join with my brother Paul and say, 'Because of this man (Jesus) I have suffered the loss of all things, but it was in my loss, I freely gained what I could never obtain had not He called me unto Himself.
Rich
Suffering.. by Gene Edwards
When suffering comes your way, there is something you will certainly do: You will ask the Lord, ''Why has this happened?'' And there is something else almost as certain.
You will receive no answer.
If the ''why'' could be removed, dear brother, dear sister, most of the transforming power of the cross would disappear. The ''why'' factor of the cross is perhaps its sharpest, most effective, most deadly aspect. Remove the ''why'' factor of the cross and there really isn't much suffering involved in it. But of this you can be sure: You are fellowshipping in the sufferings of Christ!
If you would complain, remember that long before creation, something awful, even horrible had happened to the Godhead. Before He created eternity, before he created angels, or the heavens, or earth, or anything. . . He had already suffered more than any of us will ever suffer. He knew based on His own personal experience of it before creation! The Godhead accepted the fact that there would be the certainty of suffering in our universe. . . for Himself and for the most precious thing in the universe to Him. . . His wife. He knew, yet He was not turned back by that experiential knowledge. He calculated the enormity of that suffering, beheld the end result, and decided that it was all worth it! If any man questions that decision, that man should pause and remember just what experience of suffering Jesus Christ had in His life upon which He based His decision.
I was slain Before the foundation Of the world.
Taken from The Inward Journey by Gene Edwards
Aurora is a luminous glow of the upper atmosphere which is caused by energetic particles that enter the atmosphere from above.
This definition differentiates aurora from other forms of air glow, and from sky brightness that is due to reflected or scattered sunlight. Air glow features that have "internal" energy sources are more common than aurora, for example lightening and all associated optical emissions like sprites should not be considered aurora.
On Earth, the energetic particles that make aurora come from the geospace environment, the magnetosphere. These energetic particles are mostly electrons, but protons also make aurora. The electrons travel along magnetic field lines. The Earth's magnetic field looks like that of a dipole magnet where the field lines are coming out and going into the Earth near the poles. The auroral electrons are thus guided to the high latitude atmosphere. As they penetrate into the upper atmosphere, the chance of colliding with an atom or molecule increases the deeper they go. Once a collision takes place, the atom or molecule takes some of the energy of the energetic particle and stores it as internal energy while the electron goes on with a reduced speed. The process of storing energy in a molecule or atom is called "exciting" the atom. An excited atom or molecule can return to the non-excited state (ground state) by sending off a photon, i.e. by making light.
----------------------------------------------------
It is a majestic and breath taking dance we're all in, the dance of divine dynamic tensions. For e.g.
There's far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There's also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting. You're involved in the same kind of struggle you saw me go through, on which you are now getting an updated report in this letter.
'Trusting', may be nothing more than a moot point without suffering, ergo the dance, (dynamic tension) the struggle. Apart from the Father making known His total loving acceptance of us, there is no way in hell of looking upon, 'suffering being as much a gift as the trusting'.
I remember many years ago when my wife and I were doing a stint with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) a brother that was there for part of our training shared the following.
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
"Consider it a all joy-a sheer gift"!! Our friend went on to say, either this person was loopy or 'he knew something'!
I really don't know how apart from suffering, the reality of "It is no longer I that lives, but Christ" is going to come forth.
This is clearly seen in my opinion in the life of Paul the one who wrote Galatians 2:20...I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and this life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
In all Paul wrote fourteen letters to the believers, and the last seven were written from prison. It was in this setting of dynamic tension he was seeing the beautiful marriage (harmony) of trusting and suffering.
I want to insert a living moment when that occurred in my life were these seemingly diametrically opposed worlds of trusting and suffering hit me like a bad accident.
From the time the Lord apprehended me in 1972, I instinctively knew His call upon my life, trouble was, my perception was terribly polluted, indeed there was a call upon me, not to do, but to be..be His first and for-most!
This head on collision occurred shortly before the end of May 1991, it was only moments away from being euphemistly, 'let go' from all that I had pursued in obtaining my dream of being in the ministry, aka a pastor.
A very long story abbreviated here, while in prayer with my fellow staff members I saw and heard my elder brother Jesus saying to me, 'I now give you permission to enter into the fellowship of my sufferings'.
Less than a week later, the Axe fell. It was in this horrific but unknown to me at the time, scared trust that began a journey into discovering what it meant to be totally lovingly accepted.
This journey is only being intensified right up to the present moments I live in, and it is and has been the gift of suffering that is making it ever more real, 'It is no longer I that lives, but Christ!
I just turned 58 yesterday, and I can join with my brother Paul and say, 'Because of this man (Jesus) I have suffered the loss of all things, but it was in my loss, I freely gained what I could never obtain had not He called me unto Himself.
Rich
Suffering.. by Gene Edwards
When suffering comes your way, there is something you will certainly do: You will ask the Lord, ''Why has this happened?'' And there is something else almost as certain.
You will receive no answer.
If the ''why'' could be removed, dear brother, dear sister, most of the transforming power of the cross would disappear. The ''why'' factor of the cross is perhaps its sharpest, most effective, most deadly aspect. Remove the ''why'' factor of the cross and there really isn't much suffering involved in it. But of this you can be sure: You are fellowshipping in the sufferings of Christ!
If you would complain, remember that long before creation, something awful, even horrible had happened to the Godhead. Before He created eternity, before he created angels, or the heavens, or earth, or anything. . . He had already suffered more than any of us will ever suffer. He knew based on His own personal experience of it before creation! The Godhead accepted the fact that there would be the certainty of suffering in our universe. . . for Himself and for the most precious thing in the universe to Him. . . His wife. He knew, yet He was not turned back by that experiential knowledge. He calculated the enormity of that suffering, beheld the end result, and decided that it was all worth it! If any man questions that decision, that man should pause and remember just what experience of suffering Jesus Christ had in His life upon which He based His decision.
I was slain Before the foundation Of the world.
Taken from The Inward Journey by Gene Edwards
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