It all has to end somewhere, and where it ends has to do with two things: The sovereignty of God, and the choices we make. A Calvinist theologian might argue that if God is truly sovereign, then our choices are all predetermined. On the other hand, an Arminian theologian would suggest that God gives us the latitude to choose and adjusts his will to those choices.
My own hypothesis is that God's sovereignty somehow allows for our choices to fall entirely within his predetermined will without in any way limiting our ability to choose. You might say that does not make sense, and you would be right. There are however, many things about God that to us don't make sense. That is why he is God and we are not.
Caffeinated Beginnings…
Once long ago, in a land far away, I was on vacation, sitting in a coffee shop in Fort Myers, Florida wondering how hard it would be to start a blog site. Turns out it was not really that complicated. It was there at Starbucks, fueled by a little too much caffeine, that I started a project that resulted in recording a devotional thought or two on every chapter in the Bible. I would read one chapter each day, and write a few paragraphs reflecting on one or two thoughts that would come to mind, and then post each day on the blog site.
The Project…
The project took a little over three years, and those musings can still be found at the original location on the world wide web (click on itallennshere.wordpress.com to peruse some of them if you wish) If I were to go back through them at this point, it is quite likely that I would end up refuting myself in the comments, as I have since lived long enough to realize that while there are still certain none negotiable tenets within my theology, there are a lot less than there once was.
Life is a Journey….
I’ve heard it said that life is a journey, not a destination. When we journey into places we have never been before, it is not uncommon to discover that things are not always as they appear from a distance. Clouds are a great example of this. I frequently find myself transfixed by clouds, particularly on a bright sunny summer day, when the sky is the bluest blue. Having spent my childhood on the farm, I would often lay out on the grass, or on some hay pile and watch the clouds float by. Sometimes for hours…or at least until some insect would crawl up my pant leg.
I found it fascinating, how clouds could seem fairly static and unchanging at first glance. To the inattentive eye, they all looked similar, drifting lazily along on a warm summer breeze. However, when I would focus in on one cloud and watch more closely it was amazing how it would change shape and size. Sometimes churning and billowing in what appeared to be a slow motion dance. At other times slowly melting away and disappearing entirely.
Above the Clouds...
When I experienced my first flight in a commercial jet, I saw clouds from a new vantage point. I discovered clouds look different from the other side. Looking down from above them they resembled vast snow covered hills. Stranger still, when the plane descended into the cloud bank, it was like being lost in a thick fog.
The Return of the King…
One of my favorite contemporary Christian songs begins with the words: “He’s coming on the clouds. Kings and Kingdoms will bow down…” which I believe to be a true statement, and furthermore, that one day, we will see Jesus returning to earth in the same way those who followed him some 2000 years ago saw him leave. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why I find clouds so amazing.
New Beginning…
All that to say that this is the new home of ItAllEnnsHere.com. I expect this will, as a result turn into a journal of sorts, little snippets of my continuing journey. Where it will take me exactly remains to be seen. I suspect it will include musings on matters of spirituality, philosophy, and perhaps occasionally touching on matters political as I attempt to make sense of this wonderful, crazy, scary, fascinating journey we call life.
Hang in there…
If you are still with me at this point, I’m glad you found this page, I hope that perhaps you will join me at least for a while. It is my plan to keep the comments open in the blog should you wish to engage in discussion. Likewise, some of these posts may appear in some of the other social media channels that I circulate within. I look forward to where ever it takes me, and if no one finds it, nothing is lost. The main focus of this blog is not to gather a large following. If by some odd chance, that should happen, I would hope it is so because some folks found something beneficial in these musings. Either way, I will consider it worthwhile to have written.