July 10th, 2006 - 1st Bible Study Whol – i - ness with Myself, Others and God.

Host: Kelly and Nancy Carlisle

Topic: Spiritual: Be Holy because I am Holy: Reading: 1 Peter Chapter 1 – 2:3

For each Monday from now until August 14th we are meeting for fellowship and to study the word in a multi-week Bible Study titled Whol – i - ness with Myself, Others and God.

About twenty people attended. There was a BBQ pot luck first and then Kelly set up an opening party mixer game. After that we broke into two groups and discussed the bible passage with three groups of questions which were categorized by a coffee cup, a book and a heart. The questions were designed to progressively move participants to reveal "deeper" thoughts and feelings together with our faith and fears.

The passage was read first. Most, if not all, felt the language and the call in the passage we read was challenging to say the least. As we answered the questions the struggles we encounter on our Christian journey were more apparent. One of the questions was about the v. 17 “live you lives as strangers here in reverent fear” brought out an exchange about how comfortable the group was with the word fear. Fear brought in the idea of God’s judgment and law. Many remained uncomfortable thinking about "fearing God". Interestingly the other group focused their discussion around the word reverent.

There was another question about whether you defined yourself as a pilgrim, explorer or land owner in life. Our group had trouble defining the difference between pilgrim and explorer. The other group defined a pilgrim as someone with a destination in mind where an explorer is journeying without that destination.

We discussed holiness, which both groups defined as being "set apart", but as our group talked about holiness the conversation moved to referring to it as this was some state of godliness in life.

The shared thoughts exhilarated me as Paul discussed living with God's law and grace; as Kelly delved into needing to be mindful of our effect in the world; as Shelley talking about sheltering a homeless family member and as Emily presenting the challenges of today's college age Christian among many other highlights. No one spoke dogmatically or tried to present life's choices as easy if one's faith was strong enough.

Still discussions were difficult on these matters because of a phenomenon I think is best caught in a song lyric (forgive the now predictable nature of my mind which consistently associates with life with music):

It's a funny thing about humility, as soon as you know you're being humble, you're no longer humble.

It's a funny thing about life, you've got to give up your life to be alive.

You've got to suffer to know compassion; you can't want nothing if you want satisfaction.

It's a funny thing about love, the harder you try to be loved the less lovable you are.

It's a funny thing about pride, when you're being proud you should be ashamed.

You find only pain if you seek after pleasure, you work like a slave if you seek out the leisure."

T Bone Burnette, the man who wrote the lyric, once responded to a question about why as a person bearing the label of "Christian" he doesn't write songs that sound or look like "Christian music." His quoted response has become a mantra for some, that Christians can either write about the Light itself, or they can write about what they see in the world because of the existence of that Light.

Talking about Christianity frequently calls T Bone Burnette's lyric to my mind but everyone Monday seemed to navigate the waters as best we could.

We ended with three songs; Here Is My Heart, I Lift Up My Soul and Lamb of God. During Lamb of God just we sang "Oh wash me in His precious Blood", as if on cue with the word "washed", the sprinklers came on where we were standing.

A great beginning to the coming Monday meetings.