Considering that over twenty four hours of the past tens days have been spent in a train station, I figured Id do a post about what Ive been thinking about. Because their really isnt much to do in a train station besides sit and think, sometimes you can read but its pretty load especially in the Rome train station, where they have huge vacuum like machines to keep the floors from becoming to disgusting. Now the drivers consider it a game to see how close they can get to sucking up your bags and so in between dodging the pickpockets, vacuum cleaners and random creepy people who haunt train stations, Ive been reading Thomas A Kempis, The Epistles of Paul, City of God and Christian Apologetics, all very good and all very thought provoking. Mostly Ive been reading and thinking in the context of the book Im hoping to coauthor on my return, so Ive been thinking about entertainment, enjoyment, fun and where all of those things fit profitably into a Christians life. Ive tried to summarize it in a few short thoughts.
I. To the degree that entertainment is beneficial to the spiritual well being of a person, to that extant ought it to be enjoyed.
II.When things that result in sensual enjoyment, not that are bad in and of themselves, but when they become a hinderance to ones ability to hear and obey The Holy Spirit then they must be thrown away until unity with the spirit is restored.
III.Sensual pleasure, is neither good nor bad, it can be either a result of pursuing the flesh or of walking with the spirit.
A. The gratification of the flesh produces a sensual delight that is wrong, and is dependent on ones circumstances, as soon as the physical circumstances change the pleasure leaves.
B. Walking in accordance with the spirit, brings sensual pleasure, NOT because we pursue it, but because God grants it to us as a gift and takes it back when He sees fit. This pleasure is more satisfying and is more dependent on the mental and spiritual state of the person instead of the physical.
IIII.Unless we wish to shame the examples of the most eminent church fathers we will not run from the chance to endure suffering when God refuses us the gift sensual pleasure, rather we will embrace pain and trail with joy knowing the greatest triumphs in Christianity came not in times of peace and prosperity rather they came in the midst of darkness, fire and sword.
V. Grace is the provision of God that allows human kind to forsake his natural tendency to pursue his own happiness and rather to seek Christ's pleasure. The result a sense of joy that is not necessarily sensual but more mental in its nature.
VI. Nothing ought to be pursued which is merely a tool to escape the life God has destined you to live, I would say thats cheating out on both the trials and the joys God has planned for each of us.
VII. True Happiness is only the result of a gift from God that comes when the flesh is entirely dead and the spirit is in control of ones feelings.
I'll interject here to tell a story about one of the times I feel like I've felt real happiness. We were in Rome and we went to the Vatican. We didn't see the Sistine Chapel but we wondered through Saints Peter's Basilica. I dont know what it is that makes a place more spiritual then others, obviously it depends on the person in each place, but their was something spiritual about that Cathedral and I wasn't the only one who felt it.
Here's a picture from the top, not my picture. So all around the top are statues of saints. The large courtyard was not as cool as I thought it would be because for some odd reason I thought their was a huge statue of St. Peter there and when their wasn't I was slightly disappointed. But we got to go inside, free of charge and first we went down to see the tombs of the popes. It was very solemn, no cameras were allowed, they had chanting in the background, As much as I might disagree with points of Catholic doctrine, I had to wander around the coffins in awe, gazing upon the men who for hundreds of years were the faces of Christianity. They were the men who upheld what was right good and lawful, they crowned and dethroned kings, they bore the responsibility for shepherding the entire flock of Christ. Then to see the tomb of St Peter was just incredible. Slowly I began to loose myself in the mists of imagination. Thinking about times gone by when knights were bold and popes still held the golden orb and scepter. We walked upstairs and surrounding us on all sides were statues of heroes from biblical, apostolic, post apostolic, Nicene, post Nicene and Medieval Christianity. Their was a room dedicated for prayers where me and Daniel went and their was where I felt happy, more so then I ever remember feeling before. Their was a true unity and connection with God that I can't quite describe. I dont know how long I stayed there in that little room, Daniel bumped my elbow to remind me I was still human and that we had to go soon so I thanked God for His gift that even after I left the room stayed and only wore off as God allowed, not as the physical circumstances changed. Over the next few days I realized why God had given me that special blessing, because the next few days were physically very taxing.. Daniel got sick from a combination of cold, spending the night in the Rome train station, spending a night on the open deck of a ferry, lack of good food and over exertion. We both felt really really homesick and we just sat around at the campsite we were staying trying to sleep trying not to think of home. I honestly think God gave me that special connect with Him in the cathedral to enable me to endure with perfect confidence and joy those next couple days. Even though we "felt" horrible my mind was clear and my soul was pure.
Sorry I know that was long. I figure since this blog is about me, I can tell a long story about myself every now and again. I hope that all made sense, for me it helped validify what I felt God had been teaching me both in my prayers and in what I had been reading. Namely that happiness is not the result of our circumstances rather it is a particular blessing from God that he gives at His leisure and takes at His leisure. Joy and such that is a different thing and a different topic which I must think more about and post on later. This post was to try to express in words a bit of what I've been thinking about and to show that my mind has not been inactive on this trip. Please comment with what you think, I hate it when people bring in a story into a debate that makes it all emotional and then its hard to contradict that person, so do not be worried about hurting my feelings if you radically disagree, I'd very much like to understand where I've gone wrong in my thinking.
Right now were in Munich Germany, visiting with one of Daniel's friends from when he lived in Germany. I still have to do a post with all the pictures from Paris then a post with all the pictures from Munich, on Friday we go to Cologne and stay there till Monday when we fly to Dublin Ireland and a week from today we fly home. Me and Daniel made dinner for the three of us and we made far far to much, so we have a massive pot of rice sitting in the kitchen so we are both well fed and content.
Alexander not great.
Thessaloniki from the lookout point.
Far more important then the fact that I'm standing with my brother in the city that Aristotle lived and taught is the fact that in this picture I'm successfully spinning a frisbee.
Out contemplating Aristotle with my siblings and host siblings.
Thats all for now, I've had a couple interesting thoughts, revelations and epiphanies along the way. I'll post more about them when I"m not so tired. 