religion – Jediah Logiodice's Blog

Sound of Hope – Close to Home

Amanda and I went to watch Sound of Hope this weekend. It is a story that hits close to home.

In 2008 I took on a position in a Missions board within our Church family. While I grew up dirt poor (e.g., no plumbing or running water), I still lived a sheltered life where God always provided for us, and to be fair, “poor” is a subjective word. We were money poor, but we were family wealthy.

When I became involved in the Missions board, a whole new world of poverty, true poverty, pain, and suffering opened before me. In 2008, a visiting bishop from Kenya prayed over our family, asking God to give us strength in the decisions we were about to make. What decisions?

My wife and I left from services with a heavy heart that drew us, unbeknownst to each other to go home, separately jump on our computers, and still unknowing to the other, we both started searching for children in need. A few days later we finally got the courage to speak out the plans that God placed in our hearts, and providentially, we had both found the same little girl from the same orphanage in Haiti.

Like John, (although somewhat figuratively) I could fill a scroll that stretched from one end of the heavens to the other in describing to you all the wonderful and amazing “God moments” we had over the next two years; it is AMAZING to see God’s power manifest in front of your eyes, and I can tell you with unwavering commitment that God performed many powerful miracles along the way – His only ask for us, was to trust in Him.

Whenever our hard work and efforts came to a dead end (so many times!), whenever we got to the end of our rope, once we gave up and let God take control, the miracles flooded in. It’s funny, looking back, how many times I would try to do things within my own power and strength, only once again having to turn to God in humility and ask. That’s all it took. Ask and you shall receive.

Adoption, is not an easy thing though, with it comes struggles, physical, emotional, and financial. There are so many adjustments needed, there is often brokenness there can be feelings of abandonment, and even medical and psychological issues. But God is good, and what better way to truly understand what it means to be “adopted” into God’s family. Sometimes when the tide of grief comes over one of our adopted children, I have to remind them, that we chose them, how much more so is that powerful bound, where we chose them, just like God chooses us.

Sound of Hope was a tear-jerker through and through. It didn’t just show the happy side of adoption, it showed some of the hard times, the bad times, and maybe even a little bit of the fringe of the ugly, but God is good, all the time.

I commend this movie to you, and hope it will be an inspiration wherever you are in your walk of life and your faith. Perhaps you are already involved in some way in caring for orphans and widows, perhaps this movie might plant a seed to stir you up for even more noble things.

https://www.angel.com/movies/sound-of-hope-the-story-of-possum-trot

Thank you for letting me share a little bit of my story, maybe someday I will share more!

God and the origins of life

It’s been quite a few years since I have had the opportunity to be intellectually stimulated in the areas of religion, philosophy and science – I very much miss the days of tutelage under my friend and mentor, Bill Johnson.

One of the topics that I really took an interest in, was the intersect of religion and science. I recently added a new author to my “to read” list. His book(s) appear to settle comfortably in the company of Collins, Jastrow, Tipler, Davies, and the likes: Stephen Meyer.

Although I haven’t read his books yet (just found him this morning), I enjoyed his cursory overview of his latest book Return of the God Hypothesis from Uncommon Knowledge.

Especially appreciated his reference to Jastrow, when he wrote:

For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountain of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.
Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers.

ISO: The Theory of Everything

Just finished up a thought provoking and highly-entertaining treatment of concepts and ideas swirling around related to life, the universe and everything.

Unlike some reviewers of the book, I specifically appreciate that the author tries to synthesize the scientific world view with the religious world view.

There are too many in life that think the world is so black and white, on both sides, thus being completely unwilling to give credence to what another might say or think across the divide.

The dichotomy reminds me of a couple maxims summarized by Covey and Bragg: 1) first seek to understand, then to be understood, and 2) science and religion are opposed as the thumb and forefinger – between the two you can grasp anything.

I came to a similar simulation theory ages ago (without much science knowledge to back it up, just through general observation and cognitive experiences), I’m glad to see we have some great thinkers spending significant clock-cycles on it.

Somewhere in our future is “The Theory of Everything”. Keep seeking!

Resurrection of Animals – you ask?

For my Christian friends:

I’m a logical person, I eat animals as much as I have them as pets, I won’t hold to false hopes, but I didn’t hear any logical, biblical, or otherwise, facts offered in the video below that a friend posted.

Do animals go to Heaven?

I think a more complete treatment can be found here:

Will Spot be in Heaven?

Short version, man and animal are different, but the bible is (mostly) silent to resurrection of animals.

I would say that I can’t tell what Paul is up to when he claims all of creation groans for resurrection and redemption, especially if it only means complete and utter annihilation and destruction for all created things but humans.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently

What do you think?

Blessings in disguise

Today, I had the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus; and I hesitated, and I lost out. I was left with a feeling of love, and wonder and shame. Here is the story.

You need to have this background first: I work in an area that is quite a bit run down, in the two years I have been here, there have been stabbings and shootings in the parking lot.

I have recently taken to walking through the parking lot to a gas station half a block over to a Subway. It’s not the cleanest looking gas station, I feel a little out of place in my dress clothes; but the people are polite, and nice, and the food area is clean and well kept.

Today, as I was walking through, there was a fella outside picking through trash cans; as I walked by, he stood up and started shuffling his way behind me. Given my background, I have a heightened level of situational awareness; so I watched him closely out of the corner of my eye, and then through the reflection of windows and cars. No issues.

After I ordered, inside, and had a pleasant and familiar discussion with the ladies behind the counter, this same fella came stomping in. Once again, my level of awareness increased. He stomped to the back of the store to grab a drink, and then over to the sandwich counter.

To the reply of the lady behind the counter he very gruffly said “I want a sandwich with everything on it”. It seemed clear he was slightly intoxicated.

As I walked over to pay, racing through my mind was the fact that I knew this fella couldn’t pay for his own food. Once I ascertained there seemed to be no immediate threat, I tried to rationalize how he went from picking out of the trash to buying a sandwich and drink. Slowly, in my mind, crept the thought that I could pay for his sandwich, I had the means, and I could see a storm brewing.

As I started thinking through all the ways I could do it, without becoming ‘personally involved’, in less than the couple minutes that I stood there trying to rationalize what I was going to do, and how, an elderly lady came through the door and said over my shoulders to the cashier, “I’m going to pay for his sandwich”.

I was immediately overwhelmed with various emotions. First, love and compassion for someone who would see a random stranger picking through trash, and instead of immediately viewing them as a threat, and running through scenarios on how to contain that threat, she went over and asked if she could help.

Then, shame, that as a young, relatively healthy human, with means, I would stand there contemplating for so long whether or not I should help, and he had a clear need. The book I bought on Amazon this morning cost more than the price of his meal. I was rationalizing, because I didn’t want the “messiness” of dealing with the humanity of the situation.

In the end, I lost the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus, but I got to witness someone, whether in Christ or not, was faithful to their fellow human, to part of the Message. It was a blessing in disguise.

Perhaps, next time, I’ll stop thinking, and start doing.

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

He is Jealous for me..

I was recently asked about my relationship with Jesus. I realized that I openly and always share my knowledge, but rarely share my personal feelings; those intimate areas deep down in the recesses of my heart and soul.

My relationships are very personal; like my relationship with my wife: I don’t walk around talking about it, and trying to explain the importance of her to me. It’s such a personal part of me. Words cannot adequately describe, it is for me, and her, and not for you: I don’t even try.

Yet, I do talk about what it is like to be married, to have that special connection, that special someone, that safe place to be emotionally, spiritually and physically unclothed and unashamed.

So, while I can’t adequately describe my personal relationships, I can describe what it is like to have them.

If you have such a relationship, you will recognize this refrain; if you don’t, I hope that someday you will be found and enveloped into the most wonderful, indescribable, uncontainable existence.

God chose me. Not for any merit, not for what I had to offer, before the foundations of the world; He knew me, called me, justified me, and is in the process of making me into the image of Jesus.

The things I do, say and think separate me from God; Jesus is my defense attorney, my friend, and confidant. He knows everything about me, and still loves me. He is patient with me in my failings, and compassionate, He provides for my personal, spiritual and family needs.

How He loves me.

I must go down to the sea again

There is something indescribable and wondrous about the vast and endless sea. The call of the ocean, echoing in history, throughout the future. I cannot recall physically going into the ocean for the past 30 years. It is an amazing feeling, a feeling of both insignificance and of fortitude: insignificance in the realization of how tiny and insubstantial I am, but strength in realizing that of all creatures in creation this world was made for me.

I, as human, represent the pinnacle of crowning achievement for creation; the most complex, the most intriguing of all creatures with my abilities to think and love and reason in unique ways: being granted the blessing (or curse) of being one of the few known reasoning creatures that will spend most of my lifetime contemplating my own mortality.

I started this weak on Cocoa Beach officiating the wedding of my brother-in-law, and new sister-in-law: Jeremy and Rebecca Jewers. It was an honor and a privilege to be asked to perform the ceremony, it is the second time in my life I have been called upon to do such an amazing thing. Marriage is as wonderful as birth, and baptism; both representing a transition, a newness, a transformation from old to new; from form to form.

The wedding started with the scene from the Princess Bride: Mawage, Mawage is what bwings us togethwer today. It was the perfect fit, a perfect couple: a farm boy turned pirate and a princess. Two people, that were meant to be together.

On our last night on the beach, Amanda and I were taking a walk down the beach in the moonlight and we ran into a majestic but ominous looking foot long crab. We were in awe at his size and amazed at his beauty, until we saw that he held in his claw a baby hatchling loggerhead turtle.

We immediately went into rescue mode. I took on the crab (and he was vicious!) and encouraged him to drop the turtle (ok, I might have kicked him in the rear with my bare foot while Amanda kept his attention). Then, while I kept the crab occupied (he continued coming after me), Amanda guarded the baby turtle as it made it to the water.

In the end, we both were able to watch the turtle swim out to sea, and we then returned to the crab to take a picture of him. He belongs on the wall of shame! This was one of the most amazing things I have experienced in nature.

Being saved from Crab — Being saved from Monster Crab

Attempting to eat a Loggerhead — Wall of Shame: Attempting to eat a baby Loggerhead

We are now preparing, after a full week of God’s beautiful nature to head back to the city of San Antonio. We miss friends there, but honestly, we are not overly excited to go back; we miss the nature, the openness, the sea breeze of the east coast. It’s hard to say what the future will hold for us, but one thing for sure. Home is where the heart is, and there is no place like home.

Recommendations for books on Leadership

The last couple University courses in the graduate program have been focused on various aspects of leadership. Over the years, I have read a lot of different books on leadership, all with their own perspective.

Some are written to help direct as a leader in the home (a father for me specifically), some for leadership in the Church, some as practical guides for leadership in general society, and others specifically geared towards leadership in professional organizations.

Each and every one one of these books has had a positive impact on me, and has helped me mature in my style of leadership and understanding. As a result, I thought I would share some of the books near the top of my list.

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These last three are on my to-read list, but I haven’t gotten to them yet.

Is there such thing as Universal Ethics?

Absolutely! 😉

Whole books and doctoral theses have been written to address this question, so it is not something that can be answered in passing. However, I can provide some insight from those much more eloquent in the economics of universal ethics.

Rather than providing specific value statements of right and wrong to be argued over, let us look at this from the perspective of establishing whether or not there is such thing as universal statements of right and wrong. The first question then to be answered is whether, when I make a value statement, am I intending to assert a universal, or am I just making a statement of feelings only.

C.S. Lewis, the Christian philosopher and theologian, addresses this question in detail in his book the Abolition of Man. He states that all but the trousered ape would understand that our expression of value statements go beyond a personal bias and individual experience. He summarizes that when I say something is beautiful, I am not merely asserting that I think it is beautiful, I am asserting that part of the nature of the object is that it is beautiful. He goes on to pose this argument in another form, using reductio ad absurdum Lewis suggests the claim that value statements are to be interpreted as personal statements can be seen prima facie to be absurd if I were to say I do not feel well, and someone were to respond, nonsense, I feel just fine (Lewis, 2009).

Extending this argument, Lewis also poses the idea that even those that claim that rightness and wrongness is subjective would on one hand steal from someone in the first moment, but then assert as fact the unfairness of any act that allowed them to be stolen from (Lewis, 2001). The idea being, whether or not we can agree on a set of value statements, all humans have this inborn idea, this natural law as Lewis calls it, that there is indeed a set of value statements that assert rightness and wrongness universally.

After establishing the statement that all humans have this idea of rightness and wrongness, the next challenge then is to understand how, with diverse background and cultures and experiences, we can all come to agreement on what is truly without a bias, right and wrong. The answering of which, however, is beyond the scope of this post.

References

Lewis, C. S. (2001). Mere christianity (Kindle ed.). New York: HarperSan Francisco. Retrieved from Library of Congress or OCLC Worldcat.

Lewis, C. S. (2009). The abolition of man (Kindle ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved from www.amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/The-Abolition-Man-C-Lewis/dp/1609421477

Category: religion