Perhaps the most serious obstacle to a recovery of the full meaning of creation is the growing irrelevance of God. To be sure, many in our time speak the language of God and religion in hymns of adoration and praise, the litanies of petition and lament. But it is, for the most part, a forced language, ornamental and hollow, since there is little in our practical experience that feeds and sustains such language, that keeps it honest. We are unaware that our language is false because the conditions that would enable us to recognize or feel with honesty and depth the presence of God are mostly gone. Though we may claim that God exists, it does not matter, since the patterns of our day-to-day lives, as well as the goals of our culture, proceed on terms set by economic demands and without reference to God... As we have become controllers of our own fate, God has simply become an unnecessary hypothesis. We rather than God, run the world.
-The Irrelevance of God, The Paradise of God by Norman Wirzba
As I stood outside the apartment around midnight locked out trying to get the key to unlock the door I started to pray. "Please Jesus let this unlock, please I am tired, I just want to sleep." As the hour passed I admitted defeat having slept only 4 hours the night before, fasting all day and finally it being the midnight hour I turned towards my car to sleep in it.
After the following day I called Alan's mom to see if I could stay at their place. She obviously welcomed me in with open arms. The Taste of Cincinnati was going on so we walked around down town for a while. After we got food she and I sat in fountain square for hours talking.
We talked about my internship in Norwood. We talked about my past relationships. We talked about my future relationships. We talked about the roommate drama with Ellen. We talked about Alan. We talked about her first marriage, how she felt about it and if she had seen him since. We talked about what it's like to get older. During our conversation she confessed to me that she is an atheist although because that word feels so negative she merely said she simply doesn't believe.
We talked about her doubts what it's like to grow up as a pastor's daughter and then to have a son who is a pastor. I told her Christianity skips a generation. As the sun was beginning to fall we started to walk back to her apartment. We watched the Reds lose to St. Louis then I slept in their guest room.
The next day I woke up and attempted the lock and key yet again. Yet again I couldn't do it. Eventually I buzzed one of the other apartments until a large angry man came to the stairs and let me in. I was overwhelmed with joy and thanked him several times.
I collected my stuff, changed clothes, and drove to Yellow Springs. As I was walking around John Bryan park I started to reflect on the past few days.
Why didn't God answer my prayers about the lock?
Is it because God doesn't exist?
Is it because I didn't NEED God's help?
Or is it because God had other things for me?
Without that lock failing I wouldn't have had to rely on Sara to give me a place to stay. Without contacting Sara I wouldn't have experienced the Taste and we certainly never would have had hours of conversation about life and God.
Without that lock failing I wouldn't have had to rely on a stranger in Apartment A to come let me in. I wouldn't have buzzed the shit out of his apartment.
I hate asking for things. I hate bothering people. I hate being a burden. But isn't that exactly what we are supposed to be in this world? Dependent on each other? A community of giving and receiving? I hate leaning on others, I hate not being self sufficient.
Why didn't God answer my prayers about the lock?
Oscar Isaac - Switchable City
-The Irrelevance of God, The Paradise of God by Norman Wirzba
As I stood outside the apartment around midnight locked out trying to get the key to unlock the door I started to pray. "Please Jesus let this unlock, please I am tired, I just want to sleep." As the hour passed I admitted defeat having slept only 4 hours the night before, fasting all day and finally it being the midnight hour I turned towards my car to sleep in it.
After the following day I called Alan's mom to see if I could stay at their place. She obviously welcomed me in with open arms. The Taste of Cincinnati was going on so we walked around down town for a while. After we got food she and I sat in fountain square for hours talking.
We talked about my internship in Norwood. We talked about my past relationships. We talked about my future relationships. We talked about the roommate drama with Ellen. We talked about Alan. We talked about her first marriage, how she felt about it and if she had seen him since. We talked about what it's like to get older. During our conversation she confessed to me that she is an atheist although because that word feels so negative she merely said she simply doesn't believe.
We talked about her doubts what it's like to grow up as a pastor's daughter and then to have a son who is a pastor. I told her Christianity skips a generation. As the sun was beginning to fall we started to walk back to her apartment. We watched the Reds lose to St. Louis then I slept in their guest room.
The next day I woke up and attempted the lock and key yet again. Yet again I couldn't do it. Eventually I buzzed one of the other apartments until a large angry man came to the stairs and let me in. I was overwhelmed with joy and thanked him several times.
I collected my stuff, changed clothes, and drove to Yellow Springs. As I was walking around John Bryan park I started to reflect on the past few days.
Why didn't God answer my prayers about the lock?
Is it because God doesn't exist?
Is it because I didn't NEED God's help?
Or is it because God had other things for me?
Without that lock failing I wouldn't have had to rely on Sara to give me a place to stay. Without contacting Sara I wouldn't have experienced the Taste and we certainly never would have had hours of conversation about life and God.
Without that lock failing I wouldn't have had to rely on a stranger in Apartment A to come let me in. I wouldn't have buzzed the shit out of his apartment.
I hate asking for things. I hate bothering people. I hate being a burden. But isn't that exactly what we are supposed to be in this world? Dependent on each other? A community of giving and receiving? I hate leaning on others, I hate not being self sufficient.
Why didn't God answer my prayers about the lock?
Oscar Isaac - Switchable City