Sojourner's Song

“I have become a pilgrim to cure myself of being an exile.” -G. K. Chesterton


Aaron Telian

I'm a clumsy Christian on a journey of discipline and discovery with Jesus. As a recovering Pharisee, I'm learning to trust God's grace over my goodness. I love the world, and I'm excited about learning what it means to be salt and light in a Post-Christian culture. This is where I write about living the sojourn.


View My Profile

Blog Archive

  • ►  2009 (26)
    • ►  June (1)
    • ►  May (2)
    • ►  April (10)
    • ►  March (1)
    • ►  February (3)
    • ►  January (9)
  • ►  2008 (112)
    • ►  December (5)
    • ►  November (10)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  September (5)
    • ►  August (8)
    • ►  July (6)
    • ►  June (13)
    • ►  May (13)
    • ►  April (4)
    • ►  March (9)
    • ►  February (18)
    • ►  January (20)
  • ►  2007 (121)
    • ►  December (8)
    • ►  November (12)
    • ►  October (10)
    • ►  September (8)
    • ►  August (8)
    • ►  July (12)
    • ►  June (11)
    • ►  May (11)
    • ►  April (10)
    • ►  March (14)
    • ►  February (5)
    • ►  January (12)
  • ▼  2006 (90)
    • ►  December (16)
    • ►  November (15)
    • ►  October (17)
    • ▼  September (20)
      • Emerging Church Cafeteria-Style
      • New Layers of Infinity
      • Blessed are those who mourn?
      • Vibrant or Vacant?
      • Emerging or Diverging?
      • On Thinking Christianly
      • Slacker Packer
      • First Things
      • Two Months
      • Fast-Fruit Culture
      • Not-So-Happy Anniversary
      • American Federalism
      • Thinking About Division
      • St. Francis of Assisi
      • A Little Beauty
      • On Writing and Writers
      • "Orthodoxy beyond Answers"
      • Why I Don't Believe in Evolution
      • Book Lovers Anonymous
      • Sovereignty, Freewill, or Both?
    • ►  August (11)
    • ►  July (11)

What Susan Said

  • What Susan Said
    - Due to time limitations and lack of quote material, What Susan Said will be indefinitely discontinued. If you’ve enjoyed this blog, leave a comment and l...
    16 years ago

Blogroll

  • As The Deer
  • Bibliological Bibble-Babble
  • Cerulean Sanctum
  • Coffee Cup Apologetics
  • Free Believers Network
  • Greg Boyd
  • Internet Monk
  • Jesus Shaped Spirituality
  • Kingdom People
  • Letters From Kamp Krusty
  • MercatorNet
  • My One Thing
  • Reclaiming the Mission
  • Solomon's Porch Oakhurst
  • The God Journey
  • The Gospel-Driven Church
  • The Scribbles of a Sojourner
  • What Susan Said



Sponsor a Child in Jesus Name with Compassion
Save Children

Labels

  • Art
  • Blogging
  • Books
  • C. S. Lewis
  • Church + State
  • Church Life
  • Culture
  • Derek Webb
  • Economics
  • EduCore
  • Emerging Church
  • Family
  • Freestyle Piano
  • G. K. Chesterton
  • Happenings
  • Hiking
  • History
  • Holiness
  • Israel
  • Jesus
  • Language
  • Music
  • Nature
  • People
  • Photos
  • Poetry
  • Poverty
  • Prayer
  • Reading + Writing
  • Religion
  • Rich Mullins
  • Scraps
  • Scripture
  • Society + Government
  • Southwest Slalom
  • Spiritual Thoughts
  • Story
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • Yosemite

My Amazon.com Wish List
cash advance
Dell Computers
Free Counter
RSS Feed
Add to Technorati Favorites

Friday, September 01, 2006

Sovereignty, Freewill, or Both?

Walking down to the shed earlier today to clean some things up, I noticed there was an intermittent fluttering sound coming from somewhere. David, who was working on his Toyota, informed me that there was something caught inside the hollow basketball pole - probably a bird. Immediately I grasped the poor creatures plight, and, like any good humane citizen, set about the task of rescue.

The pole was perhaps three inches in diameter, and stiffened internally with intermediate cross-bars. It was comprised of three coupled sections, one in the ground, the other two each about five feet long.

First, thinking like a tradesman, I employed a hammer to attempt tapping the sections apart, but a combination of their weight and long exposure to gravity made them reluctant to yield. A different, less direct approach would be necessary.

How to reach eight feet down a three-inch pole and retrieve a desperate winged body? Abruptly, I hit on it. Grabbing a convenient 9mm rope, I gingerly lowered it into the pole, standing atop a six foot ladder. I could both hear and feel it when it reached the bird; I started bringing it up, but could tell there was no weight on it. I lowered the rope again. "C'mon, little guy... grab on..." I waited a moment, and begin to haul it up slowly - slowly, up, up, just a little more! I could feel a distinct load - not much, mind you - but something.

The rope neared the top. In a blink, the little thing was free! I've never been so happy for a bird in all my life: it was tiny and dull gray, but it was beautiful. Exhilarated, I put the rope away and went back to cleaning shop, rejoicing over what it means to be alive.

I'll let you draw the parallel.
Posted by Aaron at 11:32 AM
Labels: Spiritual Thoughts

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wow! That is an amazing picture of sovreignty and freewill!! Very cool in deed!

In fact, you could say that this "dove-tails" (sorry for the pun) with your previous post on "Universal or Unique?" in that you have experienced a "saving" relationship with this small creature. You offered it a path of salvation but it needed to accept your help. You chose it (in your sovreignty, I guess) but it had to respond.

I guess we are all stuck in a pipe called "death" and "sin" and Jesus is lowering His rope and asking us to just "hold on".

Great story.

10:15 PM

Post a Comment

Newer Post Older Post Home
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

The Fine Print...

All material on this blog remains my intellectual property. You are free to quote and disseminate any and all of it, but please use proper blogging etiquette, credit (link back to) the source, and make an effort to keep potentially controversial ideas in context. Thanks for reading.

Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. - 2 Cor. 13:11