The title is tentative, but I need a placeholder. I welcome feedback and criticism. I can take the red ink that will surely come from an editor in the future process.
Preface
I would not be here without you. The nameless many who found the strength to share their faith with my forefathers who found the strength to share their faith with me. So, I pass it on to you. How I wish to meet you in person so that our faith may grow together. For many who read this, we will not have communion until we pass from this life. Yet, I feel remiss because perhaps our faith together could move mountains. Perhaps that is the true secret. That in communion, we could find the faith of a mustard seed to move mountains. Perhaps though, my tiny little faith may add to yours and you will be the one to truly move mountains and so I lend you my faith. I have often heard as men grow older they find themselves disagreeing with what they wrote in their youth. I hope these words stand the test of time. My hope is to give you the truth.
You must know up front though that these ideas are not coming from a well-educated theologian. I do not hold any advanced training in from any seminary institution though I would find that training useful and fascinating. Yet, I do not count that as a loss. This only enables God to work all the more in that weakness. Thus, it is important to note that anything stolen or lifted from other works is not intentional. If I have plagiarized you in any way, I would love to credit your work in this as it will only give further credit to the arguments. Beyond that, it will be easy for you to know what is from God and what is my human weakness. I have not been trained in all of the theological arguments and their pros and cons. Where I stand is in the Bible and the understanding that God has afforded me. So, if you learn something or God is revealed in a new and special way you can be sure it was His doing and not my own. If there is any weakness, you can be sure it is my doing and not God’s. Please afford my weaknesses the Grace that God has given you, and hopefully, you will grow closer to him while reading this work.
Introduction
I believe that a satisfying relationship with God is possible for everyone, regardless of age, race, sex, nationality, or other identifiers. I believe that as Christians our lives revolve around gospel-centered discipleship. This is achieved by knowing, experiencing, and worshipping God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. A person knows, experiences and worships God in both private and in community. Both the private relationship and communal relationship are indispensable for a satisfying relationship with God.
To have a satisfying relationship with God you need to understand two things. 1. Why is the world the way it is? 2. What can be done about it? To grapple with this question this book is broken into two parts, one for each question. Both parts are necessary to fully understand any idea that I put forth. There are going to be some tough concepts and ideas, and you will probably not agree with them at first blush. I encourage you not to judge this book on the first half but rather the complete work. The brokenness, the problem, the human experience is in the first half. In a lot of ways, it is ugly, but it is who we are. In discovering who we are there is a certain beauty to it, and it will only get better as hope will arrive in the second half of the book. Ideas will be completed in the second half, so if you feel wanting in the first half, keep going (it is kind of on purpose to leave you wanting a little). In the end, thank you for reading this. I hope it encourages your faith and brings you closer to God because writing this book has accomplished both for me.
