Mood:
d'ohTopic: my books
Obviously, as a Christian, the main purpose of my life on earth is to come to know God and to trust Him to live through me, through my thoughts, words and actions, that He may be glorified in the world around me. It is to learn to live out my oneness with Him in the Spirit.
I have long been aware that, for me personally, with my unusual gifts, personality and disabilities, a large part of that purpose involves letting God live through me intellectually, guiding my study and thinking (which are very major parts of my life). I have also long been aware one of the major purposes, or possibly better "sub-purposes," of my life involves moving the Church, Christ's Body on Earth, toward more outward manifestation of its real unity. That has been the focus of my intellectual activity for the last 14 or 15 years of my life. It has led to the publication of numerous websites (links to all of which are found on the Christian-oneness.org website) and one book (Our Oneness in Christ).
But thus far these efforts do not appear to have been very effective. The websites usually gather only a few hundred "hits" per month, and very little response. The book, published in December 2006, has received some very positive reviews but has sold only about 30 copies, total, not counting copies I or my coauthor have purchased ourselves and distributed for free. I have sought for coauthors for additional books, believing God was in it (and I still do believe that), but have received only weak response to my proposals. God works in His own time, but I have had to ask Him why nothing seems to be happening.
He has reminded me that I must let Him guide my course. And He has started me on a new course of personal preparation. The underlying ideas in my existing book and websites are generally scripturally sound, but I do not yet have the philosophical or theological background to adequately understand where the divisions in the Church really came from. I also don't yet have the background to fully appreciate why the various divided entities in the Church seem to be locked in the mode of insisting that everyone outside of them--whether unbelievers or believers from other denominational groups--must come to them on their own terms, fully understanding and affirming their theological terms of art, or not at all. (Obviously, this traditional insistence that those who come to Christ must first understand and agree with church language and forms of thought keeps many people away from Christ in this post-Christian country). So, he has strated me on a course of reading as He directs.
One of the major functions of this blog will be to present reviews of many of the books I'm directed to read, or have already read. These reviews will be posted in the "reviews" topic of this blog. The other major function of this blog will be to provide a place to vent frustrations with the world aruond me. This venting will occur mostly in the "pure satire" topic.
