http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEchYUDgqDo
"This short piece is a "plug" for a man I both like and am in awe of in equal measure. I feel privileged that he counts me as a friend.
I hope youtube viewers like what I have put together.
Ian Swarbrick, http://www.imagesfromthewild.ch"
I was going to ask Steve`s permission to post this on you tube, but later I heard him talk on exactly this theme on yesterday`s radio broadcast!
I (excitedly) took this as confirmation from a Higher Authority that this body of work is in order. So sorry, Steve, I have permission to go over your head and post it regardless, my friend!
The narrow path - time lapse Alps
Re: The narrow path - time lapse Alps
Wow, Ian, that footage is incredible—and goes so well with the statement! Very powerfully done! I wish everything I said or wrote could come across so dynamically! Thanks for that beautiful promo!
Re: The narrow path - time lapse Alps
Ian,
There are some good comments about your video at this link:
http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?s ... 1288119451
There are some good comments about your video at this link:
http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?s ... 1288119451
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darinhouston
- Posts: 3123
- Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 7:45 am
Re: The narrow path - time lapse Alps
Beautiful images and beautiful quote!
Re: The narrow path - time lapse Alps
Thank you both!
Steve, I can`t tell you how chuffed I was when I heard you talk on that theme on the previous day`s broadcast, whilst I was just putting the finishing touches to the video. Talk about confirmation! I don`t know if my (since about 2009) regular experience of such coincidences is a common one to Christians but I am bowled over each time.
Steve, I can`t tell you how chuffed I was when I heard you talk on that theme on the previous day`s broadcast, whilst I was just putting the finishing touches to the video. Talk about confirmation! I don`t know if my (since about 2009) regular experience of such coincidences is a common one to Christians but I am bowled over each time.
Re: The narrow path - time lapse Alps
Another excellent one, Ian. Keep them coming!
TK
TK
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Candlepower
- Posts: 239
- Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 3:26 pm
- Location: Missouri
Re: The narrow path - time lapse Alps
This morning I forwarded the "Alps" video link to several Christian friends. A couple of hours later I received this response from one of them:
"Very beautiful indeed. But....if we don't appeal to man's core of self interest, how do we ever get him past that to seek the will of God? Just thinking....."
Below is my response. I want to be clear and doctrinally correct whatever I speak or write. But sometimes, even when I have meant well, I have failed to express myself perfectly, and have ended up inadvertently sounding like a heretic. Sometimes I have misunderstood Scripture and, from ignorance, have actually made heretical statements. Nothing lately. The Narrow Path has helped. I want to be neither unclear nor heretical. I know that everyone on THEOS is articulate and heresy free, so I welcome your constructive comments, criticisms, and clarifications concerning my response to this wonderful Christian friend.
Very good point, ___________. God certainly appeals to our self-interest. In fact, He appealed to Adam's self-interest even before Adam sinned ("Obey and you won't die").
Each of us is a "self" created by God, and each of us has interests. That's the way God designed it and that is good, though sin has corrupted our self-interest. He appeals to us through our self interest to reveal how dependent we are and how awesome He is. Ultimately, His purpose is to glorify Himself. And who or what else in the universe deserves glorification besides God? All glory must, and eventually will, go to Him.
Too often, though, preaching becomes a preacher's appeal to our self-interest in order to promote the preacher's self-interest (bigger church, more offerings, more prestige, etc). And, too often, we are satisfied with what appeals to our self-interest. That kind of preaching falls short, I think, of the kind that challenges us to submit all our interests to God's, because He is God and we are not. The church has always been plagued with easy-believism ("say the words, get a ticket outa hell and into heaven, then live as you want"), and I think that's what the video is speaking to. I think there are a lot of folks who have only said the words, think they've got the ticket, but have never surrendered themselves to Jesus as Lord (owner).
Disciples of Christ (not the denomination) are those who have counted the cost, turned everything over to Him, and submitted all their interest to Him. Discipleship begins with faith and submission to the Lordship of Christ, which is the entry into salvation. Someone who says "the words" only to avoid hell, but then goes and lives like hell, is not a disciple. He has not submitted to Christ's Lordship. Discipleship is a process, though, and disciples die daily by presenting themselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). The reason it is daily, maybe, is because we keep crawling off the altar and keep having to climb back on. It's our human condition. God knows all about it, but is patient and merciful to His disciples anyway. Gradually we stay submitted for longer and longer periods.
There is too much preaching that centers on and stops at a person's self-interest of hell-avoidance, and does not include surrendering to Christ's Lordship over his life (self-interest). God appeals to our self-interest so that we might submit ours to His, so that His becomes ours. The preaching/teaching of the early church was more along these lines, I think, and not so centered around man's self-interests.
I don't think the video is saying that we shouldn't appeal to a person's self interest. God certainly does. I think what it is implying is that self-interest is only the starting point. If our appeal centers on or goes only as far as "get out of hell free," then it falls short of making disciples, which is a goal of the Great Commission. Discipleship-preaching is certainly lacking in our modern age.
I admit that when I first viewed the video, I reacted almost exactly the way you did ("...if we don't appeal to man's core of self interest, how do we ever get him past that to seek the will of God?") But I watched it another time or two, and I don't think it's saying that it's inappropriate to appeal to a man's core of self interest. I think the message is that appealing to self-interest shouldn't be the ending point. I think there are a lot of folks in the churches who are satisfied with the imaginary tickets in their pockets, but are not disciples, and don't know that that's not okay with Jesus. They may have signed up with Jesus for fire insurance, but not as Lord of their interests.
God bless you,
"Very beautiful indeed. But....if we don't appeal to man's core of self interest, how do we ever get him past that to seek the will of God? Just thinking....."
Below is my response. I want to be clear and doctrinally correct whatever I speak or write. But sometimes, even when I have meant well, I have failed to express myself perfectly, and have ended up inadvertently sounding like a heretic. Sometimes I have misunderstood Scripture and, from ignorance, have actually made heretical statements. Nothing lately. The Narrow Path has helped. I want to be neither unclear nor heretical. I know that everyone on THEOS is articulate and heresy free, so I welcome your constructive comments, criticisms, and clarifications concerning my response to this wonderful Christian friend.
Very good point, ___________. God certainly appeals to our self-interest. In fact, He appealed to Adam's self-interest even before Adam sinned ("Obey and you won't die").
Each of us is a "self" created by God, and each of us has interests. That's the way God designed it and that is good, though sin has corrupted our self-interest. He appeals to us through our self interest to reveal how dependent we are and how awesome He is. Ultimately, His purpose is to glorify Himself. And who or what else in the universe deserves glorification besides God? All glory must, and eventually will, go to Him.
Too often, though, preaching becomes a preacher's appeal to our self-interest in order to promote the preacher's self-interest (bigger church, more offerings, more prestige, etc). And, too often, we are satisfied with what appeals to our self-interest. That kind of preaching falls short, I think, of the kind that challenges us to submit all our interests to God's, because He is God and we are not. The church has always been plagued with easy-believism ("say the words, get a ticket outa hell and into heaven, then live as you want"), and I think that's what the video is speaking to. I think there are a lot of folks who have only said the words, think they've got the ticket, but have never surrendered themselves to Jesus as Lord (owner).
Disciples of Christ (not the denomination) are those who have counted the cost, turned everything over to Him, and submitted all their interest to Him. Discipleship begins with faith and submission to the Lordship of Christ, which is the entry into salvation. Someone who says "the words" only to avoid hell, but then goes and lives like hell, is not a disciple. He has not submitted to Christ's Lordship. Discipleship is a process, though, and disciples die daily by presenting themselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). The reason it is daily, maybe, is because we keep crawling off the altar and keep having to climb back on. It's our human condition. God knows all about it, but is patient and merciful to His disciples anyway. Gradually we stay submitted for longer and longer periods.
There is too much preaching that centers on and stops at a person's self-interest of hell-avoidance, and does not include surrendering to Christ's Lordship over his life (self-interest). God appeals to our self-interest so that we might submit ours to His, so that His becomes ours. The preaching/teaching of the early church was more along these lines, I think, and not so centered around man's self-interests.
I don't think the video is saying that we shouldn't appeal to a person's self interest. God certainly does. I think what it is implying is that self-interest is only the starting point. If our appeal centers on or goes only as far as "get out of hell free," then it falls short of making disciples, which is a goal of the Great Commission. Discipleship-preaching is certainly lacking in our modern age.
I admit that when I first viewed the video, I reacted almost exactly the way you did ("...if we don't appeal to man's core of self interest, how do we ever get him past that to seek the will of God?") But I watched it another time or two, and I don't think it's saying that it's inappropriate to appeal to a man's core of self interest. I think the message is that appealing to self-interest shouldn't be the ending point. I think there are a lot of folks in the churches who are satisfied with the imaginary tickets in their pockets, but are not disciples, and don't know that that's not okay with Jesus. They may have signed up with Jesus for fire insurance, but not as Lord of their interests.
God bless you,
Last edited by Candlepower on Sat Nov 06, 2010 3:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: The narrow path - time lapse Alps
Well, nothing in your post sounds heretical to me...but then this is coming from another heretic! Thanks for posting your well-considered and insightful response.sometimes, even when I have meant well, I have failed to express myself perfectly, and have ended up inadvertently sounding like a heretic. Sometimes I have misunderstood Scripture and, from ignorance, have actually made heretical statements.