Another stop on the way...

Interesting thing about blogging: while on one hand the fact that others may read makes it a slower process than just slammin’ ideas onto a notebook; that care in delivery makes it palpably more enjoyable!

It all started with a few thoughts about praying for Israel/Lebanon that I figured I’d write in a couple days; but in order to do that I realized I should back up a bit to my beliefs about prayer itself – another few days. Recently my friend, heavy Dluxe, brought out several very good comments regarding Calvinism (call it determinism if you wish) and our going to God as a father. It actually is a great segue to where I’d like to go – ultimately intending to show that there is in reality no conflict between determinism, free will, and our privilege to call upon God for all our needs. But it means a little more prep-work!

Oops - now you know where I’m heading! So let me give you a jump start on where I’ve been. As I looked for links to help describe what I believe about the science and theology of determinism and free will, I found this, by Norman Swartz, and this, by Ted Honderich, which match a lot of my thoughts.

Maybe I’m delving into things too wonderful for me, so I’ll study a bit and take it slowly. I hope to discuss determinism and free will, followed by the amazing power of prayer, and finally (assuming there’s still a crisis to talk about by then), the implications for our prayer life in that area.

Please continue to pray for the conflict with all your might.

Meanwhile I have a few other thoughts of a lighter nature (with some fun science and math) that I don't want to keep bottled in while I research this – in particular, my next post will discuss - kittens!

In Christ,
Alan