There were two particular concepts that I found interesting in the readings and then the discussions afterwards. Those are the idea of the mission statement and of the idea that eternity starts now. Both of these ideas were especially interesting to me because I hadn't thought about either of them much before and because, through the discussions there came to be some disagreement over them, which I found quite fascinating.
Mission Statement:
When I first read about the idea of creating a mission statement as something to live by in one's everyday life, it seemed like a good idea, though something of a process. Then someone graciously brought up the idea that, though a mission statement itself was not a bad idea, if it was taken out of context it was a quite reductionistic way of thinking. And I agree completely. Mission statements are great for helping you think about your life's purpose a little more concisely, but when that becomes the thing you're consumed with, it soon can replace the Bible as the primary source of purpose and encouragement, even if the mission statement is written from a Christian perspective.
Eternity:
I appreciated the book's emphasis on the fact that eternity has already started and that this is one reason to take care of our bodies now. I also thought it was interesting that they pointed out that a lot of the miracles that Jesus did were healing miracles, that is healing of their physical bodies. But another thing I was thinking is that, both now and back when Jesus performed these miracles, the reason to keep our bodies in good shape is to better be able to serve Him. Because He created us in His image, He created our bodies to be temples, and thus intended for us to take care of them. But back to the topic of eternity. As someone else kindly pointed out, we must not fail to look towards the coming of Christ with anticipation just because eternity has already started. I completely agree here as well. Noting the fact that eternity has already started should not diminish the His second coming in the least. Gloria Furman (2012), from DesiringGod.org writes this in response to eternity, "We tend to forget about tomorrow and eternity when our day is filled with the tyranny of the urgent." This is a good reminder to keep eternity in perspective as we go about our day.
As can be seen from the views presented about the mission statement and eternity, I am quite excited to learn the content of this course through the discussion boards and readings together.
Works Cited:
Furman, Gloria. (2012). How Eternity Shapes Our Mundane. Retrieved from http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-eternity-shapes-our-mundane
