You think like me

God it’s 16.15hrs. I’m making good progress. In an hour I’ll be dropping anchor at Slipper Island off the coast of New Zealand. We’re right on course, right on time. What a great day! The Alderman’s rising out of the sea far off to the North East. They’re a grumpy, serious council of islands leaning over the horizon to watch me approach. Over behind us to the South West Mayor Island lies long, low and cloud capped. This is awesome God. Say something.

Why?

What do you mean?

I mean Mark why do you want me to say something?

Because this is so awesome. So amazing. But it no longer means anything if you’re not here. I find I can no longer survive emotionally without hearing you talk in words I can clearly understand.

But all you Christians like to say that I’m with you. So if you already know I’m with you, what’s the problem? Your words suggest you think maybe I’m not.

God the fact that you ‘are with me’, is often more theoretical than real for us Christians. It certainly was that way for me most of my life, and my observations of others tell me it’s the same for them. But now that I realise I can hear you talking all the time it’s different. And it’s so real, that when I forget to listen, I crave it, realise I can’t go long without it.

Very few of us have been taught we can hear you speaking words we understand, all day long. Instead we talk about ‘faith’. I think the idea goes something like this; even though sometimes it’s hard to believe you are present, we just need to have faith that you are. Almost as though faith is the ability to carry on knowing ‘you’re here’ but not really experiencing it.

Well, what do YOU think faith means then?

Well of course I had no real idea for most of my life, but now I THINK that it means that when I hear you speak clearly, faith is believing that it’s you, even though it’s easy enough to pass it off as my own thoughts or imagination.

Exactly. I have a theological question for you Mark. One that will challenge you and some of your readers. It will challenge you all because Mark Holloway has no real theological knowledge, so how can he possibly know the answer to this question? But you do. You do because I’m telling you. Here’s the question; what do you think it means that you were created in my image?

Well you’re right, I can hear you saying something, hear you explaining what it means, feel your explanation inside of me. But until just now I would have said ‘I haven’t the faintest idea.’ Simply because the question is too big.

But now?

Now I THINK you’re saying that the fact I’m created in your image means, among other things, that I think like you?

Yes. That’s what I’m showing you. Tell me what you can hear me saying about that.

I think you’re saying that because I think like you, then I end up thinking some of the thoughts you think.

Yes. And that’s the point. That’s the reason so many who try to hear my voice think that what they hear are their own thoughts. Their thoughts are so often like my thoughts, so often a copy.

But God there’s that scripture that says your thoughts aren’t mine.

They’re not. But we think similarly.

But the scripture says also that your ways aren’t mine. That suggests that not only are our thoughts independent, we don’t think similarly.

No. What it means is that I don’t think like you. But you think like me. I am before. I am the perfect model. You are a copy. Next time someone tells you that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, ask them what they think it means when scripture also says that God created humans in his image. Scripture is a balancing act Mark. You need to balance one scripture against another, else you go off on a huge tangent. Ever learning, never coming to the knowledge of the truth.

What’s the answer then?

Simple. Ask me. The Ethiopian Eunuch exclaimed that he couldn’t understand scripture without someone to explain it. None of you can. You need me to explain it. Listen to me first, and then ask me, once you can hear me clearly, to explain the scripture to you. Don’t expect the scripture to reveal and explain me first. First I explain and reveal it. Inside of which scripture is me. Do you get that?

Yes I think.

Now you wanted to ask me why we ALWAYS have to talk about listening to me.

Yes. I guess.

Because each of these conversations is designed to demonstrate to you that you can hear me. Not that you HAVE to hear me, but that you already can. What do you think my aim is in doing that?

To have me relax in the knowledge that I can hear you, and find myself drawn, not forced or pushed, or coerced, but drawn to talk to you more. Having discovered that I can hear you, to feel drawn to keep listening.

Exactly. Now; go downstairs, stow the computer and make preparations for arrival at Slipper.