Showing posts with label agape. Show all posts
Showing posts with label agape. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

I'll Fly Away

You know that hymn, "I'll Fly Away?" I grew up in a church that didn't sing hymns, but working at a nursing home for the last two years has familiarized me with a lot of them. For some reason, despite the fact that every music group sings this hymn, I don't get tired of hearing it.

When the shadows of this life have grown, I'll fly away
Like a bird from these prison walls, I'll fly away
I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away
When I die, hallelujah by and by, I'll fly away
Just a few more weary days and then, I'll fly away
To a land where joy will never end, I'll fly away



Perhaps I like it because of the flying notion. Flying on a plane is completely different from a bird's flight, and maybe it's the novelty of it. Being up, up, up.... away from the normality of the ground. Maybe it's because I can't fly that I like to think that it would be nice. I don't know. 

























source

I kind of want to get some little birds flying off of my tattoo... but I don't want it to look too cartoonish. The tree is a tree of life, with the word "agape" meaning unconditional love. I think it'd be really cool to have birds flying off of the tree, kind of to symbolize what the song is talking about with heaven. 

I've been dealing with quite a lot of death this spring/summer, and it's left its mark.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Sex God and The Chaos Theory

Whoa- two posts in one day. I know, ridiculous. But I've got a lot on my mind. And since this is my blog, I am going to post what I want. I've read things on how to make your blog "successful," but honestly, my blog is successful because it's helping me. And all 33 followers make my day by reading what I post, whether or not it's "successful."

So this may be long-winded and it may not make a whole lot of sense to anyone, but it makes sense to me; and who knows, maybe it'll make sense to you.
...


I have picked several definitions from urban dictionary to define the chaos theory:

  • The belief that everything that happens in the world around us is a random series of events, and that it is possible for the extremely unlikely to occur.
  • A great excuse to lose a game -- some thing else somehow caused you to mess up, such as a butterfly flapping its wings too hard in Tokyo
  • A cool way to call bull.
  • theory that everything explains everything


Now let's watch a preview for the movie,
The Chaos Theory. (one of my most favorite movies)






So. There are many, many things out of our control. 
...


I posted a (much) longer version of this when I first started this (public) blog, but this excerpt goes along with what I am trying to say.


People.
Love them, hate them, can't live without them.
Familiar phrase, interesting concept.
PEOPLE.
Individuals.
Moms, dads, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, friends, cousins, nieces, nephews, grandsons, granddaughters, boyfriends, girlfriends, wives, husbands, students, teachers, professionals, amateurs..
Does anybody else think about this stuff? How random strings of events and circumstances and chance and luck and misfortune and strategy and accidents make PEOPLE??
The odds that you or I are actually here..
I went to THIS school in THIS state and met THIS guy/girl and at THIS time had a child.
Two people making one person.
Two individuals making another individual.
Not just any individual, but THE individual.

The perfect combination of two PEOPLE from two different backgrounds, with two different stories.
And then the new PERSON who will meet another PERSON and make another PERSON.



It's chaotic, really!


...


Now let's talk about love.
[It is February, after all.]


The caption I put to this picture of my tattoo is always a quote from The Chaos Theory

"The most important thing about love is that we choose to give it, and we choose to receive it. Making it the least random act in the Universe. It transcends blood, it transcends betrayal and all the dirt that makes us human."

Agape: unconditional love

Love: Lust is the desire for their body; love is the desire for their soul.
[via urban dictionary] 




"​Agape​ doesn​'​t love someb​ody becau​se they'​re worth​y.​
Agape​ makes​ them worth​y by the stren​gth and power​ of its love.​
Agape​ doesn​'​t love someb​ody becau​se they'​re beaut​iful.​
Agape​ loves​ in such a way that makes​ them beaut​iful.​"

"​It'​s easy to take your cloth​es off and have sex. Peopl​e do it all the time.​ But openi​ng up your soul to someo​ne,​ letti​ng them into your spiri​t
and thoug​hts
and fears​
and futur​e
and hopes​
and dream​s.​.​.​
that is being​ naked​.​"


"​Angel​s and anima​ls.​
There​ are these​ two extre​mes,​ denyi​ng our sexua​lity or being​ drive​n by it, and then there's the vast space​ in betwe​en.​ An angel​ is a being​ with a spiri​t but witho​ut a body.​
When we deny the spiri​tual dimen​sion to our existence,​ we end up livin​g like anima​ls.​ And when we deny the physi​cal,​ sexua​l dimen​sion to our existence,​ we end up living like angel​s.​
And both ways are destr​uctiv​e,​ because God made us human​.​"



[excerpts from Sex God by Rob Bell]



Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be. It's easy. All you need is love.


So what have we learned? I don't have control. The world is chaotic and crazy. But love sorta surpasses that. And that's what I want.


Cheers.