Week 1: Beginnings

Feel free to respond to any of the questions or comments in this post. Hopefully, good discussion will be generated!

In his first chapter of “Blue Like Jazz”, Donald Miller shares quite a bit of the images of God he had as a child and teenager. His concepts of God included a “stiff, oily man”, a rich man who drove a big car and had popular kids, and an idea of God as a “… slot machine, a set of spinning images that doled out rewards based on behavior and, perhaps, chance”.

What are some of the concepts of God you have had at various points in your life?

How did these concepts of God affect how you related to God?

In John 10:7-39, Jesus makes several statements in the hearing of the Jewish leadership regarding his identity. He tells them that he has come so that the sheep (God's people) may have life, and have it abundantly. His statements cause much unrest within the Jewish leadership. See this excerpt from John 10:24-30:

So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

In his book, Miller writes, "Today I wonder why it is God refers to Himself as 'Father' at all. This, to me, in light of the earthly representation of the role, seems a marketing mistake. Why would God want to call Himself Father when so many fathers abandon their children?"

How would you respond to this question?

How do you relate to God today?