thoughts while working on something else

What would I pursue if knew that I could not fail in the effort? What would you do?

What would I undertake if I lived in complete surrender to the Spirit, to do things in His way and timing? If I lived not in fear but in the power of the Spirit?

What does it mean that Christ is the head of the church, which is His body? What is "church", in the real sense? How american evangelicals (and others) practice it? Do our traditions really recognize Christ as the head of HIS church?

Is the Spirit active in our churches? How can we know? If not, why? Have we shut him out in order to keep "church" just one hour a week, or to do things our way? Is church more like a business in the way it is run? what are the marks of a Spirit-filled church? Spirit-filled followers of Christ? If the Spirit is not in our churches/fellowships, how do we get him back?

why does a church need a building, programs, ministries, an operating budget? does it? who says? How would a building-dependent church withstand persecution? What needs to change to effectively operate as "wartime Christians"? Structure? Function?

why do we seek to make the truth relevant to the culture, and where are we in danger of adding to or taking away from the Gospel?

Are we asleep? Why are so many "Christians" just like the culture? Why are we not, in general, not distinct in the ways we should be? Divorce? Affairs? Pornography? Substance Abuse? Language, Music, Movies? Standards? Desires, Values, Perspectives?

Why have we pledged ourselves to political ideologies, rather than the person of Christ? We don't even belong to ourselves! We have been bought with a price.

As I was working on my internship presentation, I was (momentarily) distracted by the box of Celestial Seasonings Green Tea sitting on my desk. Knowing that generally there is some sort of interesting philosophical perspective found in one or more places on these boxes, I looked and found this:

“Caretake this moment. Immerse yourself in its particulars. Respond to this person, this challenge, this deed.Quit the evasions. Stop giving yourself needless trouble. It is time to really live; to fully inhabit the situation you happen to be in now.” -- Epictetus

On an initial level, this prompted me to "quit the evasions" and get back to work - papers and presentations don't write themselves. What I thought of next was the last sentence, especially the segment about fully inhabiting the situation one is in at present. This came to mind - wherever you're at, be all there. For several reasons, my mind is not here right now. It's off somewhere else. I'm ready to move on from school to what is next (what is next?). Anyhow, I suppose that I am open to the accusation that I'm not invested in my surroundings right now. In my defense, I'm only here for a net of 2 more months and I'm gone. But I still have work to do. There is a reason why I am still here, even though being here and in school is not where I prefer to be, nor what I prefer to do. I think somehow it boils down to the interconnectedness of patience and obedience - living a life surrendered to God even when don't understand why things are as they are.

I have no clue who Epictetus is. Look him up on wikipedia.

If Intentions Were Actual Posts...

You get the picture. More to come.