hope, again

Alright, so the themes of my life right now are as follows....hope...risk...fear! then hope again, peace...hope...and it continues. I mentioned the Hope of Glory in a previous post, and the idea of the assurance of His glory being revealed in the world, and in me. I don't know about you, but when God decides to teach me something, somehow it becomes all I can think about and it's in teh music I am hearing, the conversations and interactions I have, etc. I mean, He IS God. All-consuming is like, His very nature.

Today I was reading from my Perspectives coursebook (seminary course on world missions that I am taking) and this passage by Floyd McClung (sweet name), struck me:

"If you live without a vision of the glory of God filling the whole earth, you are in danger of serving your own dreams of greatness, as you wait to do "the next thing" God tells you. There are too many over-fed, under-motivated Christians hiding behind the excuse that God has not spoken to them. They are waiting to hear voices or see dreams--all the while living to make money, to provide for their future, to dress well and have fun. "

Talk about bold. And clear....(ha, inside joke). But really, does this strike you? It does me. Focus on the only true thing gets derailed and before a person can even tell what has happened, it's been replaced so easily by the mundane. Because that is acceptable. It's normal. And it IS mundane. It sickens me, actually. And I can see it in myself, I can see it all around me. There are other things I see too, which bring hope...for more. Listening to Bjork's "It Isn't Up to You" full blast in my car....or, ahem, more notably: Passionate people living for Christ, where they are. Or going where they aren't. Living fully for Christ's Glory exactly now. What does that look like, for you? I think that I could go on and on and oooon about the cultural blocks to a Biblical full life, that I see in the American lifestyle. Because, I actually do go on and on. About this. I think I could get sort of cynical and let it trap me into thinking there isn't any hope in getting past it. HOWEVER. That is indeed the point. There is hope. "...and HOPE does not disappoint us ." I certainly don't mean to end this blog post on like, an unaturally positive note. Honestly, I am stuggling with believing what I am actually writing and learning concerning these mysterious ideas of longing and becoming and hoping. What I am merely suggesting (maybe) is that God doesn't intend for us to give into the hype. He is the true hype.