Please enjoy this blog from DS Terry Walton.
I was thinking…
Our oldest granddaughter is seven years of age and smart as any seven year old granddaughter could be. Several years ago, I was impressed with her knowledge as a five year old and I told her so. Her response was, “Pop, I’m always thinking!” I have discovered that she IS always thinking.
We live in a noise filled world, don’t we? Not all things that make noise are bad in and of themselves, but put them together and it creates a culture in which we are not encouraged to take time to think. We are ‘over-stimulated’ with sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches. The result is we seem to be always reacting instead of thinking through our actions.
‘Stinking Thinking’ is a phrase I’ve heard and used from time to time. Some examples of ‘stinking thinking’ would be ‘Women should be quiet in church’. Or ‘Big Boys don’t cry’. Oft times ‘stinking theology’ can originate from ‘stinking thinking’. I recall a Pastor who once said to a young mother dying of cancer that all she had to do was confess her sin and she would be healed…now that is not only ‘stinking thinking’ but also ‘stinking rotten cruel theology’.
Taking time to think is really important as mature adults and as mature Christians. So I’ve named this Atlanta-Marietta Weekly e-newsletter ‘Third Day Thoughts’. It is a play on words…Tuesday is the day I will send it your way via email and Tuesdays are the third day of the week. But ‘Third Day Thoughts’ are also Easter thoughts. Jesus was crucified on Friday and on the ‘third day’ following his crucifixion his grave was empty…He arose! It is my prayer that ‘Third Day Thoughts’ will often encourage while other times they may inspire. Perhaps there will be ‘Third Day Thoughts’ that will live on in us as we take time as an Atlanta-Marietta District to get our thinking straight in light of an Easter theology. After all, we are Easter People. We are people of hope and grace.
A simple definition of theology is that ‘theology’ is how we ‘think’ about God. That becomes so important because how we ‘think’ about God effects how we live for God. That becomes important because how we live for God effects how others ‘think’ about God and that effects how they live or don’t live for God and the cycle continues.
So I invite you to ‘stop and think’ with me every Tuesday morning with these ‘Third Day Thoughts’. I’ll be listening for your thoughts along the way as well. Together, for the cause of Christ we are making a difference in people’s lives…we and they are learning to be Easter people.
Always thinking,
Terry Walton, District Superintendent