Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28 says that "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose." Some of us say that "All things work together for good for them that love the Lord." The point of it is not some fatalistic accession of predestination, but rather a strengthening of one's faith, the assurance that, even when things don't look like it from our immediate perspective, that God has it under control.

The issue of free will is worth bringing into the mix here. If we believe in free will, how then can we also accept that God has a master plan and has everything under control? I think the issue only presents itself when we think of time and existence in linear terms, or as each having some sort of exclusivity about it. I think the reality, that aspect of God to which refer as mystery, or omnipotence, or omniscience -- I think the reality may have to do with concepts of time and existence that are not bound by the constraints of the human mind -- I believe it is indeed possible that God may have a way or method of knowing that can involve having a master plan and can also allow for free will.

Imagine a circle. Now dra a line from any point on the circumference of the cirle to any other point in the interiro or on the circumference of the circle. This line represents the human experience of existence and the human experience of time. It starts at point a and goes to point b. Humans who are exceptionally gifted or who have supernatural abilities may even be able to see ahead of them from one point to another. Perhaps some humans could even see not just their own lines, but some other people's lines.

But if we get above the circle completely, then we have an idea of what God's view is -- God can see the whole circumference of the circle AND God can see everything inside the circle. So God can see human past, present and future, what humans are doing now, and what humans are likely to do in the future.

That's my general thought. Haven't worked it out completely. But as I sit here thinking about a church that is structurally flawed, a church that does not show signs of an ability to heal itself, I have to truly believe that God has something in store for us. I think, as someone said, that it is important for us to line ourselves up with God's will for us -- we can create our lines to go anywhere we want. We can create our destinies, and sometimes those destinies will lead to wonderful things. But I have to believe that things work better when the destinies we create for ourselves are in accord and in accordance with God's will for us.

Serena Williams won like her 12th or 13th Wimbledon today. Very cool. I want arms like hers -- I actually think I may have arms like hers -- I can do 90-100 lbs tricep presses -- but there's still a layer of fat all over my body. Even though there is clearly some muscle development and definition underneath it, the fat cloaks my body and tends to hide all the progress I think I've made. After a loss of 100 lbs, I still have 37.1% body fat for a BMI of 31.1. 100 lbs of weight lost, and I still qualify as "obese" and still fall in line for the clinical requirements to have weight loss surgery. I'll need a BMI of 24.9 to get out of the "obese" category, or a weight loss of an additional 43 or so pounds. I'd be happy for the "overweight" BMI, anywhere from 25-27. So that's what I'm going to shoot for.