33. Surprised by Paradox with Jen Pollock Michel

Whether or not you have journeyed thru 'Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story,' you'll appreciate the way Jen Pollock Michel talks about the paradoxes of faith as a way to hold the mysteries of of how life unfolds and how God continually invites us in to explore who he is and all that he has made -- including you!What if certainty isn't the goal? In a world filled with ambiguity, many of us long for a belief system that provides straightforward answers to complex questions and clarity in the face of confusion. We want faith to act like an orderly set of truth-claims designed to solve the problems and pain that life throws at us. With signature candor and depth, Jen Pollock Michel helps readers imagine a Christian faith open to mystery. While there are certainties in Christian faith, at the heart of the Christian story is also paradox. Jesus invites us to abandon the polarities of either and or in order to embrace the difficult, wondrous dissonance of and. The incarnation―the paradox of God made human―teaches us to look for God in the and of body and spirit, heaven and earth. In the kingdom, God often hides in plain sight and announces his triumph on the back of a donkey. In the paradox of grace, we receive life eternal by actively participating in death. And lament, with its clear-eyed appraisal of suffering alongside its commitment to finding audience with God, is a paradoxical practice of faith. Each of these themes give us certainty about God while also leading us into greater curiosity about his nature and activity in the world. As Michel writes, "As soon as we think we have God figured out, we will have ceased to worship him as he is." With personal stories and reflection on Scripture, literature, and culture, Michel takes us deeper into mystery and into worship of the One who is Mystery and Love.Jen Pollock Michel is the author of Teach Us to Want and Keeping Place, both published by InterVarsity Press with video curriculum available from RightNow Media. She is a regular contributor for Christianity Today and Moody Bible Institute's Today in the Word. A wife and mother of five, Jen lives in Toronto, Canada.Please join us for a virtual journey thru 'Listen to My Life' starting September 10, 2019 with Sharon Swing, Sibyl Towner and Joan Kelley. Find out more at: https://onelifemaps.lpages.co/september-2019-listen-to-my-life-virtual-workshop-landing-pageIf you are interested in becoming equipped to facilitate others thru 'Listen to My Life' life mapping materials, you can get more information about our upcoming Facilitator Certification Workshop, November 18-20 in the Chicago Area. You can find more information here: https://onelifemaps.lpages.co/november_2019-facilitator-certification-workshop-landing-pagePlease explore www.onelifemaps.com to download a free introduction booklet to 'Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story,' that contains the artwork we refer to in this episode. You can purchase your 'Listen to My Life' portfolio on that website, too.Sharon Swing and others on our team offer one-on-one coaching or spiritual direction as guidance thru the 'Listen to My Life' experience in addition to virtual coaching groups that happen several times a year.Please join us for a virtual journey thru 'Listen to My Life' starting September 10, 2019 with Sharon Swing, Sibyl Towner and Joan Kelley. Find out more at: https://onelifemaps.lpages.co/september-2019-listen-to-my-life-virtual-workshop-landing-pageAudio Meditations as a Thank You for Your SupportWe're on a mission to help people recognize and respond to God in their story. Will you help? Become a patron of OneLIfe Maps at the $5 a month or more level at http://www.patreon.com/onelifemaps recieve access to recorded audio meditations that are created to assist you in becoming self-aware and God-aware.Sibyl Towner and I (Sharon Swing), co-authored the 'Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story' visual maps, and we produce the oneLifemaps podcast along with our friend and Director of Facilitator Development, Joan Kelley.We are offering you the opportunity to support the continuation of the oneLifemaps podcast and the publishing of 'Listen to My Life' in and weekly audio meditations as a token of our appreciation.If we can serve you, please let us know by emailing us here.EquipmentWe've had some questions about our podcasting equipment. Here is what we use, with links to Amazon included:Recorder https://amzn.to/2WoWgOsMicrophones: https://amzn.to/2SuA27bMicrophone Stands: https://amzn.to/2UcPdnbHeadset: https://amzn.to/2T8loHSMicrophone Wind Screens: https://amzn.to/2T7xlh3Headset Extension Cords: https://amzn.to/2VsuPP0Headset Cable Splitter: https://amzn.to/2tGMoyPThe links in this episode may give us a minuscule amount of affiliate revenue from Amazon, but they won't cost you anything at all. Thanks for the support. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...