Thursday, November 01, 2007

Assimilation

I have been listening to Tozer’s God’s Pursuit of Man in the car on CD and reading Andrew Murray’s Absolute Surrender. These, along with general Bible reading and BSF homework, struggle alongside each other for assimilated in my head and heart.

I think I am an assimilator by nature. Webster’s definition of assimilation states, “the incorporation or conversion of nutrients into protoplasm that in animals follows digestion and absorption”. All that I take in, whether science or scripture or just observations from interactions with people around me, I take in as data points, as nutrients, through some ambiguous process called intuition. And truthfully, for better or worse, the data come in pretty indiscriminately (but that is a story for a different day).

In most cases, I don’t actively process this data; it just sits around somewhere between my mind and my soul and processes itself. I’m never quite sure how or when it will pop back out, or in what form, but it surely will and usually at some strange time or place, perhaps even in my dreams. In fact, I cannot stop the process very often; my mind goes full throttle 24/7.

I have always been rather intrigued by the notion of the Borg on Star Trek. To quote Wikipedia, the source of great knowledge, “they are characterized by relentless pursuit of targets for assimilation, their collective consciousness that enables rapid defensive adaptability to almost any offence, and the ability to continue functioning properly despite seemingly devastating blows”. I am characterized by a relentless pursuit of truth, for myself individually and corporately as a member of the body of Christ; we need it; we need to know how to apply it because only then can we fight the enemy and stand despite seemingly devastating blows.

Sometimes, as of late, the thoughts swirl around in my mind and get muddled all together so that I cannot remember what originated from which source, or perhaps the thought is a combination of several. It seems that this might be rather like mixing all the colors in your palette together, yielding a nasty brownish-black (yes, clearly I’ve tried it before – I do have somewhat of an artistic side). But, for me, these months of reading, praying and thinking have been more of a mixing together of red and blue to yield a brilliant, royal purple. As “old” thoughts from these men blend with thoughts about the even older Phil 2:12-13, my own and others such as ESI’s post about Demas, they form a rich new color that is brought to life by the Holy Spirit. It energizes my heart and restores my soul. While it gives meaning to my struggle against sin, it is far more about God’s pursuit of me and my need to see who I am and bow – fall – crumble, before the foot of the cross making myself an empty vessel and receiving that which He has been desiring all along to give me, Himself. Come Lord Jesus; come!

10 comments:

L.L. Barkat said...

Just tapping (to use Charity's window imagery). Oh, and waving too, and listening.

Craver Vii said...

Ah, the Borg. Don't ya just love 'em?

Every Square Inch said...

The borg - I can't help but hear those words "you shall be assimilated".

Susan, I'm honored to be part of the assimilation. thanks for the link.

Martin Stickland said...

Hey! what a pwitty daughter you have.

Hope you are well, have you seen the carved pumpkins at

http://www.pumpkingutter.com

They are so clever!

Have a great weekend!

Ted M. Gossard said...

Susan,
Thanks for sharing all of that.

I think I do the same, with the added note that I do critique, and deem some things I hear, yes even from Christian leaders (and read) as not that good, or not that solid when it comes to comparison with Scripture. Of course I have no doubt you do the same. I do try to stay more open to being mistaken in that, but we have to keep going back to the word to see if what these people are saying is really the best way to put it according to what we find in the whole of Scripture, in the Story of God there.

Your fourth, next to the last paragraph reminds me of my post today on present tense salvation.

It is interesting to wonder how we process what comes at us from all angles, because even the trash that comes to us from the world, probably has some truth somewhere in it, even though most often twisted.

Ted M. Gossard said...

It's interestin too, that though we're a new person in Christ, yet we're being conformed more and more to his image so that we're more and more what we we're meant to be. And that in this, we find that our hearts are being changed as we're being transformed by the renewing of our minds, etc.

But it's sobering how this process is not automatic. God is ever faithful, but this all occurs in the context of relationship with God, with ourselves, with each other and with the world.

This salvation is holistic in reference to all these relationsihps and has to be seen with reference to them.

But David's sin with Bathsheba is a case in point of failure and breakdown in sin in which all these relationships really take a beating- and are in need of God's present tense salvation.

23 degrees said...

Susan, stopping in to see what you are up to! Love Tozer and BSF! Glad to hear you dip into these wellsprings.(Star Trek fan too!)

I like what you have to say about God pursuing us, I think we tend to forget what kind of Father we have and how the grains of sand cannot outnumber his thoughts of us.

Thanks for sharing. Sorry it's been so long between visits.

Coram Deo

bluemountainmama said...

'While it gives meaning to my struggle against sin, it is far more about God’s pursuit of me and my need to see who I am....' you got it right there, girl! it's what i've been assimilating, too.... maybe in different ways than you, but all pointing and boiling down to this.... seeing God as the ultimate lover of our souls....

Halfmom, AKA, Susan said...

thank you all for your comments. I am at a meeting in San Diego - with entirely too many scientists! (>26,000 and really, more than 5 in one place is too many for me!) so am out of commission until the weekend. I'll be back to read and think more deeply when I get to come home to good old Chicago!

lorenzothellama said...

Hi Susan. How are you doing? Haven't been around for a bit. See Cheeky Martin is still bombarding your blogsite!
Love Lorenzo.