Vinings Lake Church

There are 8.2 billion humans in the world. There are 345 million humans in the United States. That is a lot of diversity, beliefs, prejudices, convictions, worldviews, values, and agendas. How are we ever going to live together? How will we ever organize ourselves? Today, we talk about politics, tension, and a new way to be human.

Dr Susan David said, “We don’t experience emotions about things we don’t care about.” If this is true, then it leads to a question, what could our emotions be communicating to us? Could that answer tell us something about our purpose and meaning in the world? Today, we will explore emotions as a language of the soul.

Are feelings reliable? Do they always tell the truth? Can our emotions be trusted? Can we experience emotions without being controlled by them? Perhaps so, IF we recognize the space between who we are and what we feel. Today, we talk about emotional maturity.

We don't have to be afraid to feel. We do not have to ignore emotions. We do not have to bottle emotions. We do not have to numb emotions. We do not have to minimize emotions. We do not have to deny emotions. We don’t have to apologize for our emotions. To feel is to be human. 

If I am not what I have, what I do, or what I think, then the question remains, Who am I? To get at this question, we must ask ourselves who is asking the question. Because whoever is asking, might very well be the answer to the question. Today, we will explore what has been called the true self, awareness, consciousness, the DEEP I, soul, pure being, essence, or the eternal you. This awareness has been overlooked not because it is inaccessible but because it is so intimate we hardly recognize it.

There is a monumental shift taking place in our time in regard to what it means to be human. This Copernicus like shift has the potential to move the human species into new levels of consciousness. What is that shift? It is an awareness and awakening to the “I” behind the question, Who am I? Because it turns out, I am not who I THINK I am.

This is the first time being you, first time being me, and our first time being human. If that isn’t confusing enough, we arrived here with no manual to be human. Which leads to some questions? How do we know how to be human? What does it mean to be human? As we begin this new series, today we start with a simple yet profound and largely forgotten truth; it is good to be human.

Our experience of LOVE, as amazing as it is, is incomplete. But soon, we will experience perfect love fully. Eugene Peterson writes it this way, “We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines brightly.” Until that day, Paul implores this collective to pursue love.

Love is eternal. It was the energy present at the Big bang, it is the source and sustainer of all that is, and it will be present when everything else fades. This is why, in the end, what matters most will be love. We will never regret choosing the path of love. So the question is, what are we giving our energies to? In the end, love will be all that remains. 

Paul comes to his crescendo in 1 Corinthians 13 by using a rhythm, flow, and words with punch and power. Paul wants to set the house on fire with a closing description about love. What does he say? Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things! Paul wants this collective to know, the love he is writing about is tenacious. This love is strong.