Tolerance

So, about tolerance - what is with that current buzzword?
Let's have a look:

Let's begin with a dictionary definition from my fave dictionary.com

tol·er·ance   
[tol-er-uhns
–noun
1.a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.
2.a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own.
3.interest in and concern for ideas, opinions, practices, etc., foreign to one's own; a liberal, undogmatic viewpoint.

So generally we can see that tolerance is a broad idea for people to be okay with other people who differ from ourselves in many and varied ways, such as culturally, opinionally, and practically.
This, I understand.

But then I have a thought:
If so many people consider themselves to be 'tolerant' towards others, then why do they have a big problem with another persons point of view which happens to be 'intolerant' towards another person or group.
Why do people get intolerant about intolerance?
Why are you pressing your view of tolerance upon other people? Is that not being intolerant?

I just feel it is a bit of an oxymoron that's all.
Any thoughts on tolerance??

Yoga - it's the talk of the (US) town

So apparently there has been a lot of conversation going on in the US recently about Yoga and Christianity - whether the two can or should be mixed.
Here is a link to the article in the Seattle Times
(As a side note, Mark Driscoll is the senior pastor at Mars Hill Church, which is also where Rob Bell is a pastor. Just saying, because I thought it was interesting, because I think Rob Bell is pretty amazing, and it's interesting that he works under Mark).

And here is a blog post where I heard about this at The Church of No People

Well, what now? What of Yoga?
Can we take it as just a form of exercise without thinking of it's eastern roots? Or do they carry into any form of Yoga - changed or unchanged?

To be honest, I find it interesting that Christians do yoga. This is probably mainly because I wouldn't do it. I would like to think that I could do yoga and focus on God and not be adversely affected in any way, BUT because I would worry about that, it probably wouldn't do me any good at all - because then I couldn't focus on God for worrying that I wasn't focusing on God!

But for anyone who does, who am I to judge? Paul tells us in the Bible that "everything is permissible". But then he also goes on to say
"Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved." (1 Corinthians 10:23, 32-33).

So if we find that what we are doing is leading our brother or sister in Christ astray, should we still do it?? Well, it's a matter of your conscience and not mine, for I would endeavour to quit to not let my brother or sister fall.

Now, I do not want to sound judgmental in this: I know different people see things differently - I choose not to drink alcohol, but this does not mean that I condemn all Christians who do so - it is a matter of conscience.

So what would you do? Would you consider doing yoga, or does your conscience not allow you to?

hmmmm, life....

I always wondered about those people who start a blog, and then it just slowly the time between the posts get longer and longer.
Well, go figure, I have become one of those people, and I know exactly how it happens:
X. Life goes on, often, in a very un-exciting way.
You get up, you work/study/bum around the house, you eat, and go back to sleep again. This can go on for days, years even, without one taking notice of it. I guess that's why we journal, why we blog, (why we vlog even!), so that our life doesn't go past us without our noticing.
X. We don't appreciate the simplicity that life has sometimes.
Looking at trees, listening to the rain, or just studying something, not because you have to but because you want to. It's the simple things that make life full and whole. Without them, we would be sporadic beings lost in a void of dull.
X. And when life is 'exciting' we decide we have no time at all to write about it!
Why do we always suppose that we are too busy to do anything? One thing comes after another, but isn't that just because we live in time, and that happens to everyone? Even those who actually do seem to find the time to do the things they always wanted to do??

So let us make time to do all of those things.
For me, that's blogging, reading, talking with God, and writing poetry.
Focus on the simplicity, let God blow your mind with it.