beauty makes truth splendid

i've been thinking about this statement for about a week now. plato said it, robert webber quoted it, and i can't get it out of my head. the more i ponder, the more i see the depth and wisdom of such a simple observation. i can't put my jumbled thoughts into words completey but here's what i've come up with so far.
in the pace of life around me, i have lost sight of beauty, whatever form it may take. instead of being able to see the beauty of an elderly couple holding hands, or a man enjoying the serenity of a swim in our very polluted harbour, i spend my time thinking about the next task to accomplish or meeting to attend. i seem to have lost sight of seeing the mystery and beauty of our God at work around me.
the little amount of beauty that we are able to see with our fallen eyes reveals so much of the truth of Who God is in this eternal story. every picture tells a story, and when i am really open, that story the picture is telling is the story of God.
beauty may not be whatt i want it to be, beauty may be some pretty horrible things happening that God is still sovereign over. His truth is made not only splendid by the beauty of life, but also real by the beauty and experiences of life.
may the eyes of my soul be opened more to the splendid beauty of truth everyday.

mysterious truth

I created this blog almost 6 months ago now but have taken little time to share my thoughts. I guess I'm just lazy. A good place to start is with the name. Mysterious.truth came from a book and a conversation. Last spring I read a book called out of the question, into the mystery by Leonard Sweet that wrestles with the concept of embracing the mystery of God. The book struck a very personal cord with me. I am a guy who likes to have everything figured out. As my mom used to tell me, I like my ducks in a row. God is so much bigger than my ducks. He doesn't need me to understand everything, he calls me to love, to follow, to rest (in) to obey HIM. Constantly I am complicating life because of my own selfishness.
Shortly after finishing the book I was in a converasation with some of my former youth group students. These girls are living the mystery and loving it, and I love what they taught me. In the midst of talking, one of them spoke up and simply asked, "Why is it that the truth can be so obvious, yet in it there is so much mystery?" I've been thinking about that question ever since.
The TRUTH is always before us. We are promised that. Yet living in the mystery of a life that is so much bigger than us is part of the truth. I'm going to resist the urge to keep typing and leave it at that. Embracing the mystery.