The Cruciform Life

I guess I have always known that Paul is a significant character in the establishment of Christianity, but the way he has largely impacted my life these past few months has made his life and words become so much more real to me. I've always liked Paul, but now I feel like I know him and his heart for Jesus.

I'm blessed to be taking a class entirely devoted to Paul. We look at everything regarding him, his life, his childhood, the cities that impacted him, the religion that impacted him, the culture that impacted him, and reverse: the cities that he impacted, the religion that he impacted, the culture that he impacted, etc. It has been mind blowing. The level of teaching is so high and Dr. Crutchley (you've heard him mentioned before...His doctoral dissertation was on Paul) does not leave anything out. This class has already impacted the way I read Paul's letters, even though we just started on Galatians :) To read his letters as exactly what they were meant to be, and fully grasp the hugeness of "Christ crucified" is incredible!!!!

To Paul, Christ crucified was his gospel. Nothing more, nothing less. Dr. Crutchley challenged us to think of what our gospel was...What is your irreducible core? What do I firmly believe? This has caused me to spend much of today just questioning my values and why I believe what I believe. It has been great, and a mess! My mind tends to think so strangely so this has added to the craziness :)

One thing I found to be beautiful was this: Paul did not receive an enlightenment but an enlivenment at his conversion. He was "in Christ" and Christ was "in him." This is the cruciform life. Paul "put on" Christ (Gal. 3:27) Christ comes to life in Paul. Oh, how I desire to live the cruciformed life as well.

I feel completely saturated by Paul and his letters and I love it. I just started going through Philippians in my middle school girls small group and am also writing a paper on the Conversion/Call of Paul. I'm sure I will have much more to say about Paul and his letters but as for right now I have way too much studying to do tonight (3 tests this week ugh)

I pray that God's hand is mighty upon your life this week and that you too will be enlivened.

Grace and Peace. (I told you that Paul was rubbing off on me)