Deconstruction

This photo is an awesome project called Deconstructed Glass of White Wine. (from the post) "The pool of grape juice gelée serves as the base, and twelve flavours commonly found in white wine line the edges of the plate. Simply take a spoonful of gelée with one of the ingredients and taste." Genius. (This blog has other amazing posts. Check out the one from February 27, 2006, and his post, Miss Gla'Gla, has given me an idea for unique ice-cream sandwiches for the boys when the weather gets hot again.)

His wine deconstructed ties in to an excerpt from The Journey of Desire. Again, I had some eloquent ways to tie it in, but the thoughts have escaped my mind as I have just helped wrangle a two year to get to bed, and I really want to get this post down as soon as possible so I can relax a bit with my husband before bed, so I am not going to sit here and think about it.

From pages 203-204: "Now not all truths help us descend with the mind into the heart. There is a way of talking about the truth that can actually deaden our hearts. Most of us were raised in the modern era, the age of reason and science. We came to believe that truth is best discovered in the scientific method- dissection. (edit- snip)

Let me give another example: what is the truth of a kiss? Technically, in a modernistic sense, it is two sets of mandibles pressing together for a certain duration of time. Those of you who have experienced the wonders of a kiss will know that while true, this description is so untrue. It takes away everything beautiful and mysterious and passionate and intimate and leaves you with an icy cold fact. (edit-snip)

We've done the same thing to theology. We have dissected God, and man, and the gospel, and we have thousands, if not millions, of facts- all of it quite dead. It's not that these insights aren't true; it's that they no longer speak. I could tell you a few facts about God, for example. He is omniscient, omnipotent, and immutable. There- don't you feel closer to him? All our statements about God forget that he is a person, and as Tozer says, 'In the deep of His mighty nature He thinks, wills, enjoys, feels, loves, desires and suffers as any other person may.' How do we get to know a person? Through stories. All the wild and sad and courageous tales that we tell- they are what reveal us to others. We must return to the Scriptures for the story that it is and stop approaching it as if it is an encyclopedia, looking for "tips and techniques".

Reminders of the story are everywhere- in films and novels, in children's fairy tales, in the natural world around us, and in the stories of our own lives. In fact, every story or movie or song or poem that has ever stirred your soul is telling you something you need to know about the Sacred Romance. Even nature is crying out to us of God's great heart and the drama that is unfolding. Sunrise and sunset tell the tale every day, remembering Eden's glory, prophesying Eden's return. These are the trumpet calls from the "hid battlements of eternity." We must capture them like precious treasure, and hold them close to our hearts."