Convictions

Had the chance to make it back out to Red Rock Canyon to do a little more hiking/rock climbing yesterday. It was nice to sit on the top of the Calico rocks (Red Rock and Calico are my two favorite areas to hike and climb) and just be quiet. You are surrounded by so much noise and action on the strip that it was a good change of pace for me. Gave me a little chance to reflect on what I've been reading out of John Ortberg's book "Faith & Doubt".

He was talking about the 3 different types of convictions we have. The first one is public convictions (think politicians for this one). This is what I want other people to think I believe, even though I may not really believe them. These are the things we say out loud. If you ask someone what their convictions are in life these are the ones you will hear. They may be the same as the other two convictions but not necessarily. The second one is private convictions. These are the things I sincerely think I believe, but turns out they may be fickle. These are the convictions that we believe, but find out we may not really believe them when our circumstances change. The final one is our core convictions. These are the ones that are revealed by our daily actions. They show by what we actually do. They basically can be summarized by the convictions we say, think and reveal. The last one is the one that I want to focus on in my life. What does the way I live reveal about my convictions? To those of you who know me, I would love your feedback on this. Is there a connect between the the things I say and believe and the way I actually live out life? As I stated in an earlier blog, Vegas is a great place to reveal what people's core convictions are. I have seen people who in Tulsa state certain convictions, but those don't match what I see here. My desire it to line these three up as much as possible with the way that Jesus lived. Ortberg talked about the "mental map" we have (the way things really are and the way life really works). For Jesus these were the same thing. That is where I want to be that my convictions are the way that things really are. Good thoughts to sort through while having a fantastic view of the surrounding mountains and the strip from my spot on the the top of the mountain. Gives renewed meaning to a mountaintop experience.