Rock, rock on

The first time I ever heard the name Cephas I think I was in 5th grade. I was reading a bible comic book about the life of Christ, which was really the best of both worlds to me as far as my interests back then. Kinda unfortunate how the one person with pretty much ALL the best superpowers was in such crappy comic books relatively, but that's besides the point. The book was pretty much centered on one gospel and all the dialogue came straight from the bible or at least and at one point Christ addressed Peter - which in the margins the book wrote "Also called Cephas, which means rock."
That kinda struck as one of the wierdest names for anyone in the bible I've ever heard (aside from Gomer). But many years later, and when I read about Christ's exhortation of Peter : "Upon this Rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not overcome it."
With all that, I am reminded that we are meant to be such rocks in order to build something greater than ourselves. I often get sorta impatient with my faith and my growth because I say to myself "I've been over and over the foundamentals, why can I get to another place, and faster?"
That may not make sense to you, but essentially I feel God is confronting me with the foundamentals of faith in each time I would rather advance or achieves something that I am not ready for. We know that we cannot build skyscrapers in the sky, so we need to come back to earth and re-examine where we are.
A stone by itself is well, ugly, dull and otherwise unassuming. But put them together and you have something. In the neighborhood I am in now, there were some white rocks sitting outside a house being built. The first time I saw it I wondered what they were there for, the looked kinda ugly with the house still being built and random rocks scattered about. But as we drove back later my father told me they were using the rocks to put on the front of the house, the whole thing would be covered in white stone. Looking at some of the other houses in our new neighborhood that day, the ones composed of stone were beautiful far above the other houses, its an aesthetic I grew to love.
But that beauty came from soemthing that by itself, new beauty was to be found in. Together, they create something corporately beautiful that highlights the inherent beauty all along. Rocks then, are in a word, fundamental. If you look at the Oxford English dictionary definition of the word fundamental it states: "Of or pertaining to the foundation or base of a building."
From this we are used to the word foundation, and remember, Jesus was called the Cornerstone. Jesus build the church on Peter, but the entirety of forgivness, salvation and even existence is based more fundamentally in Christ. Peter toook some time to acknowledge this - remember when he refused Jesus to wash his feet, Christ rebukes him saying that if Peter did not let Him wash his feet, he would have "no part with me."
That is powerful, the very person Christ wants to build his Church on, is on the verge of being cast out, to have no part of the structure Christ wants to make. Why this threat? (Peter allowed him to btw). But really, in this scene where Christ humbles himself to wash the feet of the disciples, Jesus was trying to relate - according to Jim Lafoon - that what Christ was doing to Him was what he wanted to do to others - "to Create community to such an extent that when I am gone, when I have left the world, you all are to learn to wash each others lives, wash each others hearts, wash each others feet spiritually."

That is amazing. That we can earn the right to each other - that we can be in such close communion we can say anything to each other, criticisms or blessings. The full extent of our loves comes out in service to each other and God, which is the basis of our relationship. Do not forsake the fundamentals (like I keep trying to). There is a bigger picture out there, a bigger building that we can make that the world absolutely positively NEEDS TO SEE IN US.
Practice makes perfect, the basics build up, and to attain the beauty that we have needs to turn into something devine. Sorry to overqoute Pastor Lafoon,

"The Lord has placed His beauty in the church, both Corporately and indivually ...The beauty that is in God is not best displayed in the Grand Canyon or the Alps, its best displayed when His character is there for all to see in the church"

It is easier to tell God about what it is we go through than it is a person - specially when we dont feel so beautiful. But we dont live our lives in a void, and we were told to go out into the world and make disciples of everyone, sharing the good news with all of them. Its hard to when you feel you look busted in the eyes of men. If I were God I would not find the highlight of my day coming down to earth, getting incarnate, then getting on all fours to wash the feet of a group of men who still did not really understand me.
Lord I pray that we have courage and humility instead of impatience and pride. To think of ourselves as the stones through which you will build your glorious kingdom, and need see oursleves as dull and petty, or even better than your vision. I pray that the foundations will not be ignored by us, and rather that they would be revistened not only in scripture but in communiun with You and each other.

Alrighty, dont want to qoute you to death, but just one more observation vio Pier Giorgio Frassati (Catholic Patron Saint of College Students)

"In this earthly life after the affection for parents, and sisters one of the most beautiful affections is that of friendship, ane every day I ought to thank God because he has given me men and lady friends of such goodness who are a precious guide for my whole life.
...Surely Divine Providence in His Marvelous Plans sometimes uses us miserable little twigs to do Good and we sometimes not only don't want to know God but instead dare to deny His existence, but we who, by the Grace of God, have the Faith, when we find ourselves in the presence of such beautiful souls, surely nourished by Faith, we cannot but discover in them an obvious sign of the Existence of God, becuase one cannot have such a Goodness without the Grace of God."

Build each other up, and find and magnify the Christ you see therein. Peace be with ya'll!
Obs.