“We” are one individual, known sometimes as The Tooke, but usually as Jack Tookey. On this site, I offer my thoughts about life, hope, love, grief, and many other things, especially as they relate to and reveal God. Others comment on things here in response to my thoughts and are welcome to do so. Their comments are their own, and may or may not reflect my personal beliefs, knowledge, and opinions.
I have walked a variety of paths in life, including (but not limited to), eldest brother of six siblings, father of four children, married-divorced-happily-remarried person, single dad, analytical chemist, corporate computer salesman, business relationship manager, tech engineer in an 800-number support group, PC gaming enthusiast and hobbyist, pastor, singer, writer, amateur photographer, and unemployed person. In these experiences I’ve encountered and learned a variety of knowledge and made my share of mistakes, discovering the wisdom that comes with all of it. I have found that, in spite of the difficulties and victories, successes and failures, God grants us love and hope beyond all of it, and within all of it.
Here, I share some of my hope, wisdom, and mistakes so that others might find God’s love, hope, and grace to carry them through their own experience.
The Basis for My Beliefs
I am a Christian. I generally use Scripture (specifically the Holy Bible) to guide my words and my behavior, although I am by no means perfect in following that guidance. My acceptance by God, my joy, and my crown have been purchased for me by Jesus Christ through his work on my behalf. Jesus’ work began with creation, continued through incarnation (becoming human), through his life work on earth (preaching, teaching, and a whole lot more), his death by Roman hands on a Roman cross at the insistence of the Jewish leaders of his day, his resurrection (in spite of collusion between both the political and religious authorities to prevent it), his ascension (rising to heaven from earth), and his current ministry of intercession (prayer), authority (exercised and delegated), and compassion (loving words and acts carried out through those who follow him) through the power of his Holy Spirit (who indwells everyone who accepts Jesus by faith).
I have no illusions about my role in Jesus’ body (known generally as “the church”). I preach, teach, and do loving things for others, in a sense imitating Jesus with my life. I am not interested in or able to judge human hearts or determine fitness for heaven or hell – those are the work of Jesus and the Father alone. I am, however, very clear that it is the important responsibility of those who follow Jesus to understand what behaviors strengthen a human’s relationship to God and those that do not. There are times when, in my role as teacher and preacher, I must indicate a behavior as sinful (unacceptable to God), as revealed in Scripture. Those assertions are not judgments of human individuals, nor condemnation of those who participate in such behavior, but declarations of God’s revealed preferences. Every behavior has its consequences, and some are more subtle than others. If I can help someone understand the (sometimes intentionally) hidden consequences of their behavior choices, then I may give them an opportunity to avoid unpleasant experiences or unintended difficulty in their relationship with God. I hope my help might even help them avoid negative eternal consequences.
Truth and Where We Might Find It
Truth has been defined in a wide variety of ways. My general definition is mostly common sense: truth is something on which we can rely that will stay the same regardless of human observation, action, or preference. An odd example is what I ate for lunch yesterday. It will always be a hamburger, because I can’t go back and re-eat yesterday’s lunch. I can rely on that. It will never change. It doesn’t matter whether you or I like or do not like hamburgers for lunch or whether it was nutritious or not. It just is. I can deny it, but that doesn’t change it. It is simply true.
Applied in a religious or faith sense, this simply means that there is a divine being (so I believe), and that divine being is, regardless of human observation or preference. He reveals himself in history in various ways, and reveals what he prefers in like manner. We can have all sorts of opinions and preferences, but that doesn’t change who he is, what he does, or what he prefers. Even my references to “his” gender are based on “his” expression of himself. Each of us has encountered God in our own experience, and can learn much from each other about him.
I believe that God’s Holy Spirit will “guide you [those who follow him] into all truth” (John 16:13). Without his guidance, we will argue endlessly about what is “truth” and how we find or determine it. If you are in that place, that’s okay, too. I merely want you to understand that’s not where I am. I believe the Holy Spirit guides us to find truth in scripture (the Holy Bible) and in places other than Scripture, such as creation and experience. However, I believe the ultimate witness and standard by which we must measure everything is scripture.
I also believe that we humans all live with unique experiences, choices, and conclusions that have formed much of what we believe to be truth. What you have found is generally just as worthy of respect as what I have found, if we are approaching each other honestly and openly, without intent to manipulate one another. By the same token, we must each be able to recognize when we have either ignored or misunderstood something that is true. We will both learn from the interaction.