This week, Jake and Bob welcome Dr. Shane Owens to explore how desire, the heart, and theology work together for our good, through the lens of St. Augustine's Confessions. Dr. Owens breaks down St. Augustine's healing journey and how by understanding the desires motivating our actions, we are led into deeper communion with God. They also discuss how memories shape our view of reality, why we distrust a good God, and what the Scriptures teach us about our identity.
Key Points:
- Our desires ultimately point us towards God
- Sin is a result of misdirecting our desires towards something that is not God. It is an attempt to counterfeit the beautiful
- Memory is dynamic, not static, and returning to our heart to examine our memories plays an important role in forming our identity and facilitating healing.
- St. Augustine's willingness to be vulnerable in his "Confessions" is a model for vulnerability and understanding our desires.
- Scripture helps us recognize true beauty and reveals our true identity
- There will always be a tension between our desires and satisfying those desires. Healing and maturation occurs when we listen to our desires but wait for true fulfillment in God rather than settling for counterfeits.
Resources:
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:56 St. Augustine's Healing Journey
13:52 Connecting Desire, the Heart, and Theology
26:02 Every Sin is Counterfeit Beauty
35:05 Why We Distrust A Good God
43:06 Allowing Desire to Guide Even When We Aren't Satisfied
48:05 Memory Shapes How We Perceive Reality
58:05 Restoring the Glory Through Childlike Trust
