A new religion

A new religion

I see that a programme, or mission, is emerging in my writing, and it is to create a new religion. Well, that’s somewhat overstated, in that I am perfectly happy to be a Christian, so I suppose what I mean is that I am trying to create a new basis for religion. As I am a Christian, it will be a new basis for Christianity, but it applies equally to all religions.

The essence of my approach is that I believe it is possible to provide a secure foundation for religion that relies entirely on empirical grounds, making a life of faith entirely reasonable. It does not use anything speculative, not clearly demonstrated, or relying on positing the existence of metaphysical realities that cannot be proven. I consider that the religion that we are able to produce by such means is remarkably similar to traditional religion, and, in practice, believers would be able to continue with their lives of faith exactly as before. What we are doing is making changes to the framework of understanding in which a person holds their religious beliefs, while keeping nearly all the beliefs the same, and certainly maintaining the essential core of the faith.

My motivation for promoting these changes is to provide a completely secure foundation for living a spiritual and religious life. I, personally, am content and able to live a religious life in the traditional sense, and countless millions of people are able to do the same. They would not need my new approach to religion. However, for those who have adopted a secular and atheistic outlook, a life of faith is not open to them, because they could never bring themselves to commit to those unproven and uncertain beliefs that are currently necessary to live by faith. I consider that this is a tragic loss, because living by faith is what enriches life beyond measure.

Therefore, if I can demonstrate the validity of living by faith using only evidence that is clearly open to all in the public domain of what can be ascertained through empirical means, and clearly demonstrated as true, then there will be a basis for anyone and everyone to adopt a life of faith.

Crucially, I am not arguing for simply adopting a philosophy of life – no matter how noble and profound that might be. I am still arguing for belief in God. The key elements of my argument are:-

  • There is an experience of transcendent truth and love that simply exists and can be discovered
  • People can create a personalised voice of God in their own minds through their faithful practice
  • People can commit themselves to live by faith through believing in the value of believing in God
  • People can hold their belief in God within a framework of understanding that is entirely rational and completely integrated with key scientific findings, notably the Big Bang and evolution
  • The resulting spiritual life is experienced as a personal relationship with God, who loves you

All these stages can be demonstrated as valid entirely through the use of reason and empirical experience, such that those who currently have an entirely secular and atheistic outlook are free to adopt a life of faith.

It does require some important amendments to the religious understanding of what belief in God means, but, believing that the very heart of religion is a personal spiritual life of relationship with God, this is completely preserved.

In practice, once you have made the adjustments to the framework of understanding in which you hold your religious beliefs, believers will consider that their life of faith is continuing exactly as before, while those who have wanted to live a life of faith, but felt they were unable to commit to it, and those who have dismissed a life of faith as false or negative, will be free to adopt living by faith in God. Traditional believers should have no problem continuing their life of faith, but now in partnership with those with this new approach.

I believe that living by faith in God is the best way to find personal fulfilment and to build a just and compassionate community. It is, therefore, the way of salvation, and hope for the whole world.

I believe in believing in God. Part 5

I believe in believing in God

Part 5:

I cannot demonstrably prove the reality of this God to say that it is utterly sound to believe in God, but I can prove the reality of this belief in God and so say that it is utterly sound to believe in believing in God. Of course, I am still one step away from touching God; I am still only touching my belief in God. And I have made the personal decision that my belief in God exists because there is probably a connection between my belief and an actually existing God. However, for those who still trip up over the word “probably” in that last sentence and in their fall finds that their ability to believe in God shatters, then we can say that there is definitely a connection between their belief and an experience of transcendent love and truth. It is the most peculiar experience, but also the most precious one. It is an utterly real experience, that you can be sure of. Ultimately, I cannot be sure that I have met God, but I am sure that I have met a mysterious stranger, I know not whom. The mystery, as I have come to know it, has all the qualities that I have heard people say that God has, and so I am perfectly willing to say that this stranger’s name is “God”. Though it doesn’t really matter what his name is. And when we look at the word “God” now, isn’t it really a word that we put into sentences as a short-hand motif to avoid having to keep saying “an experience of transcendent love and truth such as meeting a mysterious stranger, I know not whom”. If we have to say in the end, then, that God is a mystery, are we disappointed with this? Yes, there is, and always will be, this elusive element of mystery about God. But is this a bad thing? Isn’t it inevitable? However, there is a fundamental difference between saying:-

There is nothing at the heart of my life

And:-

There is a mystery at the heart of my life

The mystery is a real something. The mystery is a wonderful something. In fact, the mysteriousness of this mystery is another element of what makes it so wonderful.

I believe in believing in God

I believe in believing in God. Part 4

I believe in believing in God

Part 4: The greatest mystery of life: the truth loves us

What is he then? What does it mean when we say that we believe in believing in God?

This God that we are exploring is not just an idea. It is an experience. It is a relationship. It is a discovery. It is an energising force. It is a reality. I’ve just used the word “it” because I did not want to prejudge what we have not yet considered, but I want now to write: He is an experience. He is a relationship. He is a discovery. He is an energising force. He is a reality. It really doesn’t matter if you use the word, “she”. The point is that this experience that we discover is a personal experience. We are not making up a philosophy of life – no matter how profound and good. We are discovering a person. I don’t think I can fully explain this, but the reality of what is discovered is why so many people through the ages have said that there is a God. They don’t invent an idea; they confess what they have found. And what they’ve found is an experience of being loved at the heart of life. I don’t know why this is. Perhaps it’s because we are so imbued with personhood and, as God is discovered within us, so we experience this reality as personal. All I can say is that, just as humanity has discovered the reality of the laws of physics in the external universe, so humanity has discovered a reality within the human person that they call God.

I am happy to believe, in accordance with the great chain of faith, that this God is a personally existing being external to me, but for those who cannot accept that, then my testimony is that God is a personally existing being within me. Perhaps I am wrong to use the word “being” in that last sentence, and I am grasping at the word “being” to try and explain what it is I’m experiencing. But at the very least I say with complete confidence that God is a personally existing reality within me. It’s just how things are. It’s what countless people have discovered. Just as America is a country to the far west of Britain which can be discovered if you go that far, so God is waiting to be discovered within you.

This may be hurtful to those who have searched and not found, but maybe it is because they are searching for the wrong thing. Perhaps they are searching for that proof of an external reality when God has (maybe) always been an internal reality. But even this internal reality has proved out of reach for some searchers. What they are searching for is not under their control and so is elusive. However, the person who commits to believing in believing in God has that choice within the control of their will. They can choose to do that, and they know exactly what they are doing.

There is still a whole life of faith to live, for I have just emphasised that this is not a choice to follow a set of principles but is an experienced relationship to discover. Nevertheless, there is a fully solid foundation to build on. You are not like a person leaning over a pond and desperately trying to catch a goldfish with your bare hands – a few people get lucky, but for most it’s just too difficult. And you’re certainly not like a person trying to catch a morning mist in your hands, and so doomed to failure. Instead, you are taking a step of faith. I can verifiably confirm using my natural empirical senses that there is a faith in God that exists, and I commit myself to discovering what this means by giving my life to live by believing in believing in God. With our minds we may always have the understanding that this is what we’re doing, but in practice our experience will simply be that we are believing in God. We will do so with complete clarity of mind and assurance of heart that we are living the best life that could possibly be lived.

We can envisage a community of people who have all consciously committed themselves to living by this faith – a faith that is sure and certain. They believe in believing in God as the answer to their own life’s search for ultimate meaning and value, and as they take up the mission to make the world into the kingdom of God, they believe that their mission is the hope of salvation for us all.

I believe in believing in God. Part 3

I believe in believing in God

Part 3: I could not end my torment till I knew the truth, but this, I know, is true.

But is it true?!

We can imagine the exasperation of those who think, “This is all very lovely speculation about how wonderful it would be if only God was real, but the simple truth is that it is not true that there is love and wisdom at the heart of life. If there is no God, then your faith is just make-believe”.

Except there IS love and wisdom at the heart of life. You are conceiving of it now as you consider the love and wisdom that God stands for. And if you commit yourself to living this way of life, then there is the reality of this love and wisdom, right there in your life.

Of course, a theist like me wanted to write: “Except there IS love and wisdom at the heart of the universe”. However, Brian Cox has persuasively argued that at the heart of the universe is a cold, uncaring emptiness. I want to believe that there is a God who is everywhere, and therefore his love pervades the universe. This may be true, but I cannot demonstrate it. However, I think it is fair to say that his love exists in every reflective sentient mind. However, you may wish to complain that this is also a statement of faith and hope, so, to be specific, God’s love has the potential to exist in every reflective sentient mind. Why is it that the Psalmist, speaking for all people of faith, declares that if I fly to the ends of the earth, you, Lord, will be there, or if I lose myself in the depths of the sea, you will be there too? The Psalmist expresses amazement that wherever he goes he discovers the presence of God, but surely the answer is that we take God with us wherever we go, and this is why we can never lose him – provided we want to keep hold of him. We do not lose God if we are thrown in prison or lie in our deathbeds because God lives within us. His love dwells in our hearts and minds – if we choose to allow this. So, from our perspective, God’s love is everywhere, because everywhere we go, we take God with us and so discover his love wherever we happen to be. And every single person has the ability to discover and live in this love.

It’s important to emphasise, that when we are extolling the virtues of God’s love we are not simply talking about people using our human wisdom and goodness to adopt just values or altruistic principles. Doing this is certainly good, and will make our common life very much better, as well as hugely enriching the lives of those able to live by such a philosophy of life. However, this is not what we’re talking about. Human beings are a ruthlessly selfish species, tending to gross stupidity, hatred and greed, intent on exploiting others for our own ends. If we are to build a just and compassionate society, more power is needed than can be supplied through even the most noble philosophy of life. We need the love of God.

I believe in believing in God. Part 2

I believe in believing in God

Part 2: It is our faith that changes everything

But is there any way round this?

Let’s consider some statements.

  • I believe in God
  • I don’t believe in God
  • I doubt God’s existence

The first person is happy in their faith

The second person is content that they have made the correct decision about God not existing – though this may fill them with joy or sadness, but probably they are content that they have made the right decision.

The third person finds it difficult to believe in God – and let’s say that they would like to believe if only they could deal with their doubts.

What about adopting the point of view:-

  • I believe in believing in God

What is such a person saying?

They believe that believing in God is a good thing. If God existed, that would be great.

They accept that there is legitimate doubt about whether he does actually exist.

But they are willing to make a commitment to believing in him, on the basis that such belief is beneficial.

The third person above, who doubted God’s existence, was troubled in their faith. This person has consciously incorporated into their faith an acceptance that God may not be real (though he may be) but that a life of faith is the best way to live their life. Nevertheless, their faith is on shaky foundations.

The first person had no doubts and was able to commit themselves to a life of faith in God

The second person had concluded that God is not real and so did not live a life of faith in God

The third person wanted to live a life of faith in God but was blighted by their doubts

The fourth person is able to commit to a life of faith in God because it is a life of faith that they are committing themselves to. They have no doubts about the reality of the faith that they are committing to.

Yes, but is this really getting us anywhere? There is no point fooling yourself into believing something that is not true.

So, is this fourth person taking up a valid way of life?

I suppose what they’re saying is that the idea of God is their supreme value.

For traditional believers, God is the ultimate and they commit to him because he is the ultimate.

In fact, the name “God” is a term that means, “what we hold to have ultimate value”

So, it is not unfair for someone to say that the idea of God is what they find to have ultimate value. And as we explore this idea, it contains all the wonder that God holds for those who have no difficulty in believing. God still stands for the supremacy of love, for the willingness to care for others, to forgive, to pay back good for evil. God stands for the wisdom not to judge at face value, but to show supreme discernment, and to judge not on the basis of your own self-interest, nor to condemn others, even if they are repulsive, but instead to show a commitment to redeeming those who are lost and working for the best interests even of those who hate you. And to do all this because you have a deep understanding of the weaknesses of humanity, but also of our potential to become better people – under the impact of God’s love.

This is what it means to believe in believing in God, and it is completely in tune with traditional belief in God. Traditionally, people have believed that the qualities I’ve just described are God’s qualities, and, as God is God – that is ultimately supreme, it right and good and proper that we should live in tune with him. For those who find it hard to believe that God exists as a personal being, it is still possible to believe in believing in God. That is, the person makes a commitment – exactly equivalent to the typical faith commitment – to give themselves to living in tune with the love and wisdom that they conceive to be of ultimate value.

I believe in believing in God. Part 1

I believe in believing in God

(A philosophical and theological reflection in 5 parts) 

Part 1: But is it true?

The more I think about the role of God in my life, the more essential he is. That makes the question of whether he actually exists or not more and more important. This is, of course, the be all and end all of the spiritual and religious life. If only we could know for sure that our beliefs are true. This is the stumbling block for many, who would like to believe, but can’t allow themselves to do so without proof – which is the one thing you can never have in the life of faith. Others have made the commitment of faith and are perfectly happy with their choice – they are untroubled in their faith. Others do have faith but are severely troubled by doubts, such that it stifles their faith to a considerable degree.

Yet it is a well-known phenomenon that the benefits of faith in God “work” provided you truly believe – whether God is real or not. It is your faith that energises your life. However, this phenomenon does not work if you try to fool yourself. If you try to argue to yourself: it is faith that matters, not God’s actual existence, therefore I will just believe, this doesn’t work because you don’t actually believe, you are just pretending to believe, or adopting the slogan of belief without it having any real substance. For the “faith effect” to work, you must actually have faith. So, we come back to the question of whether God actually exists or not.

Many believers manage to keep happily believing because, while there is no proof that God exists, they are happy with this because the whole point of faith is to believe without having proof (in fact, if you had proof, or certain knowledge, of God, it may well be literally impossible to have faith in God). As there is also no proof that he doesn’t exist, they feel justified in holding on to their faith. It comes down to an inner sense of what is justified to hold onto. However, some people feel that they must be honest with themselves. If they feel the evidence is 80:20 against God really existing – or worse, perhaps they are just refusing to accept reality. It is not enough to say that, as there is a theoretical possibility that he could exist, and as it is always impossible to prove that he doesn’t exist, they will go on believing despite all the reasons not to. So: is it true?

Stepping out

Stepping out

Lord, I step out into the open,

Away from the security of my favourite thoughts,

Away from the safety of hiding in the background

Afraid of standing out, afraid of failing.

What will you show me when I am standing out in the light?

Who will I meet?

What will you guide me to do once I am there, free to look all around me?

It is only a journey of a few steps, but it’s also the journey of a lifetime.

What gifts do I need to take with me?

A desire for justice –

For out in the open all manner of people will rush at me, clamouring for my attention.

Some will want to take advantage of me, others will want to recruit me to their cause.

I will certainly be buffeted by forces much more powerful than me.

I was safe while I kept my head down, but you, Lord, called me to go out into the marketplace and take my stand.

And though I am just one person, without the strength to command the arena, if I have taken justice with me, I will know who to stand against and who to stand with and who to stand up for.

Let me also take compassion out with me – and perhaps it’s because you gave me this that is the reason why I want to leave the shadows at all.

Without your compassion Lord, even if I keep hold of justice, I might go wrong, might hurt others.

For too easily I get angry and condemn.

Instead, even as I oppose injustice, I must aim to reform the perpetrators.

And there is no point in leaving the safety of my home at all if it is not to kneel beside those who suffer to bind their wounds, so let me keep tight hold of your compassion.

Lord, what I’m doing is so unlike me, I need even more of your gifts if I am not to run straight back to safety.

So, make me open to others.

Really willing to learn.

To give, and to receive.

Not to defend my barriers, to make it easier for others to enter.

And, Lord, I need to be brave.

You know I am not very good at this.

People shout such a lot, while I love the quietness of sitting with you.

But perhaps bravery is not a thing in itself, but the sort of actions that are done.

So, there is no need for me to wait here till I receive a nugget of bravery in my soul,

I just need to step out into the open, and because I did that, I must be brave.

Once I do, I lose control of the action – in that I am now in too big a space to command.

But I have not lost control in terms of being helpless.

It is the difference between a boat safely in harbour where the captain is in complete charge of it, and a boat heading out to sea. You cannot control the wind and the waves, but you can still set the course you want to follow.

Out in the open, I become a target, but perhaps I can also become a standard around which others can gather.

Gather for support, for safety, for encouragement, for refreshment.

Not that I have anything to offer Lord, that’s why I’ve been hiding here so long.

But gradually over the years, you have slipped 5 smooth pebbles into my pocket:

A desire for justice, compassion, a new willingness to be open, and a tiny impulse to be brave.

So, here I am Lord; I am moving now, stepping out into the open.

What’s that, Lord, you think I’ve forgotten something?

I said “5 pebbles” but have only mentioned four?

The fifth is that I know there’s something out there I need to find.

That is also your gift to me.

I have always known your love, and you have held me close in your heart.

But now I need to step out and see what you are doing out there.

Ultimate reality

Ultimate reality

At the core of the human mind, it is possible to discover an experience of transcendent truth that exhilaratingly transforms your understanding of what your life means, giving you a sense of connection with the ultimate – a union of the self with the infinite and eternal, a taking into yourself all that is good and pure and lovely. This strikes you as the ultimate revelation of what life itself means, what your own life is for, and it connects you with the depths and heights of what it means to exist. As if this was not enough, this extraordinary revelation of truth presents itself as a personal expression of love, directly to you. You are aware that it is a universal love, but you are also aware that you are included in it, that this love has specifically reached out to embrace you.

This experience is a discovery of what is there to be discovered. It is not manufactured, manipulated, constructed by the human mind. It is. It exists. While I suppose it must be theoretically possible for a person to discover this experience and then reject it, I expect that, in practice, everyone who finds it, embraces it. Having been embraced by this experience, they joyfully accept it and embrace the experience back. It becomes the greatest treasure of your life.

It’s difficult to find any sort of analogy that does it any sort of justice. But suppose, in the external reality of the physical universe, you discovered “another country” – say, a hidden valley, that has been there all along, but somehow unknown to you. Then one day, perhaps, you stumble by accident into it. Perhaps others had heard stories of it and had not dismissed them as fables, but had been diligently searching for it. However it happens, you find yourself in the secret valley. And, in physical terms for our analogy, imagine it to be filled with the most exquisite fragrance, from flowers of unspeakable beauty, that fill the heart with such deep contentment, while at the same time the freshness of the breeze sweeps all cobwebs from your mind, leaving you vibrantly alive but also poised in utter tranquillity. If we found such a valley, would we not make it the centre of our lives, returning to it as often as we can, and valuing it more than everything else?

An alternative illustration would be as though you discover a door to a secret garden. It’s always been there, always been open to the touch, and when you enter it for the first time you can’t believe that you have passed it so many times without wondering what was behind it. But once you do, you become devoted to the garden and live for your opportunities to enter it. Importantly, the first time you enter, you have it all to yourself and are enchanted to have such wonders all to yourself. You wander through it in awe, until the truth you are experiencing whispers to you, “I love you”. After that, as you explore, you discover another person who also loves to come to the garden – and then another and another. But instead of feeling deflated that the garden is no longer “your special place”, exclusively giving you truth and love – because you’re so special, instead, as the truth and love seeps into all the nooks and crannies of your heart, it becomes part of the delight to discover that another kindred spirit has also found the garden, and loves it as much as you do. And the spirit of love you’ve found there encourages you to love each other, so that this love becomes another feature of what you love so much about this place.

Such is the discovery of “the other country” within the inner reality of your own heart and mind. Some people only enter it by strange accidents and so cannot remember how to get back into it when the mind has ejected them from it as the noise of everyday life interrupts them and drowns out the experience, such that it becomes a glittering vision, treasured beyond all memories, but one that is like a distant dream, far removed from the reality of their daily lives. But for those who have been searching, or who, stumbling in, recognise that this is to be kept hold of forever, they visit regularly, such that they become so familiar with it that they just have to close their eyes and they are there. For such people, the whole of life is infused with the reality that they have discovered. The truth that is theirs becomes an inner spring of refreshment, and at the heart of the truth is a deep, personal love. A love given to you, for you, and given for you to share with others. It is just how things are. It is ultimate realty. It is there. To be discovered.

Time and place and transience. Part 6

Time and place and transience

Part 6: God is all in all

Once again we see (what a surprise!) that God is the ground of our being, the foundation of our lives, the one who gives meaning and purpose to our lives, the one who not only enriches our lives beyond measure, but who holds the preciousness of our lives so that it is never lost. His presence answers the questions – and the fears – of humanity, reassuring us that the transience of our lives, as we move through time and place, is not a problem in terms of leaving strewn behind us a trail of treasures that are now all lost to us, but, rather, our movement through life is the means of creating what is precious in our own lives, and adding our contribution to the whole sum of what is precious, as it is all held in the heart of God. God is the storehouse of the treasures of our lives.

Postmodernism offers a false solution that, in reality, mocks humanity’s hopes. It tells us not to worry about meaninglessness, emptiness or loss, just enjoy your life – if you can, if you are lucky enough to have those opportunities. It is really not much more than the advice to, “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die”. And, of course, in our thinking we have focussed on the problem of how to think about the treasures of our lives and our distress at the thought that they don’t really count for anything and are all now lost in the past anyway. However, there is also the experience of pain and suffering to consider. And, while we might be able to cope with this if the balance of our lives falls heavily into credit with the many good things of our lives easily offsetting those occasional times of difficulty, we recall that for some people the balance falls heavily into suffering and loss. Our ideas about God will be able to give meaning and value to those peoples’ lives too, and we will consider that another time, while postmodernism simply says, “Bad luck! Pity you didn’t live in our wealthy, comfortable society”.

So, postmodernism promises a false freedom: enjoy your bingo; there isn’t anything more to life than that. In contrast, belief in God gives true freedom, because our faith creates an arena in which we can live our lives here on planet earth with complete assurance that we are held within the love of God. The transient events of our lives are, indeed, the best choices we could make about what to do with our lives, in the situations in which we find ourselves, yet we live and move and have our being within the life of God. It is his presence, which no time can erode, and his love, which nothing can diminish, which is the infinite and complete receptacle in which we live. It is this that gives an absolute and permanent meaning and value to our lives. It is this which fills us with joy and peace now. It is this that enables us to cope with loss and pain and suffering, because even these do not diminish the preciousness of our lives, for God responds to our loss with even more love. It is from understanding that our lives are lived with God that enables us to run our course to the last day, when, perhaps suddenly and to our surprise, or maybe long expected but still creeping up on us through the drowsy fog of our final moments, we fall into blackness and have no more consciousness. Perhaps those who love us will be there to weep over us, but we will not hear them, nor will we be aware of the wetness of their tears. But this is of no matter. Our lives are held in the hands of God, and we are free to keep moving forward till we can do so no longer. Nothing is lost. We are with God now. And we will be with him forever.

Time and place and transience. Part 5

Time and place and transience

Part 5: We are the apple of God’s eye

You see why I am so keen for God to actually exist, rather than just being an idea that is useful to us humans in getting through life. If God does exist, and if we take seriously what God must be like, then God is the repository for everything that ever happens. The events of our lives in time and space, so utterly transient, are, in fact, never lost, and never insignificant, for they contribute to the reality of who God is. God himself changes and grows in response to the living of our lives. In the same way that my life is richer because I experienced my daughter’s 3rd birthday, so God’s life is richer – both because he experienced it in his own right, and he experienced it through sharing in my daughter’s experience of the event, and through experiencing it through my experience of it.

I don’t think we are making God subject to us (or maybe we are – and which is better?) as though he is dependent on us for being who he is. God does not need us, as he is complete in himself. His character and his will do not change, because he is perfect in himself. Nevertheless, in the practicality of living in a material universe, God does indeed “grow” through sharing in our lives. Some of the philosophical problems are solved through the concept of timeless God (admittedly a mind-stretching idea!) in that, while we experience our lives getting richer as time progresses, as God is outside of time, he has already experienced all that will ever happen, and continues to experience everything in his timeless present. To that degree, creating creation did not “make God bigger than he was before” because he always contained within himself the effect of what would happen if he created a universe. Nevertheless, it is an awesome thought to acknowledge that, yes, God himself becomes richer because of our lives. This must be so. If we take seriously the idea of God sharing our lives with us, and take seriously the concept of a real relationship of love between him and ourselves, then God cannot be unmoved by the experiences he shares with us. So, in God’s mind, it’s not even just that our experiences live on, but God’s response to those experiences, and the mutual relationship that we shared with him, all these things are relived as God holds them in his mind. Surely, this gives the events of our lives, and the whole of our lives, ultimate and absolute value, for they literally exist forever. Timeless God is always living the events of our lives, and he also has the ability to “bring to mind” in the manner of how a memory relives those events (perhaps God has no need of memories as he is simultaneously experiencing everything is a timeless present moment, but God must have the ability to remember too). God “right now” (timelessly really, all language that is time related does not really apply to God, but it’s helpful for us to think in this way, as we have to progress along the time line from then to now to the future) is living (“reliving” from my point of view) my daughter’s 3rd birthday, and my sharing of it with her, and he is living her 10th birthday, and he is living her 30th birthday – which hasn’t actually happened yet from my point of view.

So, everything that we ever do permanently lives forever in the mind of God. I am alive in him. Both now and forever. Nothing that we ever do is ever lost. Everything enriches the whole, with God, who is the whole, growing richer in experience through our lives.