Finding God in the Midst of Life

proper fear

2012-02-15T00:01:00.003-07:00

Don't be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There's nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.

Is peace a fact or a feeling?

2012-02-14T00:01:00.003-07:00

Philippians 4:6-7
Don't worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him. Then God's peace will watch over your hearts and your minds because you belong to Christ Jesus. God's peace can never be completely understood.

My dog loves better than I do...

2012-02-13T00:01:00.004-07:00

If religion in man is based only on a feeling of total dependence, then a dog is the best Christian. (Hegel)

Maybe we can learn a thing or two about love & significance from man's best friend...

Looks like stormy weather...

2012-02-12T00:01:00.001-07:00

Teacher, is it nothing to you that we're going down?

Clear my thoughts,

2012-02-11T00:01:00.002-07:00

Calm my thinking, and
Dwell in my heart.

Don't Miss The Bus

2012-02-10T03:28:00.003-07:00

Every happening, great and small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message. M. Muggeridge

Ultimate Survival

2012-02-09T00:01:00.004-07:00

Faith, like fire, isn't always easy.

Have you tasted life and found it bittersweet?

2012-02-08T00:01:00.004-07:00

All the persons of faith I know are sinners, doubters, uneven performers. Neither our feelings of depression nor the facts of suffering nor the possibilities of defection are evidence that God has abandoned us. (E. Peterson)

not for long...

2012-02-07T00:01:00.004-07:00

One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak. (gk chesterton)

How many times do I have to tell you it's all about persistence.

2012-02-06T00:01:00.005-07:00

Hebrews 12

¹ A huge cloud of witnesses is all around us. So let us throw off everything that stands in our way. Let us throw off any sin that holds on to us so tightly. Let us keep on running the race marked out for us.

² Let us keep looking to Jesus. He is the author of faith. He also makes it perfect. He paid no attention to the shame of the cross. He suffered there because of the joy he was looking forward to. Then he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

³ He put up with attacks from sinners. So think about him. Then you won't get tired. You won't lose hope.

Learn to struggle well with life.

2012-02-05T00:01:00.005-07:00

"Know this: those who live by faith will struggle in ways that those who live to make their lives work will never know. It is that struggle, to believe despite desperate pain and confusion that a good plan is unfolding, that will open your eyes to see Me more clearly. Is that what you want? Will you pay the price?

The price is this: you will tremble in agony as you live in a sinful, self-prioritizing world. You will learn to wait in emptiness and frustrated desire for My plan of love to reveal itself. With confidence in Me and hope in My plan, you will not only feel the pain of living in the valley but also see My glory from the mountaintop of faith.

Only those who struggle in confusion and wait in hope will be strengthened to struggle well and to wait with confidence.

Struggle well! Wait in hope!" (Larry Crabb, God's Love Letters to You)

Hebrews 12:11-13
God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best. At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God.

So don't sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it!

winter solace

2012-02-04T00:01:00.004-07:00

Psalm 40

A David Psalm

^1-3 I waited and waited and waited for God. At last he looked; finally he listened.
He lifted me out of the ditch,
pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock
to make sure I wouldn't slip.
He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,
a praise-song to our God.
More and more people are seeing this:
they enter the mystery,
abandoning themselves to God.

^16-17 But all who are hunting for you—
oh, let them sing and be happy.
Let those who know what you're all about
tell the world you're great and not quitting.
And me? I'm a mess. I'm nothing and have nothing:
make something of me.
You can do it; you've got what it takes—
but God, don't put it off.

happy feet

2012-02-03T00:01:00.002-07:00

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

The Rescue

^3-5All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.

lettuce pray...

2012-02-02T00:01:00.003-07:00

O Lord, reassure me with Your quickening Spirit; without You I can do nothing. Mortify in me all ambition, vanity, vainglory, worldliness, pride, selfishness, and resistance from God, and fill me with love, peace, and all the fruits of the Spirit.

O Lord, I know not what I am, but to You I flee for refuge.
I would surrender myself to You, trusting Your precious promises and against hope believing in hope.

You are the same yesterday, today, and forever; and therefore, waiting on the Lord, I trust that I shall at length renew my strength. (W. Wilberforce)

Get roped to the Father...

2012-02-01T00:01:00.003-07:00

Psalm 121

A Pilgrim Song

^1-2 I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from God,
who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

^3-4 He won't let you stumble,
your Guardian God won't fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel's
Guardian will never doze or sleep.

^5-6 God's your Guardian,
right at your side to protect you—
Shielding you from sunstroke,
sheltering you from moonstroke.

^7-8 God guards you from every evil,
he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
he guards you now, he guards you always.

Do everything in love.

2012-01-31T00:01:00.004-07:00

2012-01-30T00:01:00.002-07:00

Psalm 73

An Asaph Psalm

^1-5 No doubt about it! God is good— good to good people, good to the good-hearted.
But I nearly missed it,
missed seeing his goodness.
I was looking the other way,
looking up to the people
At the top,
envying the wicked who have it made,
Who have nothing to worry about,
not a care in the whole wide world.

^6-10 Pretentious with arrogance,
they wear the latest fashions in violence,
Pampered and overfed,
decked out in silk bows of silliness.
They jeer, using words to kill;
they bully their way with words.
They're full of hot air,
loudmouths disturbing the peace.
People actually listen to them—can you believe it?
Like thirsty puppies, they lap up their words.

^11-14 What's going on here? Is God out to lunch?
Nobody's tending the store.
The wicked get by with everything;
they have it made, piling up riches.
I've been stupid to play by the rules;
what has it gotten me?
A long run of bad luck, that's what—
a slap in the face every time I walk out the door.

^15-20 If I'd have given in and talked like this,
I would have betrayed your dear children.
Still, when I tried to figure it out,
all I got was a splitting headache . . .
Until I entered the sanctuary of God.
Then I saw the whole picture:
The slippery road you've put them on,
with a final crash in a ditch of delusions.
In the blink of an eye, disaster!
A blind curve in the dark, and—nightmare!
We wake up and rub our eyes....Nothing.
There's nothing to them. And there never was.

^21-24 When I was beleaguered and bitter,
totally consumed by envy,
I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox
in your very presence.
I'm still in your presence,
but you've taken my hand.
You wisely and tenderly lead me,
and then you bless me.

^25-28 You're all I want in heaven!
You're all I want on earth!
When my skin sags and my bones get brittle,
God is rock-firm and faithful.
Look! Those who left you are falling apart!
Deserters, they'll never be heard from again.
But I'm in the very presence of God—
oh, how refreshing it is!
I've made Lord God my home.
God, I'm telling the world what you do!

2012-01-29T00:01:00.002-07:00

"I'm telling you these things while I'm still living with you.
The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you.
He will remind you of all the things I have told you.
I'm leaving you well and whole.
That's my parting gift to you. Peace.
I don't leave you the way you're used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft.
So don't be upset.
Don't be distraught."

2012-01-28T00:01:00.003-07:00

So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.

Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.

And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It's because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn't long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it's all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.

Don't lie to one another. You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

You are a masterpiece!

2012-01-27T00:01:00.003-07:00

You created the deepest parts of my being.
You put me together inside my mother's body.
How you made me is amazing and wonderful.
I praise you for that.
What you have done is wonderful.
I know that very well.

2012-01-26T00:01:00.004-07:00

So, what do you think?
With God on our side like this, how can we lose?
If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us?

And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen?
Who would dare even to point a finger?

The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us.

Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us?

There is no way!

Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us.

I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

Always take the high road...

2012-01-25T00:01:00.002-07:00

It's less traveled for sure.

just be yourself...

2012-01-24T00:01:00.003-07:00

The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all!

2012-01-23T00:01:00.006-07:00

Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen. (Reinhold Niebuhr)

Don't be a chicken.

2012-01-22T00:01:00.003-07:00

What are you contemplating?

2012-01-21T00:01:00.003-07:00

Do you have the necessary time & space to accommodate reflection?

2012-01-20T00:01:00.003-07:00

Once when I was in the Himalayas, I was sitting upon the bank of a river. I drew out of the water a beautiful, round stone and smashed it. The inside was dry. The stone had been lying a long time in the water, but the water had not penetrated the stone.

It is just like that with the "Christian" people of the West. They have for centuries been surrounded by Christianity, entirely steeped in its blessings, but the Master's truth has not penetrated them. Christianity is not at fault; the reason lies rather in the hardness of their hearts. Materialism and intellectualism have made their hearts hard. So I am not surprised that many people in the West do not understand what Christianity really is. (Sadhu Sundar Singh)

Our hope is not based on our ability to figure life out enough to solve our problems.

2012-01-19T00:01:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 4:14-16
Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

What makes your life worthwhile?

2012-01-18T00:01:00.003-07:00

No one talks to you more than you do.

2012-01-17T00:01:00.002-07:00

So what are you saying to yourself?

Stay warm my friends...

2012-01-16T00:01:00.001-07:00

Hey sexy!

2012-01-15T00:01:00.003-07:00

Just because something is technically legal doesn't mean that it's spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I'd be a slave to my whims.

You know the old saying, "First you eat to live, and then you live to eat"? Well, it may be true that the body is only a temporary thing, but that's no excuse for stuffing your body with food, or indulging it with sex. Since the Master honors you with a body, honor him with your body!

God honored the Master's body by raising it from the grave. He'll treat yours with the same resurrection power. Until that time, remember that your bodies are created with the same dignity as the Master's body. You wouldn't take the Master's body off to a whorehouse, would you? I should hope not.

There's more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, "The two become one." Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never "become one." There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for "becoming one" with another. Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.

bear with me...

2012-01-14T00:01:00.002-07:00

Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
Why are you crying the blues?
Fix my eyes on God—
soon I'll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face.
He's my God.

What are you most worried about?

2012-01-13T00:01:00.001-07:00

most people only get enough of God to be miserable.

2012-01-12T00:01:00.001-07:00

What, in your life, do you crave the most?

What is it that keeps you going?

2012-01-11T00:01:00.002-07:00

necessary endings

2012-01-10T07:44:00.001-07:00

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.

2012-01-09T00:01:00.001-07:00

There's more to relationships than sex in the city.

2012-01-08T00:01:00.001-07:00

Feeling like a rat?

2012-01-07T00:01:00.001-07:00

If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we're obviously lying through our teeth—we're not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin.

If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we've never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.

Embody the gospel.

2012-01-06T00:01:00.001-07:00

Our task is to show how the Bible gets lived.
How to listen for God.
How to find Him in the midst of life.

>

2012-01-05T00:01:00.001-07:00

Feeling blue?

2012-01-04T00:01:00.001-07:00

Habakkuk 3:17-19
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.

Real spirituality begins when you...

2012-01-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

love your enemies.

"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."

Teach me to fly

2012-01-02T00:01:00.002-07:00

It's not as easy as it looks.

God doesn't come and go. God lasts.
He's Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath.
And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired,
gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out,
young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don't get tired,
they walk and don't lag behind.

Food is God’s love made delectable.

2012-01-01T00:01:00.001-07:00

Celebrate

2011-12-31T00:01:00.005-07:00

Jesus didn't leave us the church and from the church we derive the Eucharist; rather, for him, Jesus left us the Eucharist and from the Eucharist we derive the church.

The church is in service of the Eucharist, not vice versa. Heaven will be a banquet table. The Eucharist already is that table. Ron Rolheiser

Something to think about...

2011-12-30T00:01:00.003-07:00

There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread. (M Gandhi)

Matthew 25:31-46
The Sheep and the Goats

31-33"When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

34-36"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'

37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

41-43"Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—

I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'

44"Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?'

45"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.'

46"Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."

Get out of the box...

2011-12-29T00:01:00.002-07:00

Christian living appears as strange and shocking -

You mean you really have to be kind to people, to be patient, to forgive people, to put their interests ahead of your own?

You mean you really can live without being greedy and snatching at power and using other people as objects in your quest for pleasure or prestige?

Most of the world has no idea you can live like that. (NT Wright)

Crappy holidays

2011-12-28T00:01:00.006-07:00

The holidays can be a painful time - perhaps it's a first Christmas without a loved one, or the memories of family dysfunctions on full display from years past.

Whatever the case remember that, 'He is the Father who gives tender love.'

May the God of all comfort be with you this season.

2011-12-27T00:01:00.003-07:00

Lord, you have seen what is in my heart.
You know all about me.
You know when I sit down and when I get up.
You know what I'm thinking even though you are far away.
You know when I go out to work and when I come back home.
You know exactly how I live.
Lord, even before I speak a word,
you know all about it.
You are all around me. You are behind me and in front of me.
You hold me in your power.
I'm amazed at how well you know me.
It's more than I can understand.

where do u find beauty?

2011-12-26T00:01:00.005-07:00

Have a doggone good Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:01:00.003-07:00

It doesn't matter how slow you go as long as you don't stop.

2011-12-24T00:01:00.004-07:00

Christmas Grieving

2011-12-23T00:01:00.003-07:00

When a person is born we rejoice, and when they’re married we jubilate, but when they die we try to pretend nothing has happened. (M. Mead)

He who conceals his grief finds no remedy for it.

2011-12-22T00:01:00.004-07:00

It takes a long time to grow a good friend.

2011-12-21T00:01:00.005-07:00

Give thanks for those who have stuck with you through thick and thin.

Blessed are those who treat pain.

2011-12-20T00:01:00.001-07:00

Question

2011-12-19T00:01:00.001-07:00

It's never me!

2011-12-18T00:01:00.003-07:00

This Christmas

2011-12-17T00:01:00.002-07:00

Give empathy.

Give more of what matters this season.

Those that say it can't be done should get out of the way of those doing it.

2011-12-16T00:01:00.002-07:00

If you believe, unbelievable things can become possible.

Life smarts

2011-12-15T00:01:00.005-07:00

When you are in the final days of your life, what will you want?
Will you hug that college degree in the walnut frame?
Will you ask to be carried to the garage so you can sit in your car?
Will you find comfort in rereading your financial statement?
Of course not.
What will matter then will be people.
If relationships will matter most then, shouldn’t they matter most now? (M. Lucado)

A friend never gets in your way except when you are on the way down.

2011-12-14T00:01:00.003-07:00

When we honestly ask ourselves which people in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.

The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing, and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares. (H. Nouwen)

2011-12-13T00:01:00.004-07:00

Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace. (F. Beuchner)

2011-12-12T00:01:00.004-07:00

Isaiah 1:13-17
"Quit your worship charades.
I can't stand your trivial religious games:
Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings—
meetings, meetings, meetings—I can't stand one more!
Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them!
You've worn me out!
I'm sick of your religion, religion, religion,
while you go right on sinning.
When you put on your next prayer-performance,
I'll be looking the other way.
No matter how long or loud or often you pray,
I'll not be listening.
And do you know why? Because you've been tearing
people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.
Go home and wash up.
Clean up your act.
Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings
so I don't have to look at them any longer.
Say no to wrong.
Learn to do good.
Work for justice.
Help the down-and-out.
Stand up for the homeless.
Go to bat for the defenseless."

A Series of Unfortunate Events

2011-12-11T00:01:00.006-07:00

If you have ever lost someone very important to you, then you already know how it feels, and if you haven’t, you can not possibly imagine it.

Psalm 46
God is our place of safety. He gives us strength.
He is always there to help us in times of trouble.

Nouwen then we need an Advent reminder...

2011-12-10T00:01:00.003-07:00

Lord Jesus, Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas. We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day. We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.

We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom. We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence. We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light. To you we say, ‘Come Lord Jesus!’ Amen.

Life With James

2011-12-09T00:01:00.004-07:00

5:16
Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.

advent

2011-12-08T00:01:00.003-07:00

Jesus is coming...

Luke 2
In the sixth month after Elizabeth had become pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee. He was sent to a virgin. The girl was engaged to a man named Joseph. He came from the family line of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel greeted her and said, "The Lord has given you special favor. He is with you."

Mary was very upset because of his words. She wondered what kind of greeting this could be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary. God is very pleased with you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king like his father David of long ago. He will rule forever over his people, who came from Jacob's family. His kingdom will never end."

"How can this happen?" Mary asked the angel. "I am a virgin."

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come to you. The power of the Most High God will cover you. So the holy one that is born will be called the Son of God. Your relative Elizabeth is old. And even she is going to have a child. People thought she could not have children. But she has been pregnant for six months now. Nothing is impossible with God."

"I serve the Lord," Mary answered. "May it happen to me just as you said it would." Then the angel left her.

Christmas presence

2011-12-07T00:01:00.003-07:00

Materialism 101

2011-12-06T00:01:00.004-07:00

We socialize kids to be materialistic. If you care about wealth and luxury, your kids will care about wealth and luxury.

The more TV kids watch, the more likely they are to be materialistic.

Materialistic tweeners and teenagers are more anxious and less happy and have poorer self-esteem.

When we are feeling unfulfilled in some way, we'll often seek to quell that need through shopping. Materialism is a terrible coping strategy.

Are you actually encouraging your kids to care more about things than other people and experiences?

What do you think about?

2011-12-05T00:01:00.003-07:00

Friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

2011-12-04T00:01:00.002-07:00

James 4:7
So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.

Consumerism 101

2011-12-03T00:01:00.002-07:00

Shopping is happiness.

Just listen to that little voice in your head.

You can buy happiness; just don’t pay retail for it.

Caught in a pinch?

2011-12-02T00:01:00.001-07:00

Psalm 57
Be good to me, God—and now! I've run to you for dear life.
I'm hiding out under your wings
until the hurricane blows over.
I call out to High God,
the God who holds me together.
He sends orders from heaven and saves me,
he humiliates those who kick me around.
God delivers generous love,
he makes good on his word.

2011-12-01T00:01:00.003-07:00

The 5 R's

2011-11-30T00:01:00.006-07:00

Repent
Relearn
Redo
Restore
Repeat

Kick it!

2011-11-29T00:01:00.005-07:00

Before you talk, listen.
Before you act, think.
Before you criticize, wait.
Before you pray, forgive.
Before you quit, try. (E. Hemingway)

Whatcha doin'?

2011-11-28T00:01:00.004-07:00

Have respect for God and obey his commandments.
That's what everyone should do.
God will judge everything people do.
That includes everything they try to hide.
He'll judge everything, whether it's good or evil.

Getting tutored by troubles.

2011-11-27T00:01:00.006-07:00

Psalm 119:71-72
My troubles turned out all for the best—
they forced me to learn from your textbook.
Truth from your mouth means more to me
than striking it rich in a gold mine.

You might have a vindictive attitude if you say...

2011-11-26T00:01:00.007-07:00

When life gives you lemons, squeeze them in people's eyes.

Forgive.

2011-11-25T00:01:00.003-07:00

Psalm 121
I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from God,
who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

He won't let you stumble,
your Guardian God won't fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel's
Guardian will never doze or sleep.

God's your Guardian,
right at your side to protect you—
Shielding you from sunstroke,
sheltering you from moonstroke.

God guards you from every evil,
he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
he guards you now, he guards you always.

It's not easy taking your problems one at a time when they won't stand in line...

2011-11-24T00:01:00.005-07:00

At life's lowest points we can only look up.

Advent Conspiracy

2011-11-23T00:01:00.003-07:00

I read part of Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove's intro from Jamie Arpin-Ricci's book, The Cost Of Community in our Sunday service to prepare us for the beginning of Advent next Sunday:

In Canada, the day after Christmas is Boxing Day. I’ve read that it’s the largest retail spending day of the year up there (akin to America’s Black Friday, which follows our Thanksgiving feast). Inheritors of the largest economy to ever exist on earth, we North Americans celebrate our holidays on both sides of the border with great demonstrations of abundance—and we come down from our consumption by . . . shopping. If there is any single temptation that North Americans share, it’s the persistent call of One More Thing.

But for Christians, the day after Christmas is a day to remember Stephen the Martyr. Our great celebration of Jesus coming to dwell among us is followed by a solemn reminder of what Jesus actually said about following him—that it leads to a cross in this world. Incarnation is good news not because it offers us a way out of the mess of this world, but because it shows us what God’s love looks like here and now. Jesus’ birth is followed by his death and resurrection, just as the birth of the church is followed by the witness of those who are willing to lay down their lives for the sake of the gospel. And so the good news spreads.

When we pay attention to the peculiar memory of the church, we hear the echoes of a quiet revolution—the gentle insistence that the way things are is not the way things have to be. Another world is possible; indeed, another world has already begun. We can be part of it now, but it costs nothing less than everything.

That Jesus took on human flesh and moved into the neighborhood means we have seen the way of love lived out. We know what it looks like. In first-century Palestine, it meant that Jesus went to Golgotha. It looked like Stephen praying for his enemies while they threw the stones that would kill him.

But what does it look like to live God’s love in our world today?

What if you’re not a wandering preacher from Galilee, living under Roman occupation?

What if your greatest temptation is the alluring call of One More Thing on the day after you’ve eaten ham and opened presents?

CHRISTMAS CAN (STILL) CHANGE THE WORLD.

Slow Your Breath Down

2011-11-22T00:01:00.003-07:00

Lives lived frantically are more intensely forgotten than lives lived slowly.

Hang in the battle.

2011-11-21T00:01:00.003-07:00

1 Peter 4:19
So if you find life difficult because you're doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he's doing, and he'll keep on doing it.

Champagne wishes and caviar dreams...

2011-11-20T00:01:00.003-07:00

Acts 14:21-22
After proclaiming the Message in Derbe and establishing a strong core of disciples, they retraced their steps to Lystra, then Iconium, and then Antioch, putting muscle and sinew in the lives of the disciples, urging them to stick with what they had begun to believe and not quit, making it clear to them that it wouldn't be easy:

"Anyone signing up for the kingdom of God has to go through plenty of hard times."

Sometimes Life Is Easy; Sometimes It’s REALLY HARD.

2011-11-19T00:01:00.002-07:00

Acts 18
Totally exasperated, Paul had finally had it with them and gave it up as a bad job. "Have it your way, then," he said. "You've made your bed; now lie in it. From now on I'm spending my time with the other nations."

He walked out and went to the home of Titius Justus, a God-fearing man who lived right next to the Jews' meeting place. But Paul's efforts with the Jews weren't a total loss, for Crispus, the meeting-place president, put his trust in the Master. His entire family believed with him.

In the course of listening to Paul, a great many Corinthians believed and were baptized. One night the Master spoke to Paul in a dream:

"Keep it up, and don't let anyone intimidate or silence you. No matter what happens, I'm with you and no one is going to be able to hurt you. You have no idea how many people I have on my side in this city."

That was all he needed to stick it out. He stayed another year and a half, faithfully teaching the Word of God to the Corinthians.

Pillow fight?

2011-11-18T00:01:00.003-07:00

Ephesians 6
God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials.

And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way.

This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

Be prepared.

You're up against far more than you can handle on your own.

Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare.

Pray hard and long.

Pray for your brothers and sisters.

Keep your eyes open.

Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

Who's the boss

2011-11-17T00:01:00.005-07:00

Colossians 1
We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.

He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.

You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message.

Leadership 101 from Penn State

2011-11-16T00:01:00.006-07:00

You can't be a part-time man of principle. (John Amaechi)

Psalm 68:5-6

Our God, from your sacred home

you take care of orphans

and protect widows.

You find families

for those who are lonely.

You set prisoners free

and let them prosper, but all who rebel will live

in a scorching desert.

What's holding you back?

2011-11-15T00:01:00.003-07:00

Let them go...

Boney M.

2011-11-14T00:01:00.001-07:00

God grabbed me. God's Spirit took me up and set me down in the middle of an open plain strewn with bones. He led me around and among them—a lot of bones! There were bones all over the plain—dry bones, bleached by the sun.

He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

I said, "Master God, only you know that."

He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones: 'Dry bones, listen to the Message of God!'"

God, the Master, told the dry bones, "Watch this: I'm bringing the breath of life to you and you'll come to life. I'll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You'll come alive and you'll realize that I am God!"

WWJD?

2011-11-13T00:01:00.003-07:00

What Wouldn't Jesus Do?

I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desire. (Susan Anthony)

'nuff said.

2011-11-12T00:01:00.003-07:00

You Make A Difference!

2011-11-11T00:01:00.003-07:00

What excites you these days?

2011-11-10T00:01:00.001-07:00

Hypervigilant social connection

2011-11-09T00:01:00.005-07:00

we can't always appear like we have everything together...

2011-11-08T00:01:00.005-07:00

Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!