The One Year Bible has proved to be a great tool to get me into the scriptures that I usally do not read on my own initiative.
THIS YEAR WE ARE GOING TO READ THE NEW TESTAMENT TOGETHER WITH A NETWORK OF FRIENDS. YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US...
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Saturday, April 28, 2007
John 21... a letter to a friend
A lot of the NewTestament is mail. I find the form very helpful and useful. It gives what we share a sharp focuss... love flowing to someone(s) in particular. Stepping back sometimes it also is clear that others might bennefit from reading someone elses mail...
Dear Friend,
You have written a lot here. It seems clearest to me to point us back to the scriptures. Let’s go back to John 21. Let’s separate out Peter’s journey from our own. There is an interesting sub-text here... The Apostle John also went fishing to be with Peter... For him the activity was part of the whole... His love for Peter and for God. For Peter it was a regression to what he knew verses what he was called to...
General principle: The spiritual life works in a meaningful opposite directions to human development. In human development we become more independent, resourced and less constrained by others. In spiritual development love constrains us to be more and more true... To God, Ourselves, and others... We willingly take on a life that itself is defined by love.
I do not know anyone who wanted to learn to live in God’s love that did not have seasons of wandering.
It is space to refocus and discover what really satisfies...
Jonah, Paul, Peter, Ruth... All were true to their passions and held them in tension with their relationship with God.
You can see this played out in a whole different vein in the life of Eric Little and rather well played out in the Movie, “Chariots of Fire”.
Bono, in U2, says that his lyric writing is based on striving for emotional honesty.
Now the Questions...
When you go to work... Can you invite God to go with you? Can you feel God’s pleasure? Try it even as you pursue your passions. Ask, Seek, Knock... Discover if the same creative Spirit that spurred George Washington Carver on in his work... Might do the same in you.
A suggested Spiritual Exercise:
In the morning say a short prayer inviting the Trinity: God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit to go with you and to guide you in and through everything in your day. (All of life is a gift and is sacred... [also the Holy Spirit in both Hebrew and Greek is Feminine in gender as a word and in nature in terms of what the Spirit does.])
In the evening reflect on these two questions:
When did God seem most present to me today?
When did god seem most absent to me today?
Concluding thought... Life is organic and revelation unfolds over time. Like a plant feel for the sun while it is shinning and grow towards it.
Thank you for opening up this conversation. I hope and pray that these few words are of some use to you.
Servant One,
John TW
I Thessalonians 5:17-22
Dear Friend,
You have written a lot here. It seems clearest to me to point us back to the scriptures. Let’s go back to John 21. Let’s separate out Peter’s journey from our own. There is an interesting sub-text here... The Apostle John also went fishing to be with Peter... For him the activity was part of the whole... His love for Peter and for God. For Peter it was a regression to what he knew verses what he was called to...
General principle: The spiritual life works in a meaningful opposite directions to human development. In human development we become more independent, resourced and less constrained by others. In spiritual development love constrains us to be more and more true... To God, Ourselves, and others... We willingly take on a life that itself is defined by love.
I do not know anyone who wanted to learn to live in God’s love that did not have seasons of wandering.
It is space to refocus and discover what really satisfies...
Jonah, Paul, Peter, Ruth... All were true to their passions and held them in tension with their relationship with God.
You can see this played out in a whole different vein in the life of Eric Little and rather well played out in the Movie, “Chariots of Fire”.
Bono, in U2, says that his lyric writing is based on striving for emotional honesty.
Now the Questions...
When you go to work... Can you invite God to go with you? Can you feel God’s pleasure? Try it even as you pursue your passions. Ask, Seek, Knock... Discover if the same creative Spirit that spurred George Washington Carver on in his work... Might do the same in you.
A suggested Spiritual Exercise:
In the morning say a short prayer inviting the Trinity: God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit to go with you and to guide you in and through everything in your day. (All of life is a gift and is sacred... [also the Holy Spirit in both Hebrew and Greek is Feminine in gender as a word and in nature in terms of what the Spirit does.])
In the evening reflect on these two questions:
When did God seem most present to me today?
When did god seem most absent to me today?
Concluding thought... Life is organic and revelation unfolds over time. Like a plant feel for the sun while it is shinning and grow towards it.
Thank you for opening up this conversation. I hope and pray that these few words are of some use to you.
Servant One,
John TW
I Thessalonians 5:17-22
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Proverbs 24 & Weird Al's song White and Nerdy
Proverbs 24 provides a context for me to think about Knowledge, Understanding and Wisdom.
Juxtaposed to this the cultural parodies of the movie Napoleon Dynamite & Weird Al and his song I'm too White and Nerdy… and you have a cutting edge expose' of how far the collapse socially of the dominant culture is in popular culture. This collapse from dominance is what post-modern folks mean when they say that the center will not hold. I do not have any problem with this to the extent that mainstream culture has also left God out of the picture.
To me this provides a huge opportunity for the people of God… because we live in a knowledge thick world that is very thin on wisdom. It is time for fresh movements of faith to rise up and demonstrate depth… words will not be enough… Let's look back at Proverbs 24 and break down some of the wisdom in it for our times…
3Through skillful and godly Wisdom is a house (a life, a home, a family) built, and by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation],
4And by knowledge shall its chambers [of every area] be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
• My First point is to try to get us to grasp where we are in our current times. KNOWLEDGE IS our cultural KING. Whether that is the heady knowledge of the Nerd, The social Elite, The Style Elite, or the Street Knowledge of the Thug. In our current cultural mythos if someone has the right Knowledge he or she will get over in life and be able to get all the "stuff" in life that matters.
The codes of knowledge… that of the academy belonging to the "Nerds" and their domain of the University, and "The Code Of the Streets" belonging to the Thugs of the world and "the hood" both have dire outcomes in terms of ultimate meaning.
As T.S. Eliot observes in this cultural decline now recognized by the academy.
"Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? "
T. S. Eliot
The Hip Hop Group" The Black Eyed Peas" share their Lament with the streets:
"What's wrong with the world mama?
People living like aint got no mamas…
Chorus:
People killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying
Can you practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father Father Father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?(where is the lovex3)(the love2x)
I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm getting older y'all people get colder
Most of us only care about money makin
Selfishness got us followin the wrong direction…"
This is the condition that Cornel West calls "Practical Nihilism" and Neil Postman calls it "Amusing Ourselves to Death".
The Bible Simply calls this the sin of "The Pride of Life"
The Decay in quality of thought is clearly marked out in Romans 1:21-23
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
Our Idols are pop Idols like Britney Speers who is falling from her throne to Thom Cruise and many others…
We are living in a Spiritually dangerous time because our times are stuck on the "precious and pleasant riches"... that Knowledge seems to offer… Your Cell phone and Lap top in the geek world… to your myspace and thumping bad assed tunes to bee seen on MTV that can be high contexted referenced by elaborate ring tones. What makes these days in our culture so spiritually toxic is that we live in a world that teaches people to love things and use people rather than loving people and using things. Things can stimulate, but they can not love. While many people are lacking the character depth to really love (II Peter 1:3-11).
Proverbs says, "Knowledge puffs up a person"
"Pride comes before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction."
The fruit of knowledge disconnected to the histories and realities that ultimately matter end in ever increasing consumptions and the loss of the role of love at every level of life & society.
By the way ... I really like the use of parrody used by Weird Al in his song "White & Nerdy". Like Bill Cosby he gets us to laugh at the twisted realities too many people are living. If there were not a lot of white people buying HIPHOP... then it would not have such a large market in the US. The fact that selling out fits the old stereotype of "Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll"... or the ancient categories of sin... "The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life". Does not surprise me. But for me exposes why these forms have sold out on their capacity to communicate the deepest realities that inspire true hope and values.
Juxtaposed to this the cultural parodies of the movie Napoleon Dynamite & Weird Al and his song I'm too White and Nerdy… and you have a cutting edge expose' of how far the collapse socially of the dominant culture is in popular culture. This collapse from dominance is what post-modern folks mean when they say that the center will not hold. I do not have any problem with this to the extent that mainstream culture has also left God out of the picture.
To me this provides a huge opportunity for the people of God… because we live in a knowledge thick world that is very thin on wisdom. It is time for fresh movements of faith to rise up and demonstrate depth… words will not be enough… Let's look back at Proverbs 24 and break down some of the wisdom in it for our times…
3Through skillful and godly Wisdom is a house (a life, a home, a family) built, and by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation],
4And by knowledge shall its chambers [of every area] be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
• My First point is to try to get us to grasp where we are in our current times. KNOWLEDGE IS our cultural KING. Whether that is the heady knowledge of the Nerd, The social Elite, The Style Elite, or the Street Knowledge of the Thug. In our current cultural mythos if someone has the right Knowledge he or she will get over in life and be able to get all the "stuff" in life that matters.
The codes of knowledge… that of the academy belonging to the "Nerds" and their domain of the University, and "The Code Of the Streets" belonging to the Thugs of the world and "the hood" both have dire outcomes in terms of ultimate meaning.
As T.S. Eliot observes in this cultural decline now recognized by the academy.
"Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? "
T. S. Eliot
The Hip Hop Group" The Black Eyed Peas" share their Lament with the streets:
"What's wrong with the world mama?
People living like aint got no mamas…
Chorus:
People killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying
Can you practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father Father Father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?(where is the lovex3)(the love2x)
I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm getting older y'all people get colder
Most of us only care about money makin
Selfishness got us followin the wrong direction…"
This is the condition that Cornel West calls "Practical Nihilism" and Neil Postman calls it "Amusing Ourselves to Death".
The Bible Simply calls this the sin of "The Pride of Life"
The Decay in quality of thought is clearly marked out in Romans 1:21-23
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
Our Idols are pop Idols like Britney Speers who is falling from her throne to Thom Cruise and many others…
We are living in a Spiritually dangerous time because our times are stuck on the "precious and pleasant riches"... that Knowledge seems to offer… Your Cell phone and Lap top in the geek world… to your myspace and thumping bad assed tunes to bee seen on MTV that can be high contexted referenced by elaborate ring tones. What makes these days in our culture so spiritually toxic is that we live in a world that teaches people to love things and use people rather than loving people and using things. Things can stimulate, but they can not love. While many people are lacking the character depth to really love (II Peter 1:3-11).
Proverbs says, "Knowledge puffs up a person"
"Pride comes before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction."
The fruit of knowledge disconnected to the histories and realities that ultimately matter end in ever increasing consumptions and the loss of the role of love at every level of life & society.
By the way ... I really like the use of parrody used by Weird Al in his song "White & Nerdy". Like Bill Cosby he gets us to laugh at the twisted realities too many people are living. If there were not a lot of white people buying HIPHOP... then it would not have such a large market in the US. The fact that selling out fits the old stereotype of "Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll"... or the ancient categories of sin... "The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life". Does not surprise me. But for me exposes why these forms have sold out on their capacity to communicate the deepest realities that inspire true hope and values.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Psalm 1
I find Psalm 1 interesting.
It first starts out with a short list of bad sources of influence. I have had them in my life. The friends that got me into shop lifting in 7th grade... "5 finger discount is what we called it to be cool". The friend whose father had Girly magazines... I had to relearn how to have healthy boundries and healthy attatchments... Marriage for 12 Years has been for me better than all the chasing ever was... I Learned to distance myself from those who made it their full time job to put people down... If they are good at put downs... and you hang around... in time your turn will come...
Then It talks about the source of the "blessed / Good" life.
To be like a tree by streams of water... to be full on the inside... Nourished and fruitful... to be really allive...
Delight in God's word... and in the law.
Good Rules, best understood, are sign posts of care, caution, and protection. I was the kind of kid that tested boundries.
As a kid.. I Drank motor oil because I wanted to become a car... Got my stomach pumped.
I was of the mindset at first... If I was told the stove was hot I had to touch it... Got burned a lot with that mindset...
Obeying a rule because it is there has little joy in it.
Appreciating the good intent when my friend told me while working in a Chemistry lab... Glass can get quite hot and not show any signs of being hot... It saved me from getting badly burned...
A friend of mine named, Vishal Mangalwadi, wrote a book called, "Truth and Social Reform". He says that any society that consistently breaks the 10 commandments will be poorer than a society that follows these "laws of God".
Knowing what choices are going to turn out bad in the long run isn't a rip off or a bad thing. It gives a person a lot of room to explore all the other possibilities of life. There are a lot of ways to prosper...
It starts with a mindset that respects that there is a source of insight other than experience that can guide us towards... The Real Good...
Jesus said that the Law and the prophets could be summed up in this... Love of God, Love of oneself, and Love of neighbor... I wonder why we are afraid of The law???
I think it is because some mockers who were good at putting others down got ahold of the law of God and started using it to put others down... rather than explaining how one's quality of life is going to be impacted... and really helping people to connect with the good that is in life...
People end up dry, disconnected, and then blown away... when life gets hard... if they do not have roots in their soul that connects them with real resources greater than themselves... We need the inner resources that Psalm 1 is talking about...
Now that's why I go to the Bible...to connect with the God of the Bible... Not just the book... I grow in my capacity to connect with the source of love itself... I find in it real resources that inspire me to live, love, listen, and discover again and again... the streams of water is fresh... if I come to it to draw life from it.
Reading is not what Psalm 1 recommends... we get this from a lot of church folk... "Read your Bible"... Meditation goes deeper. It's what you think about after you are done reading. It's that inner space of thoughts, ideas, questions, and wonder... It's where we get those insights of discovery from; the AHA's of life that make us go WoW and want to dig deeper. It is in this space that God sneaks up on me quietly and shows me stuff about life and reveals entrances into fellowship with God.
I Go to the stream... the water is fresh... if I pay attention beyond the inK on the page... and let it illuminate life for me... Revelations are not in the ink on the page but rather it is what the light of the Word causes us to see connect with in life. (I Timothy 4:16, Hebrews 4:12&13)
It first starts out with a short list of bad sources of influence. I have had them in my life. The friends that got me into shop lifting in 7th grade... "5 finger discount is what we called it to be cool". The friend whose father had Girly magazines... I had to relearn how to have healthy boundries and healthy attatchments... Marriage for 12 Years has been for me better than all the chasing ever was... I Learned to distance myself from those who made it their full time job to put people down... If they are good at put downs... and you hang around... in time your turn will come...
Then It talks about the source of the "blessed / Good" life.
To be like a tree by streams of water... to be full on the inside... Nourished and fruitful... to be really allive...
Delight in God's word... and in the law.
Good Rules, best understood, are sign posts of care, caution, and protection. I was the kind of kid that tested boundries.
As a kid.. I Drank motor oil because I wanted to become a car... Got my stomach pumped.
I was of the mindset at first... If I was told the stove was hot I had to touch it... Got burned a lot with that mindset...
Obeying a rule because it is there has little joy in it.
Appreciating the good intent when my friend told me while working in a Chemistry lab... Glass can get quite hot and not show any signs of being hot... It saved me from getting badly burned...
A friend of mine named, Vishal Mangalwadi, wrote a book called, "Truth and Social Reform". He says that any society that consistently breaks the 10 commandments will be poorer than a society that follows these "laws of God".
Knowing what choices are going to turn out bad in the long run isn't a rip off or a bad thing. It gives a person a lot of room to explore all the other possibilities of life. There are a lot of ways to prosper...
It starts with a mindset that respects that there is a source of insight other than experience that can guide us towards... The Real Good...
Jesus said that the Law and the prophets could be summed up in this... Love of God, Love of oneself, and Love of neighbor... I wonder why we are afraid of The law???
I think it is because some mockers who were good at putting others down got ahold of the law of God and started using it to put others down... rather than explaining how one's quality of life is going to be impacted... and really helping people to connect with the good that is in life...
People end up dry, disconnected, and then blown away... when life gets hard... if they do not have roots in their soul that connects them with real resources greater than themselves... We need the inner resources that Psalm 1 is talking about...
Now that's why I go to the Bible...to connect with the God of the Bible... Not just the book... I grow in my capacity to connect with the source of love itself... I find in it real resources that inspire me to live, love, listen, and discover again and again... the streams of water is fresh... if I come to it to draw life from it.
Reading is not what Psalm 1 recommends... we get this from a lot of church folk... "Read your Bible"... Meditation goes deeper. It's what you think about after you are done reading. It's that inner space of thoughts, ideas, questions, and wonder... It's where we get those insights of discovery from; the AHA's of life that make us go WoW and want to dig deeper. It is in this space that God sneaks up on me quietly and shows me stuff about life and reveals entrances into fellowship with God.
I Go to the stream... the water is fresh... if I pay attention beyond the inK on the page... and let it illuminate life for me... Revelations are not in the ink on the page but rather it is what the light of the Word causes us to see connect with in life. (I Timothy 4:16, Hebrews 4:12&13)
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Reading the Bible with Evelin and her Crew.
Evelin has invited me to read with her and her youth group these scriptures. More than that in talking with her... our hope and expectation is that doing this together will provide a context for God to use the scriptures to speak directly into our lives.
Ink on a page... Can Ink on a page make a difference in the content and quality of our lives??? Influence depends on a lot of things... The Bible keeps surprising me in it's depth and power.
Some aliens came to visit planet earth... they noticed that human often bought this large bundle of paper daily that they call the newspaper. When analyzed for it's chemiccle compounds all they found in it was paper and ink. To this day they do not know what the significance of the news is...
The frame of reference you bring to any task will shape what you see in it...
I hope some of you read with us and in it find some real "good news"...
***************************************************************************
To all the skaters and friends that are reading with me:
I know that a lot of you have been wanted to be challenged just in seeking the Lord and learning more of His word… and as well, as getting to know Him more. This year I want to be able and take this challenge with you and learning how to discipline ourselves in reading the word, and spending time with God. I know it is not an easy thing to pick up a book and read, specially sometimes our bibles are hard to read. But know that just as you and I are reading… others read with us and we will hold you accountable of this… just as you guys can keep me accountable of this. As you read weekly, think about verses, things in life, or things that God is doing in your life and come back to share, what stood out to you, or what God taught you from these readings… enjoy His word, and if you want to read together to be encouraged, let me know… email me or myspace me… lol… enjoy!!! As you read make sure to initial or put a check mark and maybe next to the chapter, write a word or a phrase or the verse that stood out to you. If you have any questions call me, my phone will be on the parent letter.
Scritpture Reading:
By the 9th of October you should have read:
*Genesis 43___X____
*Luke 1___X____
*1 John 1__X___
*Psalm 1__X___
By the 16th of October you should have read:
*Genesis 44__x___
*Luke 2__x___
*1 John 2__x___
*Psalm 2__x___
By the 23rd of October you should have read:
*Genesis 45__x___
*Luke 3__x___
*1 John 3___x___
*Psalm 3__x___
By October 30th you should have read:
*Genesis 46___x__
*Luke 4__x___
*1 John 4__x___
*Psalm 4__x___
By November 6th you should have read:
*Genesis 47__x___
*Luke 5__x___
*1 John 5__x___
*Psalm 5__x___
By November 13th you should have read:
*Genesis 48__x___
*Luke 6__x___
*2 John 1_____
*Psalm 6___x__
By November 27th you should have read:
*Genesis 49__x___
*Luke 7__x___
*3 John 1_____
*Psalm 7__x___
By December 4th you should have read:
*Genesis 50__x___
*Luke 8__x___
*Jude 1_____
*Palm 8__x___
By December 11th you should have read:
*Exodus 1_____
*Luke 9__x___
*Revelation 1_____
*Psalm 9__x___
By December 18th you should have read:
*Exodus 2______
*Luke 10 __x___
*Revelation 2_____
*Palm 10__x___
We had to cancel the 20th of November because there is a Thanksgiving dinner for some of the S.A.Y. Yes! Students and I won’t be able to make it because I need to be there but for the winter break I would love you to read:
By the end of winter break you should have read:
*Exodus 3____
*Luke 11__x___
*Revelation 3_____
*Psalm 11__x___
Let me know if you would like to study together or read together or if you want more readings… I can make sure to help you out with that! I love you guys… and I am excited to meet with you guys again and talk about God and share with each other what God is doing in our lives and going to skate parks!
Thank you so much guys for your patience and for waiting to come back for a new semester to the “Eyes 4 Christ” Skate movement. Remember we want to make an impact on others and we want others to know of Gods, word, love, and grace, and even more!!!
I need you guys!!! I am excited to see what God does in our lives together as a team, and as a family, to live a life of faith and to follow Him, and to rally make this a movement that will glorify Him. Everything we do in life should be for him!!! Be excited, and come with a positive attitude, lets have fun together knowing our Father!!!
God Bless you guys, and know that I’ve missed you and I love you guys… peace!
Sincerely,
Evelin Mendoza
(Ha, I have a new last name! ;D)
Thank you EVELIN!!!
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Genesis: How Honest are we?
Read the book of Genesis like you would read a newspaper.
Notice how fragmented the Early stories are... that is that there is no effort to make flow happen when what is known is known in part.
Notice how honest Genesis is about how the Patriarchs of the Old Testament... More honest than most of us would like to be about our own families...
It is said that History is told by those in power in such a manner as to make themselves look good.
This is not the nature of the Bible or is it???
Try this with a small of friends...
Step 1 Read Genesis through together... Just read it without judgement...
Step 2 Figure out how to sanely and honestly talk with God and these select friends at the same level of honesty as reflected in this book.
Step 3 Learn what it means to be honest and real in the whole of your life... past, present, and future. Let your friends help you in this journey.
Notice how fragmented the Early stories are... that is that there is no effort to make flow happen when what is known is known in part.
Notice how honest Genesis is about how the Patriarchs of the Old Testament... More honest than most of us would like to be about our own families...
It is said that History is told by those in power in such a manner as to make themselves look good.
This is not the nature of the Bible or is it???
Try this with a small of friends...
Step 1 Read Genesis through together... Just read it without judgement...
Step 2 Figure out how to sanely and honestly talk with God and these select friends at the same level of honesty as reflected in this book.
Step 3 Learn what it means to be honest and real in the whole of your life... past, present, and future. Let your friends help you in this journey.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
I John 1 my first Wedding Sermon!
Keeping The Joy in Fellowship I John 1:1
By Keeping it Real
• Real Real vs. a Fantasy (vs. 1-4)
There is A Quality of Life and Love we can enter into everyday into because of Jesus, who is involved in our relationships. This is the testimony of the Apostle John (the author of I John). This is the testimony of the Church. This is my testimony and Willie & Gennell I know this is your testimony.
Both of you have been faithfully working through the 12 steps of AA and CA…
Step # 11 says that we…
“Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”
Our relationship with God gives all other relationships meaning and purpose… If we walk with our creator God who made all good things to enjoy… the temptation to go towards some form an unreal fantasy that can't last won't capture our hearts…
Then we find More and More that we are drawn into a larger global family of God that knows and recognizes the grace of God at work in our lives. This is the fellowship the church calls “The communion of saints”… Willie and Gennell may your love grow in the context of the larger loving community of God’s people.
• Good Real vs. Darkness (vs. 5-7)
Good love takes practice… love takes practice and Imagination… and If we take the time to discover and do the good that can be done we don’t have time for the lesser things of life… We discover that our whole lives can be taken up by good loving realities. I find the days I live into the light of God’s love in this way… I wonder why I would choose anything less.
The playful joy of finding 52 different ways in a year to say, “I love you” to our husbands and wives… can fill our lives with a focus on love… and at the end of a year we will find ourselves closer to each other and closer to God… for at the center of God's desire for all of us Is that we love one another…
Why aim for less and live in darkness??? Let us enjoy the gift of “Life Together” by truly seeking to love one another.
Willie and Gennell do not forget that your marriage is the highest opportunity to share in the kind of love that Christ has for the People of God -- The Church.
• An Honest Real vs. Deception (8-10)
None of us are perfect in our love. The best medicine for the soul here is honesty. There is No need to pretend or fake it.
The uncommon words that heal wounds when said from the heart are… “I am sorry… I was wrong… will you forgive me”.
No relationship with God, One’s spouse, or a friend can really grow deep enough to strengthen each other without the grace of forgiveness.
Because if we grow close enough… we will be able to hurt each other… We can only stay close if we learn how to forgive each other… and grow so that we can trust each other.
Willie and Gennell, we here as a community, look forward to seeing how your love will continue to grow… in character and strength…
May you have the blessing of Abraham and Sarah,… Who were blessed, realized that they were blessed, and became a blessing to others. Amen!!!
By Keeping it Real
• Real Real vs. a Fantasy (vs. 1-4)
There is A Quality of Life and Love we can enter into everyday into because of Jesus, who is involved in our relationships. This is the testimony of the Apostle John (the author of I John). This is the testimony of the Church. This is my testimony and Willie & Gennell I know this is your testimony.
Both of you have been faithfully working through the 12 steps of AA and CA…
Step # 11 says that we…
“Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”
Our relationship with God gives all other relationships meaning and purpose… If we walk with our creator God who made all good things to enjoy… the temptation to go towards some form an unreal fantasy that can't last won't capture our hearts…
Then we find More and More that we are drawn into a larger global family of God that knows and recognizes the grace of God at work in our lives. This is the fellowship the church calls “The communion of saints”… Willie and Gennell may your love grow in the context of the larger loving community of God’s people.
• Good Real vs. Darkness (vs. 5-7)
Good love takes practice… love takes practice and Imagination… and If we take the time to discover and do the good that can be done we don’t have time for the lesser things of life… We discover that our whole lives can be taken up by good loving realities. I find the days I live into the light of God’s love in this way… I wonder why I would choose anything less.
The playful joy of finding 52 different ways in a year to say, “I love you” to our husbands and wives… can fill our lives with a focus on love… and at the end of a year we will find ourselves closer to each other and closer to God… for at the center of God's desire for all of us Is that we love one another…
Why aim for less and live in darkness??? Let us enjoy the gift of “Life Together” by truly seeking to love one another.
Willie and Gennell do not forget that your marriage is the highest opportunity to share in the kind of love that Christ has for the People of God -- The Church.
• An Honest Real vs. Deception (8-10)
None of us are perfect in our love. The best medicine for the soul here is honesty. There is No need to pretend or fake it.
The uncommon words that heal wounds when said from the heart are… “I am sorry… I was wrong… will you forgive me”.
No relationship with God, One’s spouse, or a friend can really grow deep enough to strengthen each other without the grace of forgiveness.
Because if we grow close enough… we will be able to hurt each other… We can only stay close if we learn how to forgive each other… and grow so that we can trust each other.
Willie and Gennell, we here as a community, look forward to seeing how your love will continue to grow… in character and strength…
May you have the blessing of Abraham and Sarah,… Who were blessed, realized that they were blessed, and became a blessing to others. Amen!!!
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Paying attention to what we think we know and to what we believe.
My musings here are to get you involved with reflecting on the scriptures and on II Peter 1:3-11 to start. It takes time to do this. I will make a new post here once or twice a month. To maximize the bennefit of this blog start at the end which is the first post and work chronologically through it...and work at your own speed.
II Peter 1:3 says that everything we need is deependent on God. Our ability to take hold of it depends on our knowledge of God. Rarely are we aware of where we stand in our knowldge of God. Here is an exercise to begin to find out where we stand in our journey.
Review and introspection of this sort takes time. I sugest taking at least a week and maybe a month. Set asside an 30 to 45 minutes each day.
Start each section of time for reflection and journaling with a simple prayer like this, "Lord open my heart, mind, soul, and understanding to what I have come to know of You and where our relationship can grow".
Take 7-15 minutes to remember and journal about what you know from scripture about God. Remeber with humility that you are bringing your own lense of life experiences etc. to your understanding of scripture.
Take 7-15 minutes to remember and journal about if/how/when you experienced something of God's goodness. (Some of us will also need to journal about the sense of absence that we have experienced... Jesus, Job, King David, and many of the Psalms express clear momments when the sense of void or the absence of God's goodness is stronger than our sense of God's presence.)
Take 7-15 minutes to remember and journal about if/how/when you experienced something of God's glory.
This exercise and it's power is multiplied if you have a friend to share your time of journaling with (if it is appropriate to do so... Every relationship of intimacy has appropriate boundries).
Again please note this exercise is to get you in touch with your history of your understanding of God up to now. Hopefully it will awaken in you a desire to grow. Some of you will need to allow your current understanding of God to come appart if you are to know God based on God's self-revelation to us... first found in scripture... but also found in life... I Timothy 4:16 tells us to pay attention to our doctrine (what we believe) and our Life (what we live). It is easy to pay attention to one or the other. How often are we asked to look at them both together?
Notice when you run out of content to carry on your reflections... if you run out... maybe my continued reflections based on II Peter 1:3-11 will help. Stop and pay attention to any answers to your prayers, "Lord open my heart, mind, soul, and understanding to what I have come to know of You and where our relationship can grow". Return to this exercise as needed if it proves helpful and useful to you.
May God cause us to grow in out love and knowledge of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!!!
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness" -- II Peter 1:3-11.
II Peter 1:3 says that everything we need is deependent on God. Our ability to take hold of it depends on our knowledge of God. Rarely are we aware of where we stand in our knowldge of God. Here is an exercise to begin to find out where we stand in our journey.
Review and introspection of this sort takes time. I sugest taking at least a week and maybe a month. Set asside an 30 to 45 minutes each day.
Start each section of time for reflection and journaling with a simple prayer like this, "Lord open my heart, mind, soul, and understanding to what I have come to know of You and where our relationship can grow".
Take 7-15 minutes to remember and journal about what you know from scripture about God. Remeber with humility that you are bringing your own lense of life experiences etc. to your understanding of scripture.
Take 7-15 minutes to remember and journal about if/how/when you experienced something of God's goodness. (Some of us will also need to journal about the sense of absence that we have experienced... Jesus, Job, King David, and many of the Psalms express clear momments when the sense of void or the absence of God's goodness is stronger than our sense of God's presence.)
Take 7-15 minutes to remember and journal about if/how/when you experienced something of God's glory.
This exercise and it's power is multiplied if you have a friend to share your time of journaling with (if it is appropriate to do so... Every relationship of intimacy has appropriate boundries).
Again please note this exercise is to get you in touch with your history of your understanding of God up to now. Hopefully it will awaken in you a desire to grow. Some of you will need to allow your current understanding of God to come appart if you are to know God based on God's self-revelation to us... first found in scripture... but also found in life... I Timothy 4:16 tells us to pay attention to our doctrine (what we believe) and our Life (what we live). It is easy to pay attention to one or the other. How often are we asked to look at them both together?
Notice when you run out of content to carry on your reflections... if you run out... maybe my continued reflections based on II Peter 1:3-11 will help. Stop and pay attention to any answers to your prayers, "Lord open my heart, mind, soul, and understanding to what I have come to know of You and where our relationship can grow". Return to this exercise as needed if it proves helpful and useful to you.
May God cause us to grow in out love and knowledge of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!!!
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness" -- II Peter 1:3-11.
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Promises form God.
My musings here are to get you involved with reflecting on the scriptures and on II Peter 1:3-11 to start. It takes time to do this. I will make a new post here once or twice a month. To maximize the bennefit of this blog start at the end which is the first post and work chronologically through it...and work at your own speed.
II Peter 1:3-11 is Full of Promises. Statements that lead us to look towards our relationship with God with hope... hope that the reality of our lives can be profoundly good and meaningful. This does not mean that our lives will be easy or comfortable. Our lives will become like Christ's life (at best) and will share in the kind of Qualities of Love and Richness of Meaning that Christ lived into...
I am concerned that sometimes people try to manipulate God rather than owning thier part of the relationship. (James 4)
What God wants... is it really that hard??? that we become loving people... That we really love God, Ourselves, and Others... with God's help!!!
If you don't have this as the core aim of your life than I believe you are going to have conflicts with what God is trying to do in your life.
Here is the assignment if you want it. Go through this passage, II PETER 1:3-11 and ask what is God's part of the relationship and what is our part. To walk with God is to know what counts in life: Galtions 5:6.
I will add a little subtext for guidance as you look through the passage for yourself.
Remember to ask what is our part and what is God's part and how do they connect???
Verse 3, Note God's good is a plural good for "us" not just for "me".
Verse 4, Note God's aim for giving promises... for us to "Escape the Corruption of the world".
Verses 5-8 Think about what growing in character looks like... (We will explore this further).
Verse 9 Not all promises are positive.
Verses 10-11 What kind of quality of life does this all imply?
Comments, Corrospondence, and questions are welcome. I will respond as I have time and energy to do so...
II Peter 1:3-11 is Full of Promises. Statements that lead us to look towards our relationship with God with hope... hope that the reality of our lives can be profoundly good and meaningful. This does not mean that our lives will be easy or comfortable. Our lives will become like Christ's life (at best) and will share in the kind of Qualities of Love and Richness of Meaning that Christ lived into...
I am concerned that sometimes people try to manipulate God rather than owning thier part of the relationship. (James 4)
What God wants... is it really that hard??? that we become loving people... That we really love God, Ourselves, and Others... with God's help!!!
If you don't have this as the core aim of your life than I believe you are going to have conflicts with what God is trying to do in your life.
Here is the assignment if you want it. Go through this passage, II PETER 1:3-11 and ask what is God's part of the relationship and what is our part. To walk with God is to know what counts in life: Galtions 5:6.
I will add a little subtext for guidance as you look through the passage for yourself.
Remember to ask what is our part and what is God's part and how do they connect???
Verse 3, Note God's good is a plural good for "us" not just for "me".
Verse 4, Note God's aim for giving promises... for us to "Escape the Corruption of the world".
Verses 5-8 Think about what growing in character looks like... (We will explore this further).
Verse 9 Not all promises are positive.
Verses 10-11 What kind of quality of life does this all imply?
Comments, Corrospondence, and questions are welcome. I will respond as I have time and energy to do so...
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
II Peter 1:3-11
This blog is a response to being asked to start a Bible correspondence course. I am starting with II Peter 1:3-11 because this is a passage that has kept me grounded as a person for over 20 years.
You will notice that I will not provide answers here. Rather I will provide questions that will encourage you to search, grow, and learn.
My goal is that you will end up with a better quality of life, a life with better content, a life defined by LOVE... a LOVE that impacts all of your relationshps. A LOVE drawn from the life of God (Ephesians 3:14-21).
Big goals will only be reached by living into what the scriptures reveal.
You will notice that I will not provide answers here. Rather I will provide questions that will encourage you to search, grow, and learn.
My goal is that you will end up with a better quality of life, a life with better content, a life defined by LOVE... a LOVE that impacts all of your relationshps. A LOVE drawn from the life of God (Ephesians 3:14-21).
Big goals will only be reached by living into what the scriptures reveal.
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