Archive for January, 2009

Living in the margins

January 31st, 2009

In recent months I have been working on trying to keep my soul in a quiet and contemplative stream of thought and belief. Before I had surgery in October my mind and heart and spirit were not quiet and it was hard to be at peace with God, let alone myself and others around me. Part of that was biological, I had several nerves in my brain being compressed and they were firing on all cylinders all hours of the day. But part of it, the greater part of it I believe was in my spirit. I was in spiritual warfare with myself, with fear, with doubt and disbelief. I could not imagine that God would allow me to be so sick, I could not believe that he was not providing financially like I hoped he would, and I could not believe my wife was ill also. The two edged sword of my mind had been whittled down into something resembling a butter knife, a dull, unobtrusive, plastic butter knife to be exact.

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In to Eternity

January 31st, 2009

This is just an experimental Psalm for me. I have been reading through them as of late and I truly love the poetic pentameter and the way David uses the words. His focus is on God, on sometimes reminding God of his promises, and on developing and staying in right standing with God. Oh if I could only say my life was a reflection of God like that.

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Oh Lord my God, I enter your gates in humbled adoration.

Please, please hear my request. I beg you to listen, I cry for you to reply.

Allow me Lord, to walk in the gardens of your delight all of my days.

Lord I ask for your wisdom, I seek your words of advise. Your words are like

the lilies of the gardens, precious and beautiful to me.

Please share them with me.

I feel if you do not that I might die…that I surely will die my Lord.


Lord please take care of my family. Take care of those whom I love…whom you love.

Let not your eyes be turned from their plight, let not your ears be closed to he cries of

your holy ones. Listen to them in their distress, bless them in their pursuits of you.


Lord I ask one thing, one thing for me

that I might be able to stay in your presence, that you will go with me and

be my forward and rear guard. Let no harm befall me, let no harm befall my family.

Lord I love you, delight in you, and I will seek you day after day from now into forever…

into eternity.

~Selah~

Culture in Heaven?

January 26th, 2009

I have started reading through the book Culture Making Recovering our Creative Calling by Andy Crouch. I have truly found this book striking a clear chord in my mind and soul. I wanted to share a thought with you that really got me thinking, and is really challenging me right now. When Christ returns and he sets up his heavenly city, you know the one with streets paved with gold, that has a mansion with our name on it waiting for us…God is going to redeem the best of the culture and use it in that heavenly city. What are you and I doing to contribute to the culture today that will be lasting into eternity? What are you and I doing with the light of eternity in our hearts and minds right now? Will we contribute anything of lasting value in the culture of eternity in the City of God?

God is going to use the great things of culture, of all culture, to glorify Himself in the new kingdom. It is impossible to bring people together and not have culture of some sort, even in heaven. While the motives and the usage of the things of culture will be different, it will all exist in the light of eternity.

The challenge of this book to me has been to realize that Christians can not make culture all by themselves. When we do things like write Christian novels, go to Christian movies, eat at Christian restaurants and do it all in the name of creating Christian culture we only succeed in alienating the culture, and it will pass us right by if we are not careful. Christ spoke through the culture of his day. If we do not endeavor to do the same we will loose our chance to win generations into the kingdom of God. Many of the cultural goods of today will be existent in heaven. Music for example. So much music does the soul good. Improvisational Jazz, country, R & B, etcetera. All work to create culture and communicate culture. Imagine Christ coming for His people coming down on the clouds to the music of Blind Melon instead of Amy Grant.

This book is a great read, and a challenging read. We must be in the business of reading the culture, creating culture, and utilizing the culture to reach out to the people of our generation. We must find contemporary and innovative ways to communicate Christ in a changing culture. I am exited by this challenge and terrified by it. I am post modern in my beliefs because I truly believe that most of the churches of today have decided to leave the culture behind and do their best to maintain what culture they have. They dare not wade into the gray areas of life and find ways to communicate the redemptive message to the masses today. In post modern streams we believe that culture should not be dismissed, but rather worked with and worked through to communicate the message of Christ.

Poetry in the Soul

January 13th, 2009

“Poetry is the automatic response of a soul in tune with God. When God created the world he created it using poetry. (see Gen 1) A Soul that is a continual new creation of Christ then, is poetry. Good poetry flows out of a soul in tune with God.”

OK, that is me narcisisitically quoting me from a recent excellent conversation I had with some friends. Do you agree, disagree?

Divine Word for 2009!

January 6th, 2009

I have bumped across a few people who are framing their 2009 in the context of a word. One given by God, or one they hope to achieve. I can not cram my whole thoughts and life into one word, but if it was 2008 I would say “schadenfreude” 2008 was a messy year, but a year of growth physically, mentally, and spiritually.

If I would use one divine word for 2009 it is “rest” Not just getting enough sleep rest, but divine rest. God has told me to breathe deep, partake in life and just know he is my forward and rear guard. I plan on taking him up on his word.

I am still going to be blogging, and I am still reading quite a bit. Right now I am reading through Scott McKnight’s latest book The Blue Parakeet and it is rocking much of my thoughts, and confirming many in me as well.

I am contemplating my next move in school. I have my BA in Theology, and I would like to expand on that. I might start a 2 year spiritual director program, much along the same lines as Christianne and Sarah. We have one that meets here and it is run from a Catholic world view, but many evangelicals and emergents have gone through it as well. It is in a monestary (which is uber cool to me) and teaches much from the contemplative stream of life. The stream I am swimming in much lately.

I am also considering a M Div  program that would better “equip” me in the professional realm for working as a pastor, counselor, or wherever the Lord finally leads me to. It is confusing, and tension between the two is building, but the answer will come with time.  Ideally I could be a contemplative pastor, and with time that would develop. I just need to go the route that prepares me best in my current stream.

So, in resting I am also preparing. Preparing myself for the next steps of life. Thank you for being with me on this journey of faith. I have been so blessed and encouraged by each and every reader. And I know I have readers who dont comment, I appreciate you as well. Feel free to dive in and share with me. I draw much spiritual strenth from sharing here, listening to you, and growing.

Meister Ekhart

January 2nd, 2009

“To be full of things is to be empty of God. To be empty of things is to be full of God.”

-Meister Eckhart

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