Category Archives: Following

Balancing Life (10/30)

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This book has been a serious blessing to me over the past six months. Something from it speaks to me powerfully nearly every time I open it.

The last couple entries I read were from a chapter called “Balancing Life”.

A woman named Joan Chittister reflected…

“All we lack, now that life has become so speeded up, is the will to slow it down so that we can live a little while life goes by. We need to want to be human as well as efficient; to be loving as well as informed; to be caring as well as knowledgeable; to be happy as well as respected. It’s not easy.”

And a few thoughts on leisure from a fellow named Michael Casey. They’re specifically about monks and nuns, but anyone seeking to “live better” will find value here…

“Leisure is not idleness or the pursuit of recreational activities. It is, above all, being attentive to the present moment, open to all its implications, living it to the full. This implies a certain looseness in lifestyle that allows heart and mind to drift away from time to time. Monastic life is not a matter of shoehorning the maximum number of good works into a day. It is more important that monks and nuns do a few things well, being present to the tasks they undertake, leaving room for recuperation and reflection, and expecting the unexpected. Leisure allows openness to the present. It is the opposite of being enslaved by the past or living in some hazy anticipation of a desirable future. Leisure means being free from anything that would impede, color, or subvert the perception of reality. Far from being the headlong pursuit of escapist activities and having fun, authentic leisure is a very serious matter because it is the product of an attentive and listening attitude to life.”

Growing (4/30)

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Sometimes (maybe most of the time), I need simple reminders of simple things.

My friend Tim recently linked to THIS blog. Below is a portion that was good for me to read…

On the first day of kindergarten my five year-old son insisted I take him to his class and then stay with him for a while. The other day, half way through grade one, my son left me standing on the sidewalk as he jetted off to meet his friends in the playground.

It used to be that at bedtime I’d read him every word from every story he picked. Lately I’ve been reading some, but he’s started reading to me.

And when he was younger he would absolutely freak out if water splashed in his face in the shower. Last night he washed his own hair and stood face-up in the shower’s full stream.

My son is growing up.

Once upon a time I thought that conversion consisted of a short prayer asking Jesus into my heart thus granting me entry into heaven when I die. Now, however, I think that conversion is a lifelong process of transformation, a journey with Jesus as his Holy Spirit shapes and breaks me into the man God designed me to be. Sure, the process began by saying yes to the way of Jesus for my life, but that was only the beginning.

It used to be that I thought going to church on Sunday meant I was free to indulge my selfish desires the rest of the week. But I’ve been learning that going to church was never the point in the first place; being the church is, and being the church moves me—at glacial speed—toward what’s best for others instead of myself.

I’m growing up. Slowly.

What about you?

“I’m growing up.  Slowly.”

There’s a lot of classic words that have been written by people through history.  Most of them are words I could never have written.

“I’m growing up.  Slowly.”

I could have written those ones.

For the rest of this post, head HERE.

Credible

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Here’s a recent wave of thought on God’s kingdom…

How do you react when you encounter something that you have no framework to process? You hear of an offer that MUST be too good to be true. You meet someone who approaches life in a way that never even crossed your mind. Most of us subconsciously aim to discount this new thing: “If I
can’t deal with it, I’ll discredit it or dismiss it.”

First-century folks were no different. One group of onlookers observed Jesus displaying deeds and power that were downright unnerving to their world-views. They charged that he must be tied into powers of evil (Luke 11:15ff).

After pointing out the obvious flaws in their reasoning, Jesus makes this bold statement:

“But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.”

The finger of God?

The kingdom of God has come?

To you?

Something new was here.

Now.

God’s breaking-in to our world in a powerful and redeeming way… it had touched down.

 Now.

You and I live in these days.

British writer Michael Green captures this reality of the early church as a new kind of community…

“They made the grace of God credible by a society of love and mutual care which astonished pagans and was recognized as something entirely new. It lent persuasiveness to the claim that the new age had dawned in those who were giving it flesh. The message of the kingdom became more than an idea. A new human community had sprung up and looked very much like the new order to which the evangelist had pointed. Here love was given daily expression; reconciliation was actually occurring; people were no longer divided into Jews and Gentiles, slave and free, male and female. In this community the weak were protected, the stranger welcomed. People were healed; the poor and dispossessed were cared for and found justice. Almost everything was shared. Joy abounded and ordinary lives were filled with praise.”

So I sit here, thinking…

Live powerfully.

Live in awareness that our lives declare the news of God’s kingdom—it is here and on the rise.

Live like the early disciples, whose lives made this news credible.

Accountability

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Life’s been racing lately; blogging has fallen down the list, though I often think of things to post. Reading some quotes online, I found this list of questions as suggestions for a men’s accountability group.

What effect would your life feel if you answered questions like these with friends regularly?

Relationship building is a process which takes time; when that time is invested, trust and vulnerability grow. We offer these questions as part of this building process, knowing that when used in love and wisdom they will help men open their hearts to each other.

1. Have I been with a woman in the past week that could be viewed as compromising?
2. Have all my financial dealings been filled with integrity?
3. Have I viewed sexually explicit material?
4. Have I spent adequate time in Bible study and prayer?
5. Have I spent quality time and given priority to my family?
6. Have I fulfilled the mandates of my calling?
7. Have I just lied to you?


Words by Richard Wurmbrand

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Do you know this man? 

Richard Wurmbrand.

Among much else, he’s the founder of Voice of the Martyrs, which I have mentioned in an earlier post… and will likely continue to mention.

Here’s something he wrote in “In God’s Underground“, which tells of his time in prison for his faith…

“The prison years did not seem long for me, for I discovered, alone in my cell, that beyond belief and love there is a delight in God: a deep and extraordinary ecstasy of happiness that is like nothing in this world.  And when I came out of jail I was like someone who comes down from a mountaintop where he has seen for miles around the peace and beauty of the countryside, and now returns to the plain.”

Man… do those words make anyone else stir just a bit?! 

Or shake your head?