The Beautiful and the Sublime

So yesterday I went to an interesting seminar for my music history class called "Music and Madness". It was about the relation of psychopathy to music arts over the years, and the different panelists addressed the issue in a bunch of different ways. There was a psychologist who talked about the relative rates of psychopathy in composers and the affects of psychopathy on the overall production and quality of a composer's work. There was a musicologist who talked about different methods for portraying insanity in music - tonality, rhythm, etc.

But the one that really interested me was the last one - the professor talked about the contrast between "the beautiful" and "the sublime". The beautiful includes any thing that is aesthetically pleasing, whereas the sublime is that which is not necessarily initially pleasurable, but nonetheless compels us and draws us in. One of the philosophers he quoted described a mountain scape this way - "as music is to the ear, but mingled with horrors, sometimes almost with despair." And his argument was that there has become a preference for the sublime in art in the past century or so because, for whatever reason, we seem to value those things which are difficult at first and require a higher level of cognition to appreciate.

So that being said, when I started reading about beauty this morning, this talk was the first thing I thought of. Especially lines like this: "If the Earth is full of God's glory, why is it also so full of pain and anguish and screaming and despair?" We see the beauty in the sunset, but somehow we are also draw to the sublime of a bleak landscape or a graffiti-covered ally. Maybe one of the reasons that we are drawn to the sublime - to that which is difficult and at times initially repulsive - is because we see the truth of it. We see the truth of the brokenness, but we are also drawn to it because we see the hope for restoration and the shadows of creation's original perfection.

Again, N.T. Wright says this: "beauty is both something that calls us out of ourselves and something which appeals to feelings deep within us." So maybe the things that 19th century philosophy would call "sublime" are things that appeal especially to the feelings of brokenness within us, and we are strangely drawn to them because they remind us of the beauty in the fall and the hope of restoration.

Sorry for being so wordy and school-like on that one! I hope it at least made a little sense.

What do you guys think? Is the philosophy of the beautiful/sublime contrast compatible with N.T. Wright's ideas? Completely different? A little of both?

For the beauty of the earth!

In todays reading it was hard not to think of all the things we see, hear, taste, and drive during the summertime that we call "Beautiful". I was waiting for N.T. Wright to list "Ski Nautique" in his ongoing list of things. I really enjoyed the chapter today. I want to encourage you to continue blogging and sharing in your discoveries. A few of you have dropped off over the weeks and i want to give you a kick in the butt to get back on the horse!

To the degree that you live this new life Jesus offers is the degree you will experience this new life that Jesus offers!

Stay Blogging my friends!

Why Beauty?

"The story they tell, which we shall expore further in due course, indicates that the present world really is a signpost to a larger beauty, a deeper truth." - Page 47. I have too much in my head to address this chapter.

On the surface ---
Aside from the wholly insane in the planet (notice the word "wholly" - we all suffer from temporary bouts of insanity) we/I/everyone constantly attach ourselves to beauty, knowledge, truth, reason, life, and love.

Purusuing these things makes no sense. Why?

Well, no rational/logical/reasonable explanation exists for beauty, knowledge, truth, life, and love. Even light by nature is somewhat illogical (if I remember correctly its both a wave and a particle -- what? No. What? No. What? --aaaaah - it doesn't make sense.)

Just about every song, political speech, opinion, conversation, philosophy invokes at some point beauty, knowledge, reason, truth, life, and/or love.

The mind-bending connection (for me at least) is that each of these are the essence/core of Christ's revelation. "I am the truth. I am the life. I am the logos, reason, knowledge. I am glory (beauty.) I am love." By the way - love is the most bizarre, especially sacrificial love. I'm sorry but the pros and cons of sacrificial love rule it out as a reasonable course of action. And if you list the reasons it doesn't then you appeal to reason which in a pro/con analysis is unreasonable.

I've heard people describe their spritual journey as moving to a point of discovery where they are so much more aware that God is speaking and communing with them constantly.

In a similar way, I am in awe and wonder sometimes at how often and in how many bizarre ways that I hear conversations everywhere and in everyway confessing gospel.

Weird stuff.

Eternal 7th Day Love Flood

"The love which he incarnated, by which we are saved, is to become the love which fills us beyond capacity and flows to heal the world."

"The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes (blood red fruit that hangs on wood) and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city (Golgotha) and blood flowed out of the press (from the cross) rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia." Revelation 14:19-20.

This image is in between a series of SEVENS in Revelation. SEVEN seal, SEVEN trumpets, SEVEN plagues, SEVEN trumpets.

And on the 7th day of John's gospel, the eternal sabbath day, (which is also the third day after declaring you shall see heaven open) Jesus turns water into wine in John Chapter 2 and. . . .

"The love which incarnated, by which we are saved, is to become the love which fills us beyond capacity and flows to heal the world."

Thinking of I am statements -- I love John's identity - "I am the disciple whom Jesus loved." I read that and I can feel John nudge me on the shoulder and say with a grin, "And guess what, you are too."

So much blood. So much love. Thank you Jesus.

Day 18

"The Father's will is that we be filled with his life. The will of God, the good pleasure of God, is that his very life be in us." - 57 Words, page 61

Like Trevor posted below, we need His ways. So true! His way, His culture, His will is freedom and life, our way, our culture, our will is slavery and death.

I saw video today of a currently unreleased song by Switchfoot called "Thrive." Here's the chorus:

No I'm not alright

I know that I'm not right

A steering wheel doesn't mean I can drive

A warm body doesn't mean I'm alive

No I'm not alright

I know that I'm not right

Feel like I travel but I never arrive

I wanna thrive, not just survive"

God, may we not be easily pleased. Instead, may we thrive.

Thrive in being as creative as You.

Thrive in being blessed by You and then blessing others.

Thrive in freedom.

Thrive in the Law.

Thrive in knowing You.

Thrive in Your life.

Thrive in Your Son.

Thrive in the Creator.

Thrive in You.

Prayer

Not quite along with the books or sermons but a question I heard we all need to ask?

What would you say when you first actually see God?

What would the first words out of your mouth be?

Now in consideration, aren't we really seeing God when we pray? So what would we say when we see Goad as we pray? Think of all the images given to us by John, Moses, whoever.

For me I realize I'd be much more speechless. To see the God that everyone thought they should be dead by seeing is a much huger deal obviously! With that... It's so hard to picture THAT God as the same God who is this prodigal's father. So much of it doesn't align with how I, we, anyone knows things to be or is supposed to be. That's when I realize it's Jesus culture that makes is the way it is. Yes it is foreign but it is totally God's nature.

Jesus culture! Something I need more of to change my own culture and lifestyle. I need His aboriginee ways. His raw natural everythingness that fills and is beyond all culture sense of this world.

Joyful Anticipation

"..If we understand the will of the Father in the way that Jesus does, we should pray the petition with joyful anticipation."

This helps me understand that feeling right before campers come. A nervous-joyful-anticipation that the fathers will might explode on the scene any second now and I dont know what to expect. We have prepared all weekend and prayed all year asking God to do what only God can do!

The Fathers will is that we be filled with HIS life.

Last night at College Life we sang "God of Justice" by Tim Hughes. It put an exclamation point at the end many of my thoughts and meditations of the day.

"God of justice, Saviour to all
Came to rescue the weak and the poor
Chose to serve and not be served

Jesus, You have called us
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give

We must go live to feed the hungry
Stand beside the broken, we must go
Stepping forward keep us from just singing
Move us into action, we must go

To act justly every day
Loving mercy in every way
Walking humbly before You, God

You have shown us, what You require
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give

Fill us up and send us out
Fill us up and send us out
Fill us up and send us out, Lord"

Darrell bazinga-d me SO much this morning. It really gives a whole new meaning to "It is finished." What is finished? God's ultimate saving act? Yes. My redemption? Yes. But really, truly, what is finished is the full manifestation of the character of YHWH in the person of Jesus Christ.

What? Who does that?!

At the moment of the cross, His character is finally fully revealed. It was one thing to be born human. It was one thing to love on the unlovables of the world, or one thing to get on His knees and wash our feet. But to die and suffer separation from the Father - that is another thing entirely.

And it's all a part of His character! This is what He does as YHWH.

Abba, you are so crazy good.

Day 17

"For the gospel writers, the passion of Jesus is not His human misfortune, the passion of Jesus is His decisive manifestation of His divinity." - Darrell Johnson

He knew exactly what He was doing. He came for the cross. He came to empty Himself. He came to glorify His Father. He came to be about His Father's business. He came to do what He saw His Father do.

"If being God does not mean something to take advantage of but emptying himself, can being human mean anything less?" - Darrell Johnson

"Rise, rise, people of love rise

People of love rise

Give yourself away"

Lordship=Foot Washing

Jesus did not begrudgingly take on the form of a doulos (slave), it is the natural expression of His lordship. My spirit testifies that this is true, and that our response follows suit. Below is the beginning of a prayer I journaled just before this last summer began, it acts for me as a reminder of what the natural position of our heart is.

5/28

"Lord,

I truly praise you for the opportunity of service you've given me here. Every time I surrender myself for your kingdom in service, I find myself feeling more fulfilled, encouraged, compelled, loved, and accepted. May I never forget what service and sacrifice feels like, may I never walk away from a heart that desires to release my own desires and replace them with your own... "

Live From Victory

So glad the final assualt of the Alpha/Omega begins with "forgive them." So glad His gracious heart is the beginning and end of me.

Day 16

"The cross is the moment when the monsters finally close in on the Son of Man; the forces of evil vent their wrath on him, pour it all out until there is none left. The cross is the defeat of evil" -Following Jesus, page 29

"Which means humanity does not have to bow down to or cooperate with the powers. We do this, but we do not have to" - It is Finished, page 62

Evil is defeated. We do not have to bow to it any longer. Sounds a lot like freedom to me.

And yet I still believe the deceiver when he says "that to live independent from God means freedom and life." FALSE!

When I work from the victory, there is hope, joy and peace. When I work towards the victory, it only end in frustration, disappointment and ultimately failure. I mean, when you think about it, the only one who could possibly claim victory already has! Now all that is left is to stand in that victory! His victory! To trust it really was what it really was. All of the powers and principalities, pointing all of their weapons, everything they had, crosshairs centered on the cross. And it wasn't enough. But He is enough. He is victorious. He is the Name above all names. He is our King. He is everything.

"It's all God's children singin'

Glory, glory, hallelujah

He reigns, He reigns

And all the powers of darkness

Tremble at what they've just heard

Cause all the powers of darkness

Can't drown out a single word"

-He Reigns by the Newsboys

All the powers of darkness can't even drown out this blog!

Sin has lost its power!

Sin has lost is power,
Death has lost its sting,
At the moment of the cross you've been decisively victorious!

I was so impacted today by the fact that the cross is truly the paradox of paradoxes! On the one hand, it seems so contradictory to have such victory in the midst of crushing defeat, but on the other hand, it makes perfect sense. The more I think about it, the more it's clear that the cross is the only possible way.

I wish I lived in light of the power of the victory of the cross more often. We have freedom from fear! Why don't I act like it? I can just hear Him saying "Oh you of little faith." If only we opened our eyes to see the victory on Friday instead of on Sunday.

In the Cross Of Christ I Glory, Towering Over The Wrecks Of Time

"Towering Over The Wrecks Of Time" . Towering over even time itself! Love the reading today. Continually reminded that we move from a place of victory not towards a victory. It is finished. This weekend we sold the 2 sonshine houseboats....finally! They looked old, beat up, trashed, rusty, FOOLISH. Oh how foolish they LOOKED! One "Houseboat Expert" actually told Steve and I, "Good luck...you will be lucky if you can give those things away". They looked so foolish, however those 2 boats towered over the wrecks of the fleet for 30years! Every few years the marina would give us "new" boats in the fleet but the old Sonshine's would remain towering! Now, i know it is a loose comparision to the reading, but walking away from #9 on saturday and sitting on the levy watching the new owner take occupancy with the rain falling i was reminded of how many people came to a knowledge of God on those boats and how many left those boats walking from a victory rather than to one! Worthy is the LAMB!!!!! The Lamb!

Trust Wars

"Even when communities are functioning well in terms of their own inner dynamics, there is no guarantee that the results will be healthy." - Simply Christian, Page 32.

Reid and I were just sharing at lunch today how as Christ's disciples we should expect Christ to enter our micro-communities at church, Sonshine, and small groups and interject the same question he uttered to his disciples in John 6:63 "Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "does this offend you?"

Christ offends my communities by continuing to pushing me to (John 6) a position of body broken and blood shed. He offends me into a healthy community by humiliating me into humility through His model (the cross) and His appeal to me to follow His example (the cross) in relating.

Like Abraham, God delicately and insidiously haunts me with His promise to lead me to Mt. Moriah. The stench, the terror, the gore of slaughter and sacrifice weighs heavy on my heart. With chest heaving I'm pushed.

He nudges me to the threshold of mental insanity and moral chaos.

The blade is in my pocket. I'm fidgeting the steel. My son is helplessly sprawled before. I'm desperate. Defeated. I've surrendered all knowlege of the good. No moral code remains. I've abandoned all knowledge of good and all knowledge of evil. Self-trust is annihilated. God kill me. Crucify me. Do anything.

God's trust, redemption, body broken, and blood shed explodes from the cross (and from the Father's own heaving heart) through space and time and fills my despondent heart with life, light, truth, and grace.

For a moment, I've trusted THE GOOD over my knowledge of the good. For a moment, I've been offended into gospel.

Phew. I'm tired. I feel dead. Recreate me Jesus. Please put your Faith in my heart. I can't do this. Live in me. By grace give me the power, wisdom, and compulsion to trust you always.

The Restless Heart

Man..... I feel punched in the face by the prodigal son! No matter who I try to relate in the story... either of the sons... there is still something missing. The young - made shameful mistakes - and expects what he deserves. The old - has done all very well - did not "turn away from father" but is expected to beat his younger brother. He would do so as well if the father did not reach him first. Meaning - how shameful to put judgement on another brother against the father's compassion. Neither brother, no matter how apparently righteous or shameful, are all nothing with out the father's compassion. My father, my Jesus, my King has compassion for me in which he pays shame no attention.

Father make me more like you. There is none else that is just or righteous. All else really brings shame and sorrow and anger and all sorts of sin. But you bring compassion, love, comfort, and a sweet reckless reliant life...

This is your story and this is not about how we may be shameful or prideful or lazy; it's about how you are forgiving and humble and active. This all about you and how you love and seek us.

"oh how He loves us oh"

Not how we love! We are extras that even get to benefit from the glory of the main actor - God! Yehweh! Messiah! Lord! Almighty!

How can we ourselves even so selfishly notice our own shame in the picture of God's glory? All of it is a speck of sand of all the beaches as God's glory is more than the universe. He has tore the curtain. God, you have defeated our chains and boundaries and have granted us access to your life.

You are too good. Humble me. Focus my eyes purposefully on you. Shame and sin has no place in your image.

Older brother's service

This is a couple of days late, but it has stuck with me for the last couple of days, so it must be worth sharing. I have found myself dwelling for the last couple of days about the older brother's cultural obligation to serve the honored guest, serve his younger brother! The brother that was lost but now is found. My mind goes immediately to houseboats (as I'm sure a lot of ours do) and how we, the older brothers who have walked faithfully with the father, are called to be the servants of our younger brothers and sisters (campers, barnies). The natural response of a follower of Christ is to give of one's self in self-giving sacrificial servant love. For if we "truly love [Jesus] more than these", we are called to "feed [His] lambs", "take care of [His] sheep", and "feed [His] sheep".

May the Glory of the Lord, rise among us

Each time I read through or hear the story of the prodigal son, it allows me to remember how much I am like the older brother, constantly focusing all my energies on following the rules, attempting to earn my way into the Kingdom and justify this gift of grace on my own terms, rather than just coming all the way into the fathers house.

Quite honestly, I am reluctant to enter the house because I don’t like the junk drawer of my life being exposed to Jesus, because that junk drawer is full of shameful things that I just don’t want to talk about or allow people to see. Tonight at my small group we discussed this “junk drawer” concept, and how allowing Christ to pick up that junk drawer and take care of it is essential to us coming into full and right relationship with him. At one point my leader said that we don’t wake up in the morning expecting to live this full life and experience a measure of death at the same time, and that we go into things expecting life to lead to life. However, the death that I experience daily is giving up that lifestyle that demands that I earn my way into the Kingdom, and that death leads to full and abundant life. I spend so much time doing that I don’t spend a whole lot of time being the daughter of the Most High. I don’t live in the kingdom because of what I have done or how good I have been, but because the Father came out of his house and picked up my junk drawer full of my scandalous shame and cleaned it out, and all that is required of me is to walk through that front door and enter in.

Day 12

Two points in Part 2 of the Prodigal Father took my breath away, and one more brought me to tears.

First, in Luke 15:28 (ESV) "But [the older son] was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him." The TNIV says "His father went out and pleaded with him." Pleaded with him to see life from the father's perspective. Through his eyes. From his heart. See his brother through his father's eyes and from his father's heart. Everything changes when you see life, people, situations through His eyes and from His heart.

Second, about that wretched Part 3 of the younger son's speech. "The older son has been living part 3 of the younger son's speech his ENTIRE LIFE!" Shoot! In my heartless, selfish, religious, justification by works, shameful lifestlye, I deny the Father's acceptance of me as a son (refuse to see life from His perspective, through His eyes and His heart) and live as though I am a hired hand and instead find my worth in what I can bring to Him. This means that often, like the older son, I do not "approve" of the grace my Father shows the younger son, since he brings literally nothing. But how much more do I not accept that grace myself? How often do I work to try and find acceptance as a hired servant. That's all I could be, right? I need to do it all, right? I need to serve here, build relationship there, attend this, read that, right? I don't belong otherwise, right? False.

Lastly, oh boy. This ripped me apart. By His grace I've known from a young age that He spilled His blood on the cross to wash away my sins. But wow. My sin, my religion, my self-righteous desire to honor His name, also put Him there? I beat Him, whipped Him, mocked Him, crucified Him. Mocked a God that shows mercy because it looks weak. Mocked a God that loves because it looks undignified. Mocked a God that shows grace because I don't think I need it.

Brings to mind the song "In God's Name" by Dakona. The last lines go like this:

And we all got our ways to justify the things we hate

We all got our ways of throwing the first stone

But if you wanna hate, then please leave God alone

How often do I justify hating/ignoring/abusing/disregarding/belittling/discouraging "younger brothers" because they bring nothing. And as the song talks about, I do it in God's name!

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

Dear Pearl.

"And he said to him, 'Son, you have always been with me, and all that I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, was lost and now is found.'"

Daughter, you have always been with me. Thank you for your diligence in service - thank you for spending your summers on a boat, for using your musical gifts to glorify me, for leading studies, fixing bikes, for showing up on Sunday mornings.

But look! This brother of yours was dead and has begun to live. I wish you would begin to live in the same way. He was lost and now is found. I wish you would allow me to truly find you and shower my love upon you.

Please, daughter, just come inside and join the party.

Houston, we have a problem

I love the access and assurance (Darrell Johnson often used terms) material about the curtain being torn from top to bottom.

The question I'm confronted with from time to time is as follows:

Is the temple curtain tearing an affimration of "oh goodie, we get to go in" or "OH CRAP, WE LET HIM OUT?!?"

or both.

God, thanks for helping us sneak a peak of light, beauty, truth, power, and your brilliant, uncontainable LIFE. Thanks for escaping the temple by your hand, your love, your plan.

Who do we belong to?

Man, this questions has consumed me my whole life and I've rationalized false answers in all places. If I say I belong to my parents, then I have little worth. I have no earthly father, and I consistently need to pursue my relationship with my mother, otherwise it does not really exist.

Okay, well what if I belong to UC Davis and College Life? That sounds nice. I'm a student like everyone else. I am a contributing member of a fellowship! But what kind of master is this? This lends toward me being mastered by my achievements and failures. I would be defined by unforgiving goals (whether or not I get an A or spend enough time at certain events). I don't belong to these.

Here is a tricky one. What if I belong to myself? I can run my own life and choose what I think is best. It would be great to belong to no one, since that would seem to be perfect freedom. It's frustrating that I am prone to this, even though my physics, emotional, and spiritual capacity is crushed in this setting.

What about my Father in heaven whose name is hallowed on earth as it already is in heaven? The Father who orchestrated the greatest rescue in all eternity. What does it mean to belong to Him? First, we DO belong to Him whether we live to please Him or not because He humbled himself to bear our shame. Second, this is a master who aches for us to come home. To see those eyes filled with compassion and enter that sweet embrace. As Darrell Johnson said, "it is safe to come home. It matters not what you have done or not done. Just come home" because measuring up is not on the Father's heart. Who else could we belong to who treats us like this? True freedom appears to me in the fact that... Well this song says it better than I can:

I am full of earth
You are heaven’s worth
I am stained with dirt, prone to depravity
You are everything that is bright and clean
The antonym of me
You are divinity
But a certain sign of grace is this
From a broken earth flowers come up
Pushing through the dirt

You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I wanna be holy like You are

You are everything that is bright and clean
And You’re covering me with Your majesty
And the truest sign of grace was this
From wounded hands redemption fell down
Liberating man

You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to be holy like You are

But the harder I try the more clearly can I feel
The depth of our fall and the weight of it all
And so this might could be the most impossible thing
Your grandness in me making me clean

Glory, hallelujah
Glory, glory, hallelujah
You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to be holy, holy God

So here I am, all of me
Finally everything
Wholly, wholly, wholly
I am wholly, wholly, wholly
I am wholly, wholly, wholly Yours
I am wholly Yours


In all my life I have sought to earn love from anyone or anything. Why search, bargain, or struggle? This great love is here. I don't have to do anything but "come home" whenever I get lost. We are wholly His, anyway. This is the best news ever! This next song pretty much describes the liberation I felt the first time I ever "came home".

I can finally see
That you're right there beside me

I am not my own
For I have been made new
Please don't let me go
I desperately need you

So I just wanted to share the beauty with which God has been reminding who I belong to through this school year. Without such reminders, I'd be having all sorts of trouble. But God is good and faithful. And He wins... as He always does.

It is a complete privilege to be treking through this with you guys. Like if I am overwhelmed at the magnitude of a blessing that this is. This is a family! Praise God that He gives us what we need when we need it. Shoot, He is super good at what He does!


And this now ends my first blog post ever!

What else is there to say?

Holy Holy Holy is the Lord almighty, who was and is and is to come.

'nough said.

Hey all,

I've been meaning to post for a while about why I haven't posted all week.

The main problem is that I've been pretty sick with the flu. However, that's really both a symptom and a cause of the main reason - which is that I just really needed to rest.

So, although it's true that I haven't really had the mental energy to do the readings since Tuesday (or really since Sunday, but I tried on Monday and Tuesday anyway), I've just been taking a little rest because I don't want this task to become more important than the Relationship.

I'm mostly better, and I started getting back into "Following Jesus" a little bit yesterday, but I'm really excited to be caught up again in the next couple of days and read through all your blogs that I haven't been able to really dive into.

I am that I am ......thirsty

"From within he sets us free." Darrell Johnson.

Did anyone chuckle as N.T. Wright gave us tour through the aisles of Barnes and Noble??? . . . ."the last generation has seen a sudden upsure of interest in all things Celtic. . . ."

I love this perspective: "When phsyicists discover phenomena they can explain by no other means, they postulate new entities, not themselves capable of being observed, which explain them. That's how quarks and similar strange things have entered our language and understanding." -- Christ, through John, puts it with succinct perfection. In the begining was the word (reason, logic, word, ideas, etc. - Logos, sociology (logos in the middle), psychology, physiology, zoology, paleantology, anthorpology) -- You see how logos is central to all these disciplines? Isn't that beautiful?

The conclusion is simple - We are not explained by what our own, isolated and individual mind can comprehend. We are explained by the Observer/Creator who comprehends us."

I'm going to stop myself there . Another beautiful moment I've thoroughly enjoyed on this journey. Thanks for this and many other delicious opportunities to grow and love in Christ, Reid.

Blessings,
Steve

P.S. - I said I'd stop but I've got to get this in. What makes us thirsty? Perhaps what makes us thirsty is trapping ourselves in our own reason/religon where only that which can be explained is defined by our own internal rules of the game/universe. I think we're hungry/thirsty because we practice at times, at least I do, mental canabilism. If you can only feast on your own ideas/reason you've pretty much instituted self-devouring canabilsim. You can only nourish your self with more self which ultimately leads to destruction. If none of that makes sense, I think the following scenario does make sense (well, it makes sense to me). When I sit at the communion table, abide in the vine, sit at the marriage supper of the lamb, I am consuming the Logos which is comprehending me and consuming me with fire. And what does that consuming fire on the cross say as he ushers in the 7th day f to my little self-devouring bubble? "I thirst."

Thanksliving?????

Thanksliving!!!!! You know me - why didn't i think of that? I love it! The worldy powers that try to control me have been defeated. Operation Implementation is the name of the game. To live every moment thankful and in gratitude not only robs the powers but proclaims the victory of Christ. I see this so prominent right now talking to potential new/returning staff. "I have to work, I have to support myself, I can't get the time off, and on and on the powers tell them what to say rather than thanksliving forward and proclaiming the victory through our lifestyle. Has the Lord ever left or forsaken anyone in history? YES!!!!!! CHRIST- HIMSELF so that we would never be! So why do we think we will be the exception? Powers! Has there ever been a time where he was not faithful, was not good, was not kind, was not gentle, was not.......NOOOOOOOO! So why do we think He is going to start with us?

Lord make yourself real!

Nothing is normal about it!

I have been so bazingaed by the prodigal son..... Just in awe of God (another prayer answered woo!). I love the sermon - mostly how the actuality of it all is explained - like how in that culture all of what Jesus said was CRAZY. It amazes me. How the son deserved to be beaten and to be forgotten and that that was normal. Translating to us - that's what we deserve? Yet Christ goes against all normalities and takes on our shame as his - being beaten and crucified.... like woah!

So much reality. It's a crazy world we live in - which is made by one awesome God is even crazier! (in a good way)

:)

Day 8

Going back a few days...

"You are mine for two reasons: I made you and now I have bought you." -It is Finished, Page 38

And from Luke 15, the Father has made us, and bought us back, giving us the best robe, fattened calf, a ring, sandals and celebration feast!

Also...

"I am worth Him becoming my filthy sin." - It is Finished, Page 36

And again from Luke 15, the Father RUNS to me to head off those that would heckle and abuse me for what I have done. He lifts up His robes and RUNS to me, THROWING His arms around me, KISSING me, thereby taking all my shame upon Himself.

"You welcomed outcasts, you healed the sick, you reconciled the estranged. O Father, make real all of this now in our century as you did in the first century. Enhance your reputation as the one who puts broken people back together again." - 57 Words, Page 37

What a reputation! May your reputation as the One who welcomes outcasts and eats with them be so real in my life. May I not attempt to get to part 3 of my speech and, in doing so, try to earn my way back into Your household. May I simply come home, where You welcome me with open arms. Amen.

Make yourself real...and in the process make me real!

Page 28 first real paragraph..." Jesus teaches us to pray this petition first because it is what He prays first!...at the center of Jesus' being, at the center of Jesus' identity and mission is His passion for His Father's name being hallowed."

This passion & mission at Jesus' core made everything He did "real" (Eternal). What lies at the center of my core? What do i allow to drive me? I notice in myself that when I pray and live this first petition I experience a realness to life unmatched by any other thing in the world! My conversations, thoughts, actions, and reactions all pulsate with Trinitarian life aka the Fathers name being hallowed.

"Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be YOUR NAME...on earth as it is in Heaven"!

The greatest discovery the spirit has revealed to me over the years is found in the last 2 sentences of this chapter. Jesus is the Fathers answer to all the petitions. Follow me here for a minute:

Reid - "Father, hallow your name here on earth as it is in heaven"
Yahweh - "I have and I am in and through Jesus"
Reid - "Father your Kingdom come..."
Yahweh - "It has and is in and through Jesus"
Reid - Father your will be done.."
Yahweh- "It has and is being done in and through Jesus"
Reid - "Father Give us this day our daily bread"
Yahweh - "I already have...Jesus"
Reid - "Father Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one"
Yahweh - "I have given you Jesus to follow and i have and will deliver you in and through Jesus!

Do you see what i mean! The one who teaches us to pray this prayer is the answer to the prayer!!!!! (I typed that is my best Darrell impersonation voice)

Love you guys - love studying with you, love blogging with you, love Jesus with you!

-Reid

A good word, is not always comforting

I was reminded of yesterdays sermon in this chapter when my new-found buddy Darrell said "the religious leaders of the day did not like everything that was being manifested. They especially did not like the fact that Jesus was hanging around with the wrong kind of people. 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them', they say in disgust" (p.37)

"O Father, make real in our city your love for the sinners; enhance your reputation in this church as the God who welcomes sinners and eats with them."

It struck me that God's revelation of himself, his showing his face as he truly is, would not be comfortable for everyone. God doesn't reveal himself to us as "cream puff ideas", He is the great I AM, He revealed himself to shake the world up; to set it straight, which won't ever feel comfortable to those who haven't chosen him.

God, may your reputation flood this world, overtake our campuses, take hold of our workplaces. Reveal yourself as you truly are. Abolish preconceived notions that humanity has about who you are, and replace them with the truth about the great I AM. Lord, replace in our hearts who we selfishly want you to be with your potent and sovereign self. Be as you truly are in our lives and in our world.

Take My Hand

Sorry, another U2 Lyric. "Take my hand, you now I'll be there if you can, I'll cross the sky for your love . . . .hold on and hold on tightly - this love lasts forever." Thanks Jesus for crossing the sky for us. Thanks for your embrace. Thanks for taking on the shame of this very unholy vessel of wrath. Give me the wisdom to throw parties everyday for the lost children of Adam who like me on many days still reel from the pain that stems from the loss of the garden of Eden. Back to U2 --"I'll cross the sky for your love. Give you what I hold dear. Hold on and hold on tightly. Rise up on wings like eagles. You run, you run, you run and not grow weary. "

Ready set launch!

So! I have been working with a pastor at Highway, my church, for the past couple months setting up a college group! (as there has not been one for a few years) Gladly and thankfully I say tonight every|day has happened! We met at 7 and hung out, did a little mixer game, talked about what the group would start to look like, and prayed! It was awesome! :)

Prayer is needed as is reflection that only Christ is the one who changes things to glorify himself!

I've just been reflecting on prayer so much and how much this group relies on prayer is helping remind me to rely on prayer in general!

I'm even more excited for my fellow college aged peeps to see prayer more, and be part of prayer more, and and to be part of it together!

wOO!

Day 5

I've been reading a lot on "social justice" and "incarnational ministry." And it's been good, I've learned so much about Christ's heart for the poor, the broken, the outcasts of society. But, as Friday's reading noted that this world is becoming a lot of "Jihad vs. McWorld," in many ways I've simply shifted from irresponsible materialism to raging religious fundamentalism. Too often I'm like the pharisee in Luke 18, thanking God that I've been "enlightened" by these books and I'm not like the "tax collectors" I see all around me. In reality, all I've managed to do is put another coat of paint on my black heart. Under this new layer is still that worshiper of money, comfort and self.

Your will, Father, be done! Do it! I cannot do it. All of human history has proven that I cannot do it.

And thank You for loving me. Despite every mask I put on, thank You for loving me. The broken, unworthy, deserving eternal separation from You, selfish, religious, prideful, crippled, blind, deaf, mute, loudmouthed me. Thank You for loving, finding, hearing, healing, and saving me.

Leftovers from Thursday (Plus a Little Bit on Justice)

This started as a comment to Steve's post, but turned into a full-fledged post of its own once I got started...

Steve, I LOVE that you mentioned Romans 8:20, because that verse has been bazinga-ing me all week!

"For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God."

The first bazinga comes in light of a later verse, Romans 8:32, where he says "He did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all" - the Hope from verse 20 comes in that God even subjected Himself to futility that we might be saved. BAZINGA.

And secondly, in light of Hebrews on Thursday, I wandered over to my favorite boat-related verse, which is Hebrews 6:19 - "This hope we have as anchor for the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast." Jesus as the perfect high priest (Hebrews 5) has been subjected to futility, in hope, a hope that does not disappoint (Romans 5:5). And why does it not disappoint? Because "He could swear by no one greater, [so] He swore by Himself" (Hebrews 6:13), first to Abraham in the original covenant, now to us in the new covenant, "in order that [...] we may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us" (Hebrews 6:18).

THAT is the hope we have as an anchor for the soul.

And now we're back to the Shameless Father from Tuesday. It is impossible for Him not to glorify His name and we rest in that hope, even when it seems that justice is not met. We see so clearly that left to ourselves, true justice can never be found, but that's why He Himself was subjected to futility right alongside us. Moving right along to Romans 8:24-25...

"For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it."

What hope! BAZINGA.

Oh Boy

Proverbs 8:8 - "All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse."

Proverbs 8:13 - "To fear the Lord is to hate evil."

Proverbs 8:22 - 23: "The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works., before his deeds of old;"

Ezra 9:13 - "God, you have punished us less than our sins have deserved."

Psalm 131:1 - "My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me."

Luke 21:4 - "All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

John 6:15 - "Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself."

John 5:3-5: "here a great number of disabled people used to lie. . . .One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years."

John 4:5 - "So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph."

Luke 13:2 - "Do you think tha these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans becaue they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent you also will perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them - do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no!"

John 9:2 - His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."

My primary conviction/reaction to Chapter 1 is as follows: "Why did the rich get richer?" - This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in their life. "Why did the poor get poorer?" This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in their lives." Why were masters put over slaves? "This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in their lives." Why did the sunami annihilate so many? "This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in their lives." Why does my family have embarrasing, painful biographies that I carry with me each day? "This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in their lives."

Romans - Help me out here.

First, the author of Romans and New Testatment is .... the world's chief sinner, the number one son of the devil - Paul. Ironicaly by making this distinction and playing the justice/ranking game I've inadvertently appointed myself as cheif sinner. For to judge Paul is to put my knowledge of good/evil ahead of calvary (which by the way is the damning power of separation in the garden)

Just by acknowledging the distinction that Paul is sinner extraorindaire reveals to me that I don't understand the cross, the gospel, and grace.

I Timothy 1:15 - 16 - Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst, but for that reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

Romans 8:20 - "But the creation was subjected to futility not by its own choice but by the will of the one who subjected it in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into its glorious freedom" --

God wills decay. God wills bondage. God wills futility. Why???? HOPE. Hope for what? - Hope that in this creation's geo-political, socio-economic, meteorlogical, and natural disaster mayhem, we will collapse in wonder and awe at the beauty, light, life, truth, wonder, joy, and ecstacy of being completely destroyed and remade as we pass through the eternal judgment of fire, wine, covenant wedding night passion of the cross. As Crowder may or may not say, when you're being ripped through a hurricane of mercy, judgment, absolute purity, and perfect love is it really going to matter whether you're the boss or the apprentice? the slave or the master?

Romans 11:32 - "For God has consigned all men to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgements, and his paths byeond tracing out!" - I, by behavioral default, am a justice monster. Justice has become an idol. Justice has become a murderous weapon that I've used to shame others and bolster my own self-perception. Justice has become a membership card for delineating between first and second class Christians. They tried to give Jesus a membership card to power and influence and he ran away. That poor invalid at the pool had to wander for 38 years (just like Israel) before Jesus demanded that he be healed.

My thirst for justice is my handicap. I'm a spiritual invalid. I abandon Christ's patient working of the gospel and want Him to legislate the hell out of the earth.

God needs to throw me in a well, like He threw Joseph in a well, and have me walk into a room of injust, pathetic, mean-spirited, jealous, hateful people who had tried to kill me and have me bend over backwards to bring life, joy, love, good food, drink, and forgiveness to their hearts.

God needs to return to that Joseph well centuries later and bring from that well living water that saturate to His glory the souls of tired, suffering, broken people.

The unjust, despicable, genocidal maniacs of this world have had very little room in my gospel vision. Heck I hit instant anger when the postal worker can't pick up the pace. Imagine that I'm going postal on a postal worker!?!?

This is a very, very big problem that reveals that my heart is more prone to self-worship and humanistic ideaology than surrendering to the gentle, patient, kind (so, so, so so so so kind), faithful love of Christ.

Sorry Jesus. Any good choice is your choice. Anything else is lifeless manipulation. Help me to see. Open the eyes of my heart. Give me the courage to see you more clearly and to carry your heart within me to a thirsty world.

I love you and humbly admit that I'm much more likely to be nailed to a cross if I'm not President.

Day 4

"Following Jesus appears hard because we feel we start of with a deficit to wipe off. Hebrews not only summons us to follow Jesus; it explains that the moral deficit is already dealt with." -Following Jesus page 10

Again, I can hear Him saying "Just come. Approach my throne of grace with confidence. Run with perseverance the race that is set before you, looking to me."

How often do I not start running the race I'm not "ready." Even more so though, how often do I attempt to run this race without looking to Him, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith? He did it first. He modeled so perfectly, and yet I try to do it without him. We don't have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weakness! He was tempted in every way, yet did not sin. Every way. Like Barhigh said, staring at His face, looking towards him, compels us to run that with passion. Instead, I often think I need to start running, and run with some level of proficiency, before I can catch of glimpse of His face.

All this talk of running races brings to mind "Underdog" by Audio Adrenaline. The whole song is rich with what I've been meditating on, so here it is.

I am so weak and I'm so tired

It's hard for me to

Find enough strength to feed the fires

That fuel my ego

And consequently all my pride has all but died

Which leaves me

Down on my knees

Back to the place I

Should have started from

[CHORUS]

Been beat up

Been broken down

Nowhere but up

When you're facedown

On the ground

I'm in last place

If I place at all

But there's hope for this underdog!

That's the way, uh-huh, we like it!

That's the way, uh-huh, we like it!

You can call me the underdog

I'm in this race to win a prize

The odds against me

The world has plans for my demise

What they don't see

Is that a winner is not judged by his small size

But by the substitute he picks to run the race

And mine's already won

He's already won! It is finished! Hallelujah!

Be Bold, Be Passive

Our Lord is everything. He is our all in all and THE all in all. We’ve established He’s both love and wrath; He is also timeless, yet still relevant. His death brings life and He is a mystery made known to us. By becoming His servant, I find my freedom. He is a Lord of paradoxes because when you encompass all things, you most certainly reach both ends of the spectrum. He is indeed both night and day.

I’m currently walking the line between passivity and activity. For so long I have been practicing abiding. resting. seeking. I pray daily, “Lord, not my will, but your will be done” and find myself passionately singing for Him to burn away my desire for anything that’s not of him and is of me. But you know how sometimes the things that make sense in your head finally start to make sense in your heart? I’m finally seeking what it means to be meek and gentle in a Christ-like fashion. Recently I’ve felt so called to be bold for Him. It feels more like recognizing and accepting my identity than anything else. Why then do I still turn away from the person I am becoming if I’m allowing Him to be the one who fills me? It’s ok to embrace your identity when it’s within the fold of Christ, right? My head knows that that's kinda the point, but now my heart is starting to catch up.

I’m trying to let today’s reading speak for itself and present many avenues of truth. I don’t want to restrict it to just one train of thought just because my mind is limited to the current concerns of my heart, but it did feel like the preface was screaming at me.

Page 1, Line 1: “The longer you look at Jesus, the more you will want to serve him in his world.”

Yes. I’m so absolutely content to continue staring into His face, but the longer I do so, the more I am filled with a passion to act. Not because I want to lose eyesight of Him, but because I want to run towards Him. And it’s a choice. He allows me to choose how I respond to His love.

I want to follow the true Jesus. I don’t want to pursue some cream-puff Jesus I’ve created, I want to be CHALLENGED.

“He makes them feel happy from time to time but doesn’t challenge them, doesn’t suggest they get up and do something about the plight of the world. Which is, of course, what the real Jesus had an uncomfortable habit of doing… the ball is now in your court: the true Jesus is summoning you to follow him, to a life of discipleship. I suspect that we have yet to feel the full impact of the challenge the Gospels present” (first page still).

Welp, for now I’m very content with “doing my homework” as N.T. Wright calls it and reading the bible afresh for myself. Needless to say his bird’s eye view of Hebrews was bomb-diggity and I’m looking forward to his insights into Colossians, Matthew, Mark, and beyond. The more I read, the more I’m impacted daily by the Gospels and the more I find the necessary response to be sitting, then walking, and then standing firmly.

I just pray that in doing so I’m not being complacent to or ignoring the risky lifestyle He’s calling us to…

The Final Sacrifice - Seventh Day Sabbath Bonanza

In one sentence (because the rest of this post is very weakly connected) - We are not finished and never will be finished until we submit to God's judment which is the cross. Astoundingly when we go to the cross Christ's eternal alpha and omega cry which pre-creates, post-creates, recreates all reality is . . .. "ITS FINISHED."

Keith Green - "My child, my child we are you striving? You can't add one more thing to what's been done for you. I did it all while I was dying. Rest assured my peace will come to you."

Isaiah 26:3 - "You will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is steadfast."

Collosians 2:14 - "Having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us, He took it away, nailing it to the cross."

I am not finished until I come to judgment. Judgment eternally disrupts my now through the cross. Its a pretty interesting judgment. Discomfort, disappointment, shame, communion, acceptance, lightness of being, freedom, peace.

I, with creation, am incomplete. I, with creation, groan in travail. I'm stuck in the sixth day. God, my God, when is your sabbath? When is your work done?

It is finished.

"And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had done and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it. . . . ." Genesis 2:3.

"Let us strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience." Hebrews 4:11.

My apologies for the lack of connectedness.

Coffee with Reid

Reid, Thanks for hanging out with me over coffee today and talking about the "lens" God is using to push you, me, all of us from feeling "comfortable." So glad that we can share face to face about how we feel challenged. I love the overiding context and conclusion of our sharing -- PRAY MORE.

Blessings,

Steve

Shake the world!

I cannot stop contemplating on the thought that our prayers affect everything. Since yesterday, that point brought up in 57 Words, it just continues to boggle me. So easy is it to think prayer is just a "good habit," but it's a flipping nuclear bomb to the world's direction! It's how we RELATE to God. Hello? Does that not sound crazy enough as it is? - relating to the creator of EVERYTHING. It's bizarre and amazing. And Of course Prayer is such a catalyst. It's how we hook up to God's will. I love it. I love being part of biblical history. Part of the church and disciples from Acts. Part of Christ's work. All by Praying. We are connected.

So Good.

The main thing, is to keep the main thing, the main thing!

I have been reminded time and time again this week just how much Jesus penetrates every part of our lives and everything is held together by him. Going through our readings/sermons this week reminds me that everything truth I have come to know through my faith has been made possible by, done to, done by, or orchestrated by Jesus himself. That guy's one busy carpenter.
I'm in a religious studies class, and the only thing that comes to mind during every lecture is Christ. Religion is an experience of a real sacred (Christ), religion is a projection to help us cope with our fear of this world (wrong, but Christ is our comforter and sustainer), religion is an attempt to explain the unknown (in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Nothing came into being without Christ), religion is a celebration of community (we are bonded together with Christ, as one body, His beloved church), religion as an instrument of power (a pretty cynical view of religion, but as a follower of Christ, I don't desire any power for myself, his grace is sufficient for me, and he is the powerful sovereign of the universe), religion as a system of meaning (my life, outside of my relationship with Christ, has no meaning, has no purpose. Through that relationship I view the world) There is nothing in this world that I love more or that loves me more than the person of Christ!
I'll leave you today with some journal entries from my summer, answering the question "Who is Jesus?"

6/17
Who is Jesus?
Jesus is the creator and sustainer of our faith. God in the flesh, one portion of God's three-in-one ness. He is entirely god and entirely man. He is my joy and my salvation. Jesus is the most influential individual to ever walk the earth. He is infinite, yet He meets me where I'm at and understands my struggles. He is my redeemer.

7/23
Who is Jesus?
Jesus is one-third of the triune God of the universe, he is the Christ. He was sent by the father to restore humanities broken relationship with Himself. He is the prince of peace. He humbled himself to the point of wrapping himself in flesh and being persecuted by His own creation even to the point of dying on a cross for our salvation. He is Holy and blameless and he is the perfect example of what it means to be in relationship with the father.

God is good, all the time, and all the time, He is good!

Lord, we give you this day, establish your kingdom on our campuses and places of work, do your will in our lives and the lives of those around us, glorify your Holy name and spread your reputation in our hearts and across the globe as the one we know and love you to be!

Each time gets better

This is the third time I've read this. And I keep finding new things. I keep learning. This prayer is timeless. Three things stuck out to me.

One: "that God is granting us the unspeakable privilege of partnering with Him in fulfilling His purposes in the world" Two: "the Lord's Prayer also gives us a very helpful outline for discipling one another into maturity in Christ." Three: Jesus calls us to follow him into his understanding of the "Father".

What a joy it has been to see God move time and time again and be faithful and answer prayer. The book even states that the prayer is great for discipleship. The prayer talks about forgiving, so we get that we are designed to be in community and spur one another on. And lastly, Jesus calls us to follow him into his understanding of the "Father" I had a great father, but I think it's only a taste of what Jesus' understanding of his Father is like.

I've just realized that what I thought I realized. . . .. I didn't realize.

"We think we understand ourselves, our desires, our longings, our fears. We do not. But our Father does."

Glad the universe is held up not by what I know, but who I know. Or better yet, who knows me.

Day 3

"We do not know what we need. We think we know. We think we see the whole picture... We do not. But our Father does" - 57 Words, Page 24

Boom, headshot! And it gets sweeter!

"It frees us from having to have everything figured out before and while we pray. It frees us from having to have the right words. 'Just come,' Jesus is saying, 'say what is on your hearts the most honest way you can. The Father knows what you need.'"

Just come. Go now. Follow me. Ask, seek and knock. You don't have to have it all together. You don't have it all together.

I think of DEF. Discipline = Freedom. Discipline in following, asking, seeking, knocking, praying. Freedom in Him. He is all we need. He's everything. Everything!

Second thought:

Father in Heaven. Father above us, beneath us and alongside us. From Luke 11, "Father right next door"

And Jesus also implies from "Father in Heaven" that our Father is on His throne. His throne of ultimate power and authority. God will not shame His throne. Powerful, shameless and right next door.

"We can, therefore, dare to hope that when we pray something happens"

I Will Sing A Song of Hope - Heaven Come Down!

First of all, I'm finding just how essential the community element of this project is as the days go on - and this is only the third day! As I read I'm already planning out what I'm most excited to share and already getting excited about hearing what you all have to say. The joy of this shared experience is too much!

Yesterday we learned why prayer works - the Father must be true to His character and glorify His name - and today we get to learn how to pray, but the great joy is that all of this ultimately boils down to a revelation of the heart of the Father. And as He reveals His heart to us, we realize that He is also drawing us closer to His heart through that knowledge. And in that, we realize that EVERYTHING serves to draw us closer to His heart. I sort of said this in commenting on Barlow's post, but I love how interconnected all of this is and how all of it points to the central truth of Abba's identity.

After reading this morning, I spent some time in prayer just working my way through the Lord's Prayer, and after every petition I heard the echo of yesterday's sermon saying "How could I not?" Father, glorify Your name - How could I not? Father, bring the kingdom - How could I not? It's the same voice that echoes in John 12. Father, glorify your name, and He says "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again."

And if you want to really come full circle to the fact that it is truly finished, we can affirm that His name has been glorified perfectly and eternally in the cross, and it's only in light of that that we get to ask Him to glorify it again and again in small ways in our world and in our lives.

Guys, He is just TOO good.

Sorry for being so long-winded, but here's one more thing that beat me over the head today: the miracle of all the "us" clauses in the prayer. Sometimes we delude ourselves by thinking "Yes, it is good to remember the 'You' clauses first, to realign our perspective", but we forget that God is not at all obligated to allow the "us" clauses at all! There's no reason that He should desire to know our requests, but He DOES.

Just Come Home...

Setto- YES.

God gives us exactly what we need exactly when we need it, right?

The beginning lines of 57 Words Ch. 1 exemplify what this past week has been for me… “Jesus is brilliant. Yes, Jesus is good, and kind, and merciful, and strong. But the more I get to know Jesus, the more I am impressed by our Lord’s sheer brilliance.”

These chapters, pages, sermons have been drawing me closer to our Lord and Savior and the closer I’m pulled in, the more I am impressed by the sheer brilliance of our Lord. I’m impressed by how he has planned and is orchestrating our lives (including the timing of these readings- thank you Reid for the obvious prayer and discernment that went into creating this calendar). I’m impressed by how He’s glorifying His name and I’m impressed at how those two are so closely linked. As God glorifies His name- the name Yahweh, the name I am here with you and for you- we find that His glorifying of Himself is coincidently tied to our lives and destinies. Pretty darn convenient for us, right?

God’s challenging me more than ever to submerse myself into a prayer-filled lifestyle. As the bottom of page 15 in 57 Words says, “Each observation should stir our hearts and minds and make us want to go on to unwrap this wonderful gift Jesus has given us.” That’s funny- It Is Finished also mentioned this gift: “God justifies me as a gift; it is, as Billy Graham says, ‘just as if I’d never sinned.’ That is wonderful and liberating news! But it is often so hard to believe. All we need to do is ‘come home’ and we will be welcomed? Then why does it take so long for that Good News to affect our everyday living?” BAZINGA! (page 18). Mother Theresa told us that “When we pray we are expanding our capacity to receive.” I want to come home! I want to accept this gift so fully and be so filled by it that the Good News affects my everyday living. I’m so juiced to go on and continue unwrapping all of these gifts. Today I’m saying “Jesus, will you teach me how to relate to the one you call ‘Father’ the way you do?... I want so badly to enter into authentic communication with Him” (page 12, 57 words) and He’s teaching us explicitly what that looks like. He’s igniting in us a “passion of Jesus to help us know his Father as he knows him, to love his Father as he loves him, to trust his Father as he trusts him… [he] calls us to follow him into his understanding of ‘Father’” (Page 23, 57 Words).

Day 2

My roommate was listening to this song this morning, Everything by Lifehouse

You are the strength, that keeps me walking.

You are the hope, that keeps me trusting.

You are the light to my soul.

You are my purpose...you're everything.

He is everything. He is holy. He is love. God of wrath. God of love.

The song goes on to the chorus screaming

You're all I want. You're all I need.

You're Everything. Everything!!!

God gave me this discipleship program. It's been what I need, when I needed it. I want to discover more about Him, more about His Son, His Spirit. I'm excited for these next 11 weeks. Perfect wrath appeased by a perfect sacrifice. Faithful and shameless. What next?

Peace on Earth

So. The more I listen to this message. The more I hear the lyrics of U2's Peace on Earth. "Heaven on Earth, We need it now." I am shame-full. I devour and destroy in so many benign ways to bury shame with "I'm good enough, smart enough, people like me." I smack down another piece of pie with little conscience on the heels of biggest loser. 80% of the population lives on less than $10.00 a day and I spend as much time and time again on coffee breaks. The world comes to my shame palace asking for a crust of bread and I'm too busy worshipping my own image/culture of fine food and comfort. When will my hard heart share the abundance of my Father's house and bleed/hurt/weep/wail/cry/stoop/break/serve to God's shameless glory? Dear God, please come to my earth and invade it with heaven. Give me the courage to trust. TRUST,TRUST,TRUST. Bring light to my darkness and destroy it with fire. Shine. Thanks for triple stamping my double stamp and destroying me when I sought to devour your body and your blood on the cross. Well played Jesus. Well played.

Thoughts from "It is Finished":

The reading from chapter one really impressed upon me this paradox that we trap ourselves in: we know we have fallen so helplessly short and cannot possibly measure up, but we try again and again to justify ourselves by our own righteousness. Why do we try on our own anyway when we know we can't do it? We see pretty clearly (whether we realize it or not) the greater issue, but it's so hard for us to see the only possible answer - that God appease His own wrath with Himself!

It all makes such perfect sense - because, of course, it's the only possible way - but it's so hard for us to (a) see it in the first place, and (b) live like it's true.

PS - Anybody else STOKED when they saw the "boys will be boys" line on page 19?

The Shamless Father...Boo-Bam!

Boo-Bam is all i could say after listening to that sermon for the 1 billionth time and still asking myself how many more times until i get it? My Prayer all morning has been, "God, give us as much as we need of you today to be your children". The quote by Mother Teresa, "When we pray we expand our ability to receive" - Holy sheep island! If that is not motivation to pray without ceasing like the Apostle Paul instructs i don't know what is!

Father, holify your name! Bring your Kingdom - Do your Will.

-Reid

A Shameless Father

Well here we go! :)

This sermon stood out to me first off with the speaker making a connection with his faith to his paternal grandmother! (totally like me!)... and he goes on to talk of fatherhood - Christ between God..... This too strikes a chord as since my relationship with my father is interesting as to say, and I love how Jesus loves his father. With prayer, time, and action.

The faith, the representation of prayer...... so convicting. To think that the parable of going to a friend in the middle of the night to ask for resource.... and that friend, to honor his name, does so, with out question. And this friend is like our God when we pray? He honors His name! Always and always answers us - it is without question! "I am who I am."

Man this really stroke me deep. I had a freaky dream last night, and my heart was weirdly shaken up before starting the sermon this morning. But wow.... what a focus and a sense of consistency. Faith in prayer is unquestionable! God is who He is! Duh! I do myself struggle with prayer - specifically with just starting to pray. Once in prayer - it's the best! - so filling and real. But I often feel like I don't want to pray right before I pray. And this parable.... one I have never looked at in depth... shows a faith that is reaction to life and is normal. It's what you do! We pray! It's HOW we get know God.

"When we pray we increase our capacity to know God" Not the exact quote, but it's true! It's how we grow to know Him and love Him!

What we need, when we need it.

"God (Yahweh) will give as much of himself as you need." Examples of God's acceptance and selection of us as His children (bearing his name/image) are smattered throughout human history and His word.

"God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." -Genesis 1:27

"He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake." -Psalm 23:3

"For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!' " -Romans 8:15

My first thought was that it was belittling God's love for us to say that he is obligated to treat us this way, so that he doesn't bring shame to His name. However, it describes the manner in which God responds in love towards us, his reaction time. It is compulsory for God to dote on his children, they bear His name and are His ambassadors on earth. God does not choose to love us after weighing his options to as to what to do, it is His impulse. He does not love us when we reflect Him, He loves us so we'll reflect Him.

God Loves Me! He is with me and for me

Come Lord Jesus Come: Justification Of Grace!

Come Lord Jesus Come: Justification Of Grace!: "God did this to demonstrate God's righteousness! God's holiness demanded a sacrifice; God's love provided it! I look forward to the next 10..."

I liked the part about propitiation. It is hard for us to accept. It can be hard to get students I work with to accept it. It's the scandal of grace.

Really? It's finished? It's Done? It's dealt with? I don't have to do anything? But, I've been so bad...I hear all the time. We feel we have to earn it, not that we will be righteous, I think we get that, but do something in order to be worthy of the gift.

It's easy to say, Oh I'm past that I get it....but do we? Do we compare ourselves to others in our own walks with Christ? Do we make a ladder out of bible studies, going to church, missions etc? Yeah it's true those things can bring us into a more intimate relationship with Christ, but do we ever make them a end in themselves?

Day 1

"God's holiness demanded a sacrifice; God's love provided it" -It is Finished, Page 23

This blows my mind. Like he says later on, He experienced His own wrath! A wrath that seeks to "burn away all that is not holy." And how much was there to burn away? The cup would be enough if it was just my sin and wretchedness, but the whole history of human unholiness? Past, present and future? Crazy!

Reminds of lyrics from the song "Magnetic" by Sanctus Real

"You don't make me love you

I just can't deny"

How could I deny a love like that? Somehow, I manage to find a way.

Great first day, stay salty!

-Mike

Justification Of Grace!

God did this to demonstrate God's righteousness! God's holiness demanded a sacrifice; God's love provided it! I look forward to the next 10 weeks with you guys! Blog away my friends.

-Reid