I've got to hand it to the people of the days of yore...they had great memories! They were really good about recalling and remembering what God did and how faithful He was. This is a big theme not only in the first few pages of Chapter 5, but throughout the Bible.
"And they live in tents during the Feast as a way to recall that during those days the Living God Himself - Yahweh- graciously chose to live among the people..." (DJ p. 67).
"Briefly, the water ceremony helped recall how God miraculously provided water in the desert." (DJ p. 68).
"The light ceremony recalled God's gracious guidance of the ancestors in the desert." (DJ. p. 69).
"God's gracious guidance was remembered during the Fest of the Tabernacles..." (DJ p. 69).
This really got me thinking. As present-day Christians, do we remember God enough? Do I remember God enough? When decisions in my life need to be made or when great leaps of faith and trust need to be taken when there are no obvious signs, do I remember God's faithfulness in my life? He has never left me, and never stopped loving me. Do I remember God's faithfulness to His people? He is the Light that never goes out.
"Jesus the Light leads us out of the vagueness of "God-talk" to know God as God really is. Not all at once of course. In the nature of things that is not possible. It is too much to handle all at once. But step by step, day by day, year by year Jesus reveals the Living God to us" (DJ p. 72).
Oh, what sweet release! I don't have to have it all figured out right now! What grace He gives us. He gives us the gift of time, the gift of a journey with Him!!
"But begin with Jesus and we begin with God's idea about God, we begin with God's idea about God's own personal self-revelation" (DJ p. 72).
Oh dear, where does this leave the Jews? Even the most devout Jew, one who has studied God's word for his/her entire life, prayed fervently to Him still wouldn't truly know Him because it is their own idea about God? That's heavy and tough.
"What makes it so bad is that the bondage blinds us so that we do not see the true nature of our condition. Because He loves us, He exposes the terrible truth (DJ p. 75).
It is as if Jesus says to us, "You cannot see it [in yourself] so I have to shed light on it." Lord, thank you! Even though this is so painful and ugly, you are making me right with you. "Consider it pure joy my brothers..."
"Jesus the Light knows where He is taking His church. He knows where He is going and He will not leave us to walk in the darkness about His will" (p. 78).
Thank you, Jesus!!!!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
There is power in the name of Jesus
First of all I love how each chapter DJ builds the information up level by level and then by the middle-end my mind is blown because here are the implications of this Truth - this is Jesus and this is my life with Him
Jesus on the cross is the Stronger Man
And what does it mean when the Stronger Man is also the light of the world, the bread of life, the one who baptizes in and with the Holy Spirit, and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world? And what does it mean that He invites me into relationship with Him?
It means that there is power in the name of Jesus - it means that (as DJ mentioned) when I am confronted by evil in this world (which happens all too often) I can say "I belong to Jesus. He has bound you. You have no authority in my life. Be gone" I am living this life with the Stronger Man on my side.
And now the challenge is to recognize that Almighty power- that its true - that is belongs to Him who loves me - that the power cannot be diminished by evil - and that I am not in this alone. Because when I try to resist that evil without calling upon the power of Jesus - or when I reason "its not reeeeaaaally evil I'm sure its not that bad or nothing I can't handle, I'm pretty resilient " thats when I fall because thats when I am trying to make my life independent from Jesus- and DJ made it pretty clear what happened when a certain fallen angel wanted to do that.
But why wouldn't I want to embrace and rely on the power of Jesus over my own?!?! (ugh pride, the hope that independence makes me stronger, that perfection makes me worthy - potholes) But Jesus is so much more so so much more than these potholes that make me want to run away- the potholes that are rooted in the worlds lies - the lies that are intended to drive me away from my Creator! my Redeemer! My Stronger Man! And guess what?! He already bound evil - He conquered death - I do not have to be captive to these potholes! I/we are called to something greater.
Now I will worship Him - the love of my life with too many life-changing "I Am" statements to count. Because what happens when I surrender and worship in His name?- The powers of darkness tremble!!! Because once again they realize that Jesus, the Stronger Man, has bound them (93)
Ahh now this is a reason to sing! This is a victory! Celebration is central! Praise Christ...Always
btw: I've shared this with Andy already but I want to let you all know how important this blog has been for me these past 6 weeks, especially for the ~5 weeks that I've been here in Mexico. It is great to feel connected to and present in this community even though I am so far away. So thanks!
You are in my prayers,
Adk
There is a lot of imagery in this chapter that I want to repeat.
1.) The world is a house under siege (87)
2.) He has come to plunder the strong man's house! He has come to set the prisoners free!!! (88)
3.) As Jesus lets evil take Him down, graves were opened? Yes, because in the moment Jesus dies, death lost its grip. (90)
Jesus on the cross is the Stronger Man
And what does it mean when the Stronger Man is also the light of the world, the bread of life, the one who baptizes in and with the Holy Spirit, and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world? And what does it mean that He invites me into relationship with Him?
It means that there is power in the name of Jesus - it means that (as DJ mentioned) when I am confronted by evil in this world (which happens all too often) I can say "I belong to Jesus. He has bound you. You have no authority in my life. Be gone" I am living this life with the Stronger Man on my side.
And now the challenge is to recognize that Almighty power- that its true - that is belongs to Him who loves me - that the power cannot be diminished by evil - and that I am not in this alone. Because when I try to resist that evil without calling upon the power of Jesus - or when I reason "its not reeeeaaaally evil I'm sure its not that bad or nothing I can't handle, I'm pretty resilient " thats when I fall because thats when I am trying to make my life independent from Jesus- and DJ made it pretty clear what happened when a certain fallen angel wanted to do that.
But why wouldn't I want to embrace and rely on the power of Jesus over my own?!?! (ugh pride, the hope that independence makes me stronger, that perfection makes me worthy - potholes) But Jesus is so much more so so much more than these potholes that make me want to run away- the potholes that are rooted in the worlds lies - the lies that are intended to drive me away from my Creator! my Redeemer! My Stronger Man! And guess what?! He already bound evil - He conquered death - I do not have to be captive to these potholes! I/we are called to something greater.
Now I will worship Him - the love of my life with too many life-changing "I Am" statements to count. Because what happens when I surrender and worship in His name?- The powers of darkness tremble!!! Because once again they realize that Jesus, the Stronger Man, has bound them (93)
Ahh now this is a reason to sing! This is a victory! Celebration is central! Praise Christ...Always
btw: I've shared this with Andy already but I want to let you all know how important this blog has been for me these past 6 weeks, especially for the ~5 weeks that I've been here in Mexico. It is great to feel connected to and present in this community even though I am so far away. So thanks!
You are in my prayers,
Adk
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
I AM KERMIT THE FROG!!!
Last week in class I was teaching the students about Chlorophyll. The topic seemed to fit more and more each period I was teaching it. On Page 72, DJ reminds us of the verse in Colossians where it states, Jesus is the "visible expression of the invisible God." Yet, as we keep reading, DJ and Paul are reminding us of the importance of being Christ-like and how the greatest compliment one could receive would be: to be like Jesus. SO LET'S DO IT! Let's all be chlorophyll! As I had to remind myself, but as you may remember, chlorophyll is a pigment found in green plants that ABSORBS light in almost all spectrums of the electromagnetic spectrum, yet is a poor absorber of the Green spectrum of light, HENCE we see plants as being green.
First of all, we are all called to be reflectios of Christ here on Earth-to reflect His radiant goodness, love, mercy, and justice. Thus, like chlorophyll we are going to reflect that "green" for the world to see!
Secondly, chlorophyll aborbs the green spectrum of the electromagnetic spectrum POORLY, yet this is the color that we see. I personally tend to wear that greenness on the outside of my body ALL THE TIME. I make my potholes visible at times. Others become aware of them. I become highly aware of them. Everyone can see it. I am not absorbing Christ's light efficiently or to the extent that he is calling me to absorb it at! I become humiliated by my greenness! Yet, in my humiliated, green, Kermit-the-frogness (who appears to be right when he says "it's not easy being green"), I have the incredible opportunity to 1) boast in my weaknesses (my greennesses), and 2) rely on Him all the more. HE IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. He shines on us so brightly that we may reflect His goodness. Sometimes what we reflect is ugliness, bitterness, sadness, depression, frustration, etc. YET, when we are ready to come home and follow His light and are ready to absorb ALL OF HIS LIGHT, He is the Father that does not give up on his son or simply watch as his son runs home to him... He is the Father that runs to us, that shines His light on us CONSTANTLY and UNYIELDINGLY. His light is always shining although I choose to hide in the shadows of sin and guilt. He runs to us and hugs us and reminds us that we are forgiven and loved-that we can forget about our potholes, or our greeness, and truly and fully absorb His light that we may go out in the world and serve Him wholeheartedly.
First of all, we are all called to be reflectios of Christ here on Earth-to reflect His radiant goodness, love, mercy, and justice. Thus, like chlorophyll we are going to reflect that "green" for the world to see!
Secondly, chlorophyll aborbs the green spectrum of the electromagnetic spectrum POORLY, yet this is the color that we see. I personally tend to wear that greenness on the outside of my body ALL THE TIME. I make my potholes visible at times. Others become aware of them. I become highly aware of them. Everyone can see it. I am not absorbing Christ's light efficiently or to the extent that he is calling me to absorb it at! I become humiliated by my greenness! Yet, in my humiliated, green, Kermit-the-frogness (who appears to be right when he says "it's not easy being green"), I have the incredible opportunity to 1) boast in my weaknesses (my greennesses), and 2) rely on Him all the more. HE IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. He shines on us so brightly that we may reflect His goodness. Sometimes what we reflect is ugliness, bitterness, sadness, depression, frustration, etc. YET, when we are ready to come home and follow His light and are ready to absorb ALL OF HIS LIGHT, He is the Father that does not give up on his son or simply watch as his son runs home to him... He is the Father that runs to us, that shines His light on us CONSTANTLY and UNYIELDINGLY. His light is always shining although I choose to hide in the shadows of sin and guilt. He runs to us and hugs us and reminds us that we are forgiven and loved-that we can forget about our potholes, or our greeness, and truly and fully absorb His light that we may go out in the world and serve Him wholeheartedly.
Emphasis
"It all depends on where we fix our attention." (p.78)
Where do I fix my attention, place my emphasis?
"Stay close to the Light of the world and we do not walk in darkness about the will of God." (p.76)
BUT...
"He does not lay out a master blueprint for our lives." (p. 76)
"All change, however good, is experienced as loss. And with loss, the temptation is to run to the past, like the Israelites in the desert. ... But God in His mercy would not let them go back. He had better plans for them and called them to follow Him into His yet-to-be-unfolded goodness." (p. 77)
So what is my focal point? What am I trying to figure out? Where is my emphasis?
All the time, I doubt His plan. I have so many master blueprints written out, its nuts. God brought me to this camp 3 years ago after ripping out a massive set a blueprints from my hands. But I keep drawing up plans!!! I want answers. I want reasons. I fear the unknown. I blame God for change and doubt His goodness, comparing His plan (or what I perceive of it) to my own set of blueprints. My own understanding of my past, present and future. This emphasis leaves me angry, lost, and tired.
"But the sweetest thing I've ever heard
Is that I don't have to have the answers,
Just a little light to call my own.
Though it pales in comparison
To the overarching shadows,
A speck of light can reignite the sun
And swallow darkness whole."
Emphasis by Sleeping At Last
I don't have the have the answers. All I need is The Light of The World.
-Mike
Where do I fix my attention, place my emphasis?
"Stay close to the Light of the world and we do not walk in darkness about the will of God." (p.76)
BUT...
"He does not lay out a master blueprint for our lives." (p. 76)
"All change, however good, is experienced as loss. And with loss, the temptation is to run to the past, like the Israelites in the desert. ... But God in His mercy would not let them go back. He had better plans for them and called them to follow Him into His yet-to-be-unfolded goodness." (p. 77)
So what is my focal point? What am I trying to figure out? Where is my emphasis?
All the time, I doubt His plan. I have so many master blueprints written out, its nuts. God brought me to this camp 3 years ago after ripping out a massive set a blueprints from my hands. But I keep drawing up plans!!! I want answers. I want reasons. I fear the unknown. I blame God for change and doubt His goodness, comparing His plan (or what I perceive of it) to my own set of blueprints. My own understanding of my past, present and future. This emphasis leaves me angry, lost, and tired.
"But the sweetest thing I've ever heard
Is that I don't have to have the answers,
Just a little light to call my own.
Though it pales in comparison
To the overarching shadows,
A speck of light can reignite the sun
And swallow darkness whole."
Emphasis by Sleeping At Last
I don't have the have the answers. All I need is The Light of The World.
-Mike
The Burrito of Life
Hello Team, sorry for disappearing from the blog, it is encouraging to read your posts from the past few weeks.
I'm catching up on the reading. Reading through Ch. 4 today, "The Bread of Life" instantly translated to "The Burrito of Life". I love burritos. I've ate a lot of burritos recently.
But even if I double down, those burrito's never satisfy! And according to DJ, that is a "huge compliment!" (p. 56)
It doesn't always feel like that though.
In fact, it really frustrates my prideful heart. All the time. I don't want to have to "keep coming". The much easier alternative would be to simply "graduate Jesus school" with a degree in culinary arts and make all the self-sustaining burritos I want! But it still doesn't work. "When we find ourselves empty and hungering too much for the bread that perishes, it likely means we have fallen out of the habit of the "keep coming." (p. 63)
No joke. There really is no lasting satisfaction under the sun. I have spent long enough in the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain.
"I Am the final satisfaction of the human soul." (p. 64)
Reminded me of a scene from the Boy Who Cried Abba...
"The Medicine Man smiled and said, 'When you get to heaven, Little Friend, Abba will not ask you how many prayers you said or how many souls you saved. He'll ask, 'Did you enjoy the fajita?''"
Do I enjoy the Burrito? The Bread of Life? Eat of it and don't die. LIVE!!
-Little Brother
Monday, February 25, 2013
Delicate, Delicious, Devastating Light
This sentence on page 77 reminded me of the study we shared at the admin retreat that I think was described as "Learn from Israel's Mistakes." Darrell Johnson writes, "And with loss, the temptation is to run to the past, like the Israelites in the desert. The uncertainty inherent in the journey to the Promised Land was too much to bear." (DJ, 77) I'm traveling through Narnia right now. In Book 2, Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe so much of this incredible gospel story involves these kids wrestling with the uncertainty in the journey. I read this tonight which I think is fascinating when thinking about the blog. I believe this passage captures the pain, horror, joy, and thrill of encountering light. The children are introduced to Aslan in this book in the following way: "Here the Beaver's voice sank into silence and it gave one or two very mysterious nods. Then signaling to the children to stand as close around it as they possibly could, so that their faces were actually tickled by its whiskers, it added in a low whisper - "They say Aslan is on the move - perhaps has already landed." And now a very curious thing happened. None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do; but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different.... At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in its inside. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of summer. (LW&W, 74) This passage captures for me the delicate, delicious, devastating fury by which Christ FILLS His temple.
The Stronger Man
Pg. 92 - "The powers of hell will try and not succeed. But what Jesus is really saying is that He will build His Church and the church will move into hell's strongholds and hell will not prevail against the church!"
Man I just loved that view - On the houseboats God's church -(staff, youth leaders, volunteer staff, and campers) move into hell's strongholds in the lives of staff, youth leaders, volunteer staff, and campers and hell does not prevail! We have seen it for years, God always wins! Every week, everyday, every minute the stronger man JESUS plunders the evil one's home.
I never tire of watching Jesus do His thing. The opportunity to be a part of His act on the water is such a blessing. As admin it is easy to get caught up in our tasks and miss the Stronger-Man's act each week. Don't get me wrong - the Stronger-Man works every minute within our tasks but when we focus on the tasks and not the Stronger-Man himself.........we begin to burnout.....
Another side note - I love Jesus' own analysis of what is going on by His presence on earth: "No one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house" (Mark 3:27)
Jesus doesn't sneak into the world unannounced! 300+ prophecies of how He would come and live and die! There is no sneak attack - He was born into the strong man's house - came as a helpless infant, grew up as a child, and confronted the strong man (mano y mano) and bound him!
A helpless baby?????........The Stronger Man!
A weak Child????.......The Stronger Man!
An uneducated Carpenter????........The Stronger Man
Died on a cross????.........The Strongest Man Ever!!!!!!!
Man I just loved that view - On the houseboats God's church -(staff, youth leaders, volunteer staff, and campers) move into hell's strongholds in the lives of staff, youth leaders, volunteer staff, and campers and hell does not prevail! We have seen it for years, God always wins! Every week, everyday, every minute the stronger man JESUS plunders the evil one's home.
I never tire of watching Jesus do His thing. The opportunity to be a part of His act on the water is such a blessing. As admin it is easy to get caught up in our tasks and miss the Stronger-Man's act each week. Don't get me wrong - the Stronger-Man works every minute within our tasks but when we focus on the tasks and not the Stronger-Man himself.........we begin to burnout.....
“One sign that I am violating my own nature in the name of
nobility is a condition called burnout. Though usually regarded as the result of
trying to give too much, burnout in my experience
results from trying to give what I do not possess- the ultimate in giving too little!
Burnout is a state of emptiness; to be sure, but it does not result from
giving all I have: it merely reveals the nothingness from which
I was trying to give in the first place.” (Palmer,
Parker, Let Your Life Speak. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass, 2000, 51)
Jesus doesn't sneak into the world unannounced! 300+ prophecies of how He would come and live and die! There is no sneak attack - He was born into the strong man's house - came as a helpless infant, grew up as a child, and confronted the strong man (mano y mano) and bound him!
A helpless baby?????........The Stronger Man!
A weak Child????.......The Stronger Man!
An uneducated Carpenter????........The Stronger Man
Died on a cross????.........The Strongest Man Ever!!!!!!!
Who is Jesus?
Jesus is the visible expression of the invisible God (Col. 1:15)
Jesus is God with a face.
Jesus is God's idea about himself.
Jesus is the one untarnished, untwisted, authentically whole human being.
Jesus is who we were created and are being redeemed to be.
Wow. Honestly, thats all.
Jesus is God with a face.
Jesus is God's idea about himself.
Jesus is the one untarnished, untwisted, authentically whole human being.
Jesus is who we were created and are being redeemed to be.
Wow. Honestly, thats all.
4/5
when dj says "i am the bread of life. life does not work without me. You cannot make it without me. I am absolutely necessary for human existence... you need me more than you need your next meal" (54) that resonated with me a ton. in this astronomy class i'm taking (freshman class...ugh) we have been going over the creation of the universe and how even scientists who dont believe in God say that it would be stupid to think that the creation was an accident. there are too many factors that have to be what they are for life and if even one factor was tweaked just a little bit, life would cease to exist. life would CEASE to exist. If that doesnt validate how essential and necessary God is for human existence i dont know...
holy cow that is crazy. "life does not work without me" is so true and it has lamb slapped me a couple times in the form of this astronomy class i thought i'd be blowing off. It is so insane to think that if the force of gravity was a little stronger or weaker, we wouldnt be here on earth anymore.
i was also struck with "if we stay close to jesus the light we will never walk in darkness about God... It is too much to handle all at once. but step by step, day by day, year by year Jesus reveals the living God to us" (74) and "if we stay close to jesus the light we never walk in darkness about humanity" (73).
all of those statements are loaded with so much stuff that can be applied in daily life. I think rather than staying close to jesus the light so i dont walk in darkness about humanity, my gut reaction is to walk in darkness about humanity and try to get everything right so i can approach jesus the light but it doesnt work that way. it also shows that the process is so important as compared to the instant gratification world we are surrounded with.
holy cow that is crazy. "life does not work without me" is so true and it has lamb slapped me a couple times in the form of this astronomy class i thought i'd be blowing off. It is so insane to think that if the force of gravity was a little stronger or weaker, we wouldnt be here on earth anymore.
i was also struck with "if we stay close to jesus the light we will never walk in darkness about God... It is too much to handle all at once. but step by step, day by day, year by year Jesus reveals the living God to us" (74) and "if we stay close to jesus the light we never walk in darkness about humanity" (73).
all of those statements are loaded with so much stuff that can be applied in daily life. I think rather than staying close to jesus the light so i dont walk in darkness about humanity, my gut reaction is to walk in darkness about humanity and try to get everything right so i can approach jesus the light but it doesnt work that way. it also shows that the process is so important as compared to the instant gratification world we are surrounded with.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
2013 Pillars of clouds and fire
As I was reading through chapter 5 I was struck by the part on page 69,
"God set them a pillar of cloud during the day, and a pillar of fire during the night. Whenever the Pillars moved, the people would pack their belongings and follow. If they did not follow they would be left to walk in the darkness alone. "
Page 71, "Follow me. Stay close to Me. Stay right on My heels. I Am the Light of the kosmos. Walk with me and you will never walk in darkness."
This made me reflect on my life and wonder what are my pillars of clouds and fire? What do these pillars look like in my life today and when have I allowed fear or insecurity or lack of trust cause me to miss these pillars? I need to open my eyes to see these so that I am not left in the dark and when I am nervous or scared to remember that Jesus is the Light of the world, I cannot be in darkness when I walk with him. He is our pillar of cloud and fire like DJ said but I wonder also what he uses in my life to reflect Him that I miss.
"God set them a pillar of cloud during the day, and a pillar of fire during the night. Whenever the Pillars moved, the people would pack their belongings and follow. If they did not follow they would be left to walk in the darkness alone. "
Page 71, "Follow me. Stay close to Me. Stay right on My heels. I Am the Light of the kosmos. Walk with me and you will never walk in darkness."
This made me reflect on my life and wonder what are my pillars of clouds and fire? What do these pillars look like in my life today and when have I allowed fear or insecurity or lack of trust cause me to miss these pillars? I need to open my eyes to see these so that I am not left in the dark and when I am nervous or scared to remember that Jesus is the Light of the world, I cannot be in darkness when I walk with him. He is our pillar of cloud and fire like DJ said but I wonder also what he uses in my life to reflect Him that I miss.
Here am I!
I find in this chapter that Jesus the light is the answer to a question I ask God all the time - are you enough for me?
"[Jesus] lives by faith. He trusts His Father. He loves His Father, delights in His Father, obeys His Father."
Jesus finds all that He needs in His father, "so much so that He can say 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me?'" (DJ 73).
Woah. Can I say that? Is my whole life so centered and rooted in believing and loving that I can say, All that I need, all that I life for, all that I want, my only survival is knowing You, is living with You and walking with You in obedience?
Also, I was reading Isaiah 6 this morning and these verses always get me,
"[Jesus] lives by faith. He trusts His Father. He loves His Father, delights in His Father, obeys His Father."
Jesus finds all that He needs in His father, "so much so that He can say 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me?'" (DJ 73).
Woah. Can I say that? Is my whole life so centered and rooted in believing and loving that I can say, All that I need, all that I life for, all that I want, my only survival is knowing You, is living with You and walking with You in obedience?
Also, I was reading Isaiah 6 this morning and these verses always get me,
"Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty. Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand which he had taken with tongs form the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, see this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for. Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:5-8).
For Isaiah to be able to say "Here am I" before the Lord astounds me. It's a picture of someone completely uncovered, unashamed, un-hidden, bare, exposed! This passage shows Isaiah completely aware of his condition and completely aware of God's holiness (exposed) but also completely confident in the cleansing that just happened (unashamed). Jesus the light both judges and redeems. God's judgment both exposes us and allows us to stand in righteousness. I don't have to hide because there is nothing to hide. It's all seen in the light, but its also all burned away, purified, and cleansed in the light. So the result is, "here am I". I can stand, un-hidden and unashamed before Jesus. I can be seen and known - without the stains of darkness. I am seen and known as the one He created me to be!
Here am I!
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Stay Close to the Light
"Follow Me. Stay close to Me. Stay right on My heels. I Am the Light of the kosmos. Walk with Me and you will never walk in darkness." (71) Why? DJ says that staying close to the Light does five things (among many others).
1. Reveals Who God Is - "begin with Jesus and we begin with God's idea about God, we begin with God's idea about God's own self revelation. God is just like Jesus. ...Stay close to Jesus the Light of the world and we do not walk in darkness about God!" (72) This idea is totally new to me, something I never thought of this way, and I love it. Who is God? Jesus. It reminds me of the typical Sunday school questions where the answer is always Jesus...but it's true!
2. Reveals What It Means to Be Human - "He also turns out to be the perfect revelation of who we are, of who we were created to be." "Jesus is what it means to be human. Believing and loving." (73) Believing and love. I'm reminded of something I hear at Sonshine often: simple, but not always easy. I also loved where DJ talked about how/why we run to Jesus and away from Jesus. When I find myself running away from God, this quotes rings so true in my heart: "Yet we do not flee for long. For one, He is inescapable. But for another, we crave what we see in Him." It doesn't take long to realize the necessity of that Bread when I'm running the other direction. That craving for the Bread of Life overcomes the fear of letting God get closer and exposing the parts of my heart I try to hide.
3. Exposes the Truth about the Human Condition - Staying close to the light reveals to us that we are "in bondage to sin, held hostage by the power of evil, and living in the grip of death." (75) And we, ourselves, can't do anything about it. "We stand in need of Him." I'm continually amazed at how much these different chapters are intertwined into each other. But then I remember, they are all about the same person! Jesus, being the Light of the world, shows us once again how desperate we are for Him.
4. Illuminates God's Plans - "He opens up God's great plans for us and opens up the way to walk into those plans." (76) And what is that way? One step at a time, and always moving forward. I can think of countless times when I have had the mindset of the Israelites in the desert, wanting to run back to the "good old days" of the past (but only the good ones, not the bad ones!). I love what DJ had to say about that, "But God in His mercy would not let them go back. He had better plans for them and called them to follow Him into His yet-to-be-unfolded goodness." (77) Jeremiah 29:11 - He knows His plans...we have to stay close to the Light and wait for the next step to be illuminated in front of us.
5. Replaces Our Darkness with His Light - "if we dare to take the risks and follow Him into deeper intimacy with Him, we will experience more and more inner cleansing, inner healing. As Light (Fire), He moves into the secret places of our lives--into the 'shacks' of our hearts, into our thought life, into our emotional fantasies--to expose any and all darkness and burn it away." (78) Instantly, when I read this I was taken back to the weekend of our first barney appreciation last summer on the lake. We had a blazing bonfire going and were singing "Set a Fire," and it was honestly one of my favorite moments of the whole summer. Jesus, as Light/Fire, wants every part of our heart. He wants to light a fire inside us that we can't contain. He wants to burn away all that isn't of Him. He wants to replace all of the darkness, with His Light and His Life. And in order to do that, it's going to hurt, it's going to burn down to the deepest part of ourselves. But "we begin to experience more and more of what we might call 'inner radiance.'"
1. Reveals Who God Is - "begin with Jesus and we begin with God's idea about God, we begin with God's idea about God's own self revelation. God is just like Jesus. ...Stay close to Jesus the Light of the world and we do not walk in darkness about God!" (72) This idea is totally new to me, something I never thought of this way, and I love it. Who is God? Jesus. It reminds me of the typical Sunday school questions where the answer is always Jesus...but it's true!
2. Reveals What It Means to Be Human - "He also turns out to be the perfect revelation of who we are, of who we were created to be." "Jesus is what it means to be human. Believing and loving." (73) Believing and love. I'm reminded of something I hear at Sonshine often: simple, but not always easy. I also loved where DJ talked about how/why we run to Jesus and away from Jesus. When I find myself running away from God, this quotes rings so true in my heart: "Yet we do not flee for long. For one, He is inescapable. But for another, we crave what we see in Him." It doesn't take long to realize the necessity of that Bread when I'm running the other direction. That craving for the Bread of Life overcomes the fear of letting God get closer and exposing the parts of my heart I try to hide.
3. Exposes the Truth about the Human Condition - Staying close to the light reveals to us that we are "in bondage to sin, held hostage by the power of evil, and living in the grip of death." (75) And we, ourselves, can't do anything about it. "We stand in need of Him." I'm continually amazed at how much these different chapters are intertwined into each other. But then I remember, they are all about the same person! Jesus, being the Light of the world, shows us once again how desperate we are for Him.
4. Illuminates God's Plans - "He opens up God's great plans for us and opens up the way to walk into those plans." (76) And what is that way? One step at a time, and always moving forward. I can think of countless times when I have had the mindset of the Israelites in the desert, wanting to run back to the "good old days" of the past (but only the good ones, not the bad ones!). I love what DJ had to say about that, "But God in His mercy would not let them go back. He had better plans for them and called them to follow Him into His yet-to-be-unfolded goodness." (77) Jeremiah 29:11 - He knows His plans...we have to stay close to the Light and wait for the next step to be illuminated in front of us.
5. Replaces Our Darkness with His Light - "if we dare to take the risks and follow Him into deeper intimacy with Him, we will experience more and more inner cleansing, inner healing. As Light (Fire), He moves into the secret places of our lives--into the 'shacks' of our hearts, into our thought life, into our emotional fantasies--to expose any and all darkness and burn it away." (78) Instantly, when I read this I was taken back to the weekend of our first barney appreciation last summer on the lake. We had a blazing bonfire going and were singing "Set a Fire," and it was honestly one of my favorite moments of the whole summer. Jesus, as Light/Fire, wants every part of our heart. He wants to light a fire inside us that we can't contain. He wants to burn away all that isn't of Him. He wants to replace all of the darkness, with His Light and His Life. And in order to do that, it's going to hurt, it's going to burn down to the deepest part of ourselves. But "we begin to experience more and more of what we might call 'inner radiance.'"
life-changing implications - of starting with Jesus
If we start with Jesus- cling to Jesus- stay in Jesus' light - there are life changing implications
- We learn about the true nature of God - not the God that we create with our own ideas about God - but rather the God that Jesus is and communicates.
- We learn what is means to be human! - Believing and Loving - Believing and Loving
- also loved this: "He loves others with his whole being. He finds fulfillment as a human in giving His life away in servant love"
- and in the moment to moment obedience that we are called to as disciples - we are always starting with Jesus and always clinging to Jesus - not ourselves!
and oooh how convicting was this? - "Disciples will not be concerned to create a career for themselves...The disciples will "learn obedience" by following Jesus in the same kind of moment-by-moment obedience to the will of the Father as it is disclosed in the contingent happenings of daily life in the place and time where God has placed them" (77).
Okay Jesus - Let's go
- We learn about the true nature of God - not the God that we create with our own ideas about God - but rather the God that Jesus is and communicates.
- We learn what is means to be human! - Believing and Loving - Believing and Loving
- also loved this: "He loves others with his whole being. He finds fulfillment as a human in giving His life away in servant love"
- and in the moment to moment obedience that we are called to as disciples - we are always starting with Jesus and always clinging to Jesus - not ourselves!
and oooh how convicting was this? - "Disciples will not be concerned to create a career for themselves...The disciples will "learn obedience" by following Jesus in the same kind of moment-by-moment obedience to the will of the Father as it is disclosed in the contingent happenings of daily life in the place and time where God has placed them" (77).
Okay Jesus - Let's go
Friday, February 22, 2013
Shine Your Light and....
Question: Why do I choose to wander in the desert and not follow the pillar of light?
Response: I choose and say I see the light and guidance, and that path looks brightly lit. I can see the contour of the path, the bumps, the cracks, on and on... So I'm gunna go this way and fumble around in the dark... in the desert... where I can't see... because following a pillar of fire is just crazy.
William Barclay's paraphrase of Jesus: "I am the Light that never goes out."(DJ 70) Reminds me that no matter how often I look or walk away from the Light, that it NEVER goes out. It's the same Light that guided the Israelite through the desert, the same Light that Jesus spoke about to the woman who was about to be stoned. The same light that I (today) should be (keep on) following.
DJ 76- "Stay close to the Light of the world and we do not walk in darkness about the will of God. He leads us out of darkness, and into the light of God's good purposes. He opens up God's great plans for us and opens up the way to walk into those plans. Again, not all at once. As God lead the Israelites across the desert one step at a time, one day at a time, one week at a time, one year at a time, so Jesus the Light leads us one step at a time, one day at a time. He does not lay out for us a master blueprint for our lives. He does tell us where it all ends -- being conformed to His image in a transformed creation. He does not lay out a detailed image of how He will take us there....He gives us Himself--- as Bread, as Water, as Light. And step by step unfolds the Father's will for us."
I fall into the trap "Okay Lord I trust you!" much like Moses and the gang as they trompted out of Egypt. Then I want INSTANT gratification. I want that blue print... I was telling Joseph today "Same story different day. I need to learn what to trust Him with and what I'm not trusting Him with."
I was sharing with another friend about how in "the deepest darkest parts and times in my life, when I've opened my heart to God about those parts, the Light burns. It's scary, even at the spark of the light. It burns good, and bright. Where the Light shines, even a little, there is no longer darkness." God has used those dark spots in my life where He has shined to bring Glory to His name. It's allowed me to connect with others who may be walking in that darkness. That's how my darkness was revealed, someone in Love let His light shine in my life, even the pit of the deepest hole. The brightness burns. It's a deep deep burn, and it burns so good.
"Follow me. Stay close to Me. Stay right on My heels. I Am the Light of the Kosmos. Walk with Me and you will never walk in darkness."
Father, the above quote speak to my soul. May it sink in deep as I realize your brightness.
Response: I choose and say I see the light and guidance, and that path looks brightly lit. I can see the contour of the path, the bumps, the cracks, on and on... So I'm gunna go this way and fumble around in the dark... in the desert... where I can't see... because following a pillar of fire is just crazy.
William Barclay's paraphrase of Jesus: "I am the Light that never goes out."(DJ 70) Reminds me that no matter how often I look or walk away from the Light, that it NEVER goes out. It's the same Light that guided the Israelite through the desert, the same Light that Jesus spoke about to the woman who was about to be stoned. The same light that I (today) should be (keep on) following.
DJ 76- "Stay close to the Light of the world and we do not walk in darkness about the will of God. He leads us out of darkness, and into the light of God's good purposes. He opens up God's great plans for us and opens up the way to walk into those plans. Again, not all at once. As God lead the Israelites across the desert one step at a time, one day at a time, one week at a time, one year at a time, so Jesus the Light leads us one step at a time, one day at a time. He does not lay out for us a master blueprint for our lives. He does tell us where it all ends -- being conformed to His image in a transformed creation. He does not lay out a detailed image of how He will take us there....He gives us Himself--- as Bread, as Water, as Light. And step by step unfolds the Father's will for us."
I fall into the trap "Okay Lord I trust you!" much like Moses and the gang as they trompted out of Egypt. Then I want INSTANT gratification. I want that blue print... I was telling Joseph today "Same story different day. I need to learn what to trust Him with and what I'm not trusting Him with."
I was sharing with another friend about how in "the deepest darkest parts and times in my life, when I've opened my heart to God about those parts, the Light burns. It's scary, even at the spark of the light. It burns good, and bright. Where the Light shines, even a little, there is no longer darkness." God has used those dark spots in my life where He has shined to bring Glory to His name. It's allowed me to connect with others who may be walking in that darkness. That's how my darkness was revealed, someone in Love let His light shine in my life, even the pit of the deepest hole. The brightness burns. It's a deep deep burn, and it burns so good.
"Follow me. Stay close to Me. Stay right on My heels. I Am the Light of the Kosmos. Walk with Me and you will never walk in darkness."
Father, the above quote speak to my soul. May it sink in deep as I realize your brightness.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Chapters 1-4 FINALLY
It feels good to be back on the blog train!
I apologize for the delay in response and contribution, I have finally gotten the book and caught up on the reading.
What a book. This book is what I have been craving in my walk recently, in fact I have loved the first 4 chapters so much I am insisting Jon read it too. I am gonna just give the highlights of what has spoken to me, challenged me and brought me back to my knees again in this book.
In Chapter 1 page 22 and 23, " First, it is safe to be in the presence of Jesus. We can dare come forward in our since. Everything that needs to be done about sin has been done! Everything!" DJ
"...But the good news is it is no longer our battle...Yield to his victory. Be honest, come clean, come as we are and throw ourselves on Jesus." DJ
It is so easy to feel that our sin is consuming and becomes our identity and I love this reminder! That our sin is taken care of and we need to not come to Jesus but THROW ourselves at Jesus. This is not new but the habit to fall into fixing and pulling myself up is hard to break when Jesus is standing with me and already caring my burden.
Chapter 2, on page 32 DJ is describing baptizing in the present tense- WOW. This is perhaps one of the most profound things I have read in a long time, that Jesus' command and desire is that we are in action with our lives, that we "Keep Abiding in him" that we "keep on believing" "keep on coming" "keep on baptizing" Our life in Christ is a life of action not of a decision and then sitting. In this fast paced life it is easy to want to just sit and be but the call to action the call to movement is one I am needing to take more seriously.
Chapter 3, This chapter was an awesome chapter that connected the old to the new testament and I am such a sucker for that. I love when Jesus so clearly connects who He is to what had been planned for him in the OT. The Son of Man was made ready for us long before He came to earth and continues even to today.
Chapter 4, The radicalness of Jesus is dripping from this statement, "I AM the bread of life". This chapter was awesome because it was that reminder that only Jesus can satisfy, only Jesus can provide what we really need. Again, this is not a new concept but I just love that Jesus chose to use this phrase and to use it so clearly, I love the connection that DJ makes that Jesus does not say I am "the cake of life" we do not need cake, we like cake but it is not necessary for survival but we need bread and that is that we need Jesus, we cannot survive without him.
I am stoked on this book and stoked to be a part of this process with yall. Thanks for sharing the journey.
I apologize for the delay in response and contribution, I have finally gotten the book and caught up on the reading.
What a book. This book is what I have been craving in my walk recently, in fact I have loved the first 4 chapters so much I am insisting Jon read it too. I am gonna just give the highlights of what has spoken to me, challenged me and brought me back to my knees again in this book.
In Chapter 1 page 22 and 23, " First, it is safe to be in the presence of Jesus. We can dare come forward in our since. Everything that needs to be done about sin has been done! Everything!" DJ
"...But the good news is it is no longer our battle...Yield to his victory. Be honest, come clean, come as we are and throw ourselves on Jesus." DJ
It is so easy to feel that our sin is consuming and becomes our identity and I love this reminder! That our sin is taken care of and we need to not come to Jesus but THROW ourselves at Jesus. This is not new but the habit to fall into fixing and pulling myself up is hard to break when Jesus is standing with me and already caring my burden.
Chapter 2, on page 32 DJ is describing baptizing in the present tense- WOW. This is perhaps one of the most profound things I have read in a long time, that Jesus' command and desire is that we are in action with our lives, that we "Keep Abiding in him" that we "keep on believing" "keep on coming" "keep on baptizing" Our life in Christ is a life of action not of a decision and then sitting. In this fast paced life it is easy to want to just sit and be but the call to action the call to movement is one I am needing to take more seriously.
Chapter 3, This chapter was an awesome chapter that connected the old to the new testament and I am such a sucker for that. I love when Jesus so clearly connects who He is to what had been planned for him in the OT. The Son of Man was made ready for us long before He came to earth and continues even to today.
Chapter 4, The radicalness of Jesus is dripping from this statement, "I AM the bread of life". This chapter was awesome because it was that reminder that only Jesus can satisfy, only Jesus can provide what we really need. Again, this is not a new concept but I just love that Jesus chose to use this phrase and to use it so clearly, I love the connection that DJ makes that Jesus does not say I am "the cake of life" we do not need cake, we like cake but it is not necessary for survival but we need bread and that is that we need Jesus, we cannot survive without him.
I am stoked on this book and stoked to be a part of this process with yall. Thanks for sharing the journey.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
DC Talk anyone?
" I want to be in the light as you are in the light I wanna shine like the stars in the heavens......" All the rest of the old people on this blog will finish the lyrics above.
The light of the world! Just like bread, we humans cannot survive without light....without The Light!
As DJ points out - Jesus' timing is everything. When my "Reid-made light" burns out that is when Jesus the light of the world shines the brightest.
He is so gracious and patient with me. He will allow me to burn my own weak and feeble wick (constructed out of sacred undergarments - all stuff done in the name of nobility) for 8 days (or so) and then He takes a stroll through my treasury (things I think are valuable) and then calls out to me....."Reid.........I AM the light of the world!!!!"
My only response is repent and worship!
The light of the world! Just like bread, we humans cannot survive without light....without The Light!
As DJ points out - Jesus' timing is everything. When my "Reid-made light" burns out that is when Jesus the light of the world shines the brightest.
He is so gracious and patient with me. He will allow me to burn my own weak and feeble wick (constructed out of sacred undergarments - all stuff done in the name of nobility) for 8 days (or so) and then He takes a stroll through my treasury (things I think are valuable) and then calls out to me....."Reid.........I AM the light of the world!!!!"
My only response is repent and worship!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Ch.4
Thoughts of Chapter 4 (apologies for tardiness)
We are so gloriously constituted that only a person can meet the longings and cravings of our soul. Our finite hearts can only be satisfied with the infinite.
Honestly, that is just awesome. C.S. Lewis talks about a similar concept in Mere Christianity. That our longing for our Creator only shows that we were created for our Creator.
In healing Jesus is taking something that is broken and making it work again. He takes hold of eyes that are not working and makes them see again. He takes hold of ears that are not working and makes them hear again.
DJ talks about how these are impressive but the feeding of the 5,000 is even more so because Jesus is making more of something. I think what is amazing is that in feeding these people he IS opening their eyes, he IS opening their ears, he IS opening their hearts through something as simple as feeding them. I think it's incredible how Jesus continually meets us on our level because he knows the longings of our hearts. Im constantly blown away by how he decides to reveal himself to us in such trivial institutions such as College Life (christian fellowship), growth groups, Sonshine etc. when he is totally capable of just showing up in the most blunt form. Sometimes the most straightforward preaching of the gospel is the man standing on the street corner proclaiming "Jesus loves you! Repent and follow him!" But how often does that get our attention? Jesus instead says, "I know you are lonely. So I will show myself to you through friendship," "I know you are stressed. I will show myself to you through a rest," "I know you feel the need for purpose. I will show myself to you through opportunities to serve," "I know you are hungry. So I will show myself to you through some bread." How humble is He! He meets our needs though they are small in the scheme of eternity. He meets us where we are at even though he could so easily ask us to simply hear and believe. Instead he meets our trivial needs first. What a display of grace and love!
We are so gloriously constituted that only a person can meet the longings and cravings of our soul. Our finite hearts can only be satisfied with the infinite.
Honestly, that is just awesome. C.S. Lewis talks about a similar concept in Mere Christianity. That our longing for our Creator only shows that we were created for our Creator.
In healing Jesus is taking something that is broken and making it work again. He takes hold of eyes that are not working and makes them see again. He takes hold of ears that are not working and makes them hear again.
DJ talks about how these are impressive but the feeding of the 5,000 is even more so because Jesus is making more of something. I think what is amazing is that in feeding these people he IS opening their eyes, he IS opening their ears, he IS opening their hearts through something as simple as feeding them. I think it's incredible how Jesus continually meets us on our level because he knows the longings of our hearts. Im constantly blown away by how he decides to reveal himself to us in such trivial institutions such as College Life (christian fellowship), growth groups, Sonshine etc. when he is totally capable of just showing up in the most blunt form. Sometimes the most straightforward preaching of the gospel is the man standing on the street corner proclaiming "Jesus loves you! Repent and follow him!" But how often does that get our attention? Jesus instead says, "I know you are lonely. So I will show myself to you through friendship," "I know you are stressed. I will show myself to you through a rest," "I know you feel the need for purpose. I will show myself to you through opportunities to serve," "I know you are hungry. So I will show myself to you through some bread." How humble is He! He meets our needs though they are small in the scheme of eternity. He meets us where we are at even though he could so easily ask us to simply hear and believe. Instead he meets our trivial needs first. What a display of grace and love!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Tense
When Darrell started talking toward the end of the chapter about the tense of words that is lacking in the english translations I begin to think... HOW MUCH ARE WE MISSING?
That is the void that can only be daily quenched by Him. It's obvious... I NEED more of Him, to eat of His bread daily, minutely, secondly... it doesn't stop. I need more of this bread...
God keeps giving the bread, He didn't just give it, He keeps giving it.
Oh I loved the I AM statements ...
Jesus I am statements p. 53
Bread of life
Light of the world
Good Shepherd
Resurrection and the Life
Way, Truth and the Life
True Vine
Thanks Father for sacrificing your Son, not so that He could give the Bread, but to Keep giving!
The tense of the verbs "come" and "believe"- that is what gives. In the Greek they are in the present tense, which emphasizes continual action: "keep on." Jesus is saying "keep coming" and "keep believing." Whoever keeps on coming will never hunger. Whoever keeps on believing will never thirst. (DJ 62-63)
That is the void that can only be daily quenched by Him. It's obvious... I NEED more of Him, to eat of His bread daily, minutely, secondly... it doesn't stop. I need more of this bread...
God keeps giving the bread, He didn't just give it, He keeps giving it.
Oh I loved the I AM statements ...
Jesus I am statements p. 53
Bread of life
Light of the world
Good Shepherd
Resurrection and the Life
Way, Truth and the Life
True Vine
Thanks Father for sacrificing your Son, not so that He could give the Bread, but to Keep giving!
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Wonder-Spun Tears
The main impressions I felt from the reading I find again and again in this week's blog posts - 1. Total Need - "You can make it without most of what you have but you cannot make it without me" (DJ, 54). 2. Perfect Story-Telling - "He waited to make the claim at just the right time, in just the right circumstance" (DJ, 55). Kind of funny - manna - means what is it? For thousands of years nobody really knew what it was. At the perfect time & perfect circumstance Jesus tells them what exactly what "what is it" is -- HIS BODY. "It is another example of His brilliance" (DJ, 55.) All that aside, I write with tears in my eyes as I imagine Jesus mourning the death of his cousin in a quiet place at the time of this miracle and message. Jesus is so intensely cool & compassionate that he interrupts his grieving to minister his butt off for hours upon hours out of compassion. He was so radically abandoned, and yet in abandonment again and again and again He was so recklessly generous. While wrecked with a wounded heart He healed the wretched & served an incredible banquet. I am wrecked by how Jesus gives when his heart has been betrayed, manipulated, & abandoned. Such potent love He shares so unconditionally. I am deeply encouraged and wonder-spun by the scale of the banquet that Darrell expresses by tying it to the tree story -- Eve. Very inspiring and a great reminder for me that Jesus and His banquet table truly is the Alpha and Omega of every story and the Alpha and Omega of space and time. Love you JESUS! As my daughter says, Thank you a million times a million billion infinity gazillion. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
Forget Bagels! Give me some Jesus Bread!
We don't just come to Jesus once, pray to him once, serve him once. We should constantly come to him, pray to him, and serve him, yet I tend to think to myself and tell God that I feel empty, unfulfilled, undesired, alone, abandoned by Him. Man, well maybe that's because I'm not consistently drawing near to Him. "Come near to Him and He will come near to you" (James 4:8). If it is not a daily shedding of my old skin, death to myself, sacrificial release, then how can I say I am coming near to Him? And, how can I expect to feel that He is near to me? Of course, in His omnipotence He is always with me/us, but if I am not disciplining myself to come to Him daily, then I am 1) missing out 2) left feeling empty. It reminds me how we are always told at Sonshine to make sure we are in the word in the morning because when we're not we will run out of energy, feel fatigued/tired much more quickly, and leave the week feeling drained. We need to come to Jesus to receive our "bread" everyday because just as bread and water is essential to live so is relationship with Jesus. For some reason, I find it easy to remember to eat the bread and drink water everyday, but I find it much more difficult to eat my spiritual bread every morning, throughout the day, and at night; however, I leave the day feeling less at ease than had I been sustained by the Lord. I tend to see Christ as a luxury rather than an absolute necessity. "You need Me as much as you need your next meal. Indeed, you need Me more than you need your next meal" (54). But, I don't act that way. I don't act as if I need him MORE than I need my next meal. I neglect the heavenly fruit that sustains me more than anything produced in the ground, on the vines, or on the branches of the trees here on Earth. I need to come daily, fall at His feet, worship Him, and ask to be filled with the Bread of Life before I even think of making coffee, getting dressed, driving to work, or eating my first meal. It cannot be an issue of convenience or a "when I feel like it" moment. It needs to be an essential part of my day, something much more important than eating bread and drinking water, both of which are necessary for my survival. Yet, my ultimate survival rests in His hands, and those are the hands I must be eating from... constantly. No more toast, bagels, or garlic bread for me! Just the Bread of Life!
Bread of Life!
How often I am like the crowds asking Jesus for the bread I think I need. But Jesus comes to me and says, "here I am".
My child you hunger and thirst for what will satisfy when I stand before you as the SOURCE. You beg for scraps when I've given you the very wellspring of life. I am that which satisfies. I am what your heart is longing for. I am. Taste and see that I am good.
another thought: What if 2 Corinthians 4:7 read "we have this manna in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us" ... ya not as good as the original. And yet sometimes I still ask for that manna instead of God's presence, instead of His spirit inside of me. I settle for what does not satisfy because I can see it, because its safe. But no, we were made to be filled with the mysterious treasure of God's love, of the bread of life that satisfies, of his body broken that gives life.
I am further challenged that Jesus is the bread of life without which I CANNOT live. The choice isn't be totally satisfied in Jesus or kind of satisfied in the world. The choice is live or die.
The way to the tree of life has been opened, I am invited to feast, I am invited to be satisfied, I am invited to live.
My child you hunger and thirst for what will satisfy when I stand before you as the SOURCE. You beg for scraps when I've given you the very wellspring of life. I am that which satisfies. I am what your heart is longing for. I am. Taste and see that I am good.
another thought: What if 2 Corinthians 4:7 read "we have this manna in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us" ... ya not as good as the original. And yet sometimes I still ask for that manna instead of God's presence, instead of His spirit inside of me. I settle for what does not satisfy because I can see it, because its safe. But no, we were made to be filled with the mysterious treasure of God's love, of the bread of life that satisfies, of his body broken that gives life.
I am further challenged that Jesus is the bread of life without which I CANNOT live. The choice isn't be totally satisfied in Jesus or kind of satisfied in the world. The choice is live or die.
The way to the tree of life has been opened, I am invited to feast, I am invited to be satisfied, I am invited to live.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Keep Coming
So...ADK beat me by about two hours on most of what I was going to write about. It's going to be similar. :)
The thing that keeps jumping out at me throughout this book is when DJ brings up the present tense of the verbs that Jesus uses when he speaks. It first came up in chapter 2, where Jesus keeps baptizing, keeps filling, etc; and again in this chapter when Jesus calls us to keep coming and keep believing. I love how ADK phrased it, it's a call to relationship. It's a reminder that while the One Who Baptizes will keep filling, we have to keep coming to the Bread of Life as well. "When we find ourselves empty and hungering too much for the bread that perishes, it likely means we have fallen out of the habit of the 'keep coming.' Keep coming. Keep believing. Every day." (63)
I also (like Reid and ADK have already mentioned) loved when DJ said, "we are so gloriously constituted that only a Person can meet the longings and craving of our souls." (55) We can't be filled with "stuff." Whether that stuff is earthly food, good grades, acceptance from friends or family, praises from others, etc. it will never fill us. I find that from my own experiences, I tend to believe that those things actually are filling me, thus leading me to think that I don't need to "keep going" to the Lord to truly be filled. And that just ends up leaving me more empty than I started.
When I finally hear Jesus beckoning me back to himself, he's saying "Take, eat, this is My body given for you. Come. This is the Bread that comes out of heaven and gives life to [you]."
Katy, keep coming. Keep taking. Keep eating. You cannot make it without Me. Keep letting me be the only Person who can and will meet the longings and cravings of your soul. I am the Bread of Life. Keep coming, and I will give you life.
The thing that keeps jumping out at me throughout this book is when DJ brings up the present tense of the verbs that Jesus uses when he speaks. It first came up in chapter 2, where Jesus keeps baptizing, keeps filling, etc; and again in this chapter when Jesus calls us to keep coming and keep believing. I love how ADK phrased it, it's a call to relationship. It's a reminder that while the One Who Baptizes will keep filling, we have to keep coming to the Bread of Life as well. "When we find ourselves empty and hungering too much for the bread that perishes, it likely means we have fallen out of the habit of the 'keep coming.' Keep coming. Keep believing. Every day." (63)
I also (like Reid and ADK have already mentioned) loved when DJ said, "we are so gloriously constituted that only a Person can meet the longings and craving of our souls." (55) We can't be filled with "stuff." Whether that stuff is earthly food, good grades, acceptance from friends or family, praises from others, etc. it will never fill us. I find that from my own experiences, I tend to believe that those things actually are filling me, thus leading me to think that I don't need to "keep going" to the Lord to truly be filled. And that just ends up leaving me more empty than I started.
When I finally hear Jesus beckoning me back to himself, he's saying "Take, eat, this is My body given for you. Come. This is the Bread that comes out of heaven and gives life to [you]."
Katy, keep coming. Keep taking. Keep eating. You cannot make it without Me. Keep letting me be the only Person who can and will meet the longings and cravings of your soul. I am the Bread of Life. Keep coming, and I will give you life.
too gloriously constituted
How crazy is that? "We are too gloriously constituted for 'stuff' to fill us" (54). We are filled with so much more than STUFF. And once again on page 56 DJ, well God, reminds me that my idea of my strength has nothing to do with this stuff- its all about the work of God in me, His Power, my weakness. So who am I to ask "What good are our little resources in light of the great number of people in need?" (56).
And once again I hear the call to relationship - to continual action
- "In the Greek they are in present tense , which emphasizes continual action : "keep on." Jesus is saying , "keep coming" and "keep believing." Whoever keeps on coming will never hunger. Whoever keeps on believing will never thirst" (63).
And the call on pg. 64 really gets me and sums up what this chapter is really saying
"I am that without which you cannot live. I Am the final satisfaction of the human soul. Come to Me, every day. Believe in Me, every day. I give you Myself as Living Bread"
AHH!
Only you can satisfy me Jesus
And once again I hear the call to relationship - to continual action
- "In the Greek they are in present tense , which emphasizes continual action : "keep on." Jesus is saying , "keep coming" and "keep believing." Whoever keeps on coming will never hunger. Whoever keeps on believing will never thirst" (63).
And the call on pg. 64 really gets me and sums up what this chapter is really saying
"I am that without which you cannot live. I Am the final satisfaction of the human soul. Come to Me, every day. Believe in Me, every day. I give you Myself as Living Bread"
AHH!
Only you can satisfy me Jesus
Thursday, February 14, 2013
mmmm bread...I'll have some of that!
"Excuse Flo..... What is the bread of the day? Mmmmm....that sounds good I think I'll have some of that!"
I love bread about as much as Ron Burgundy loves scotch! Jesus claims to be the bread of life that will always satisfy. Always satisfy? Yes always satisfy. Being the insecure guy I am I loved on page 54 where Jesus pays mankind the highest compliment. We as earthly creatures can only be satisfied by heavenly food! We are the creatures who's hunger and thirst can only be met by the great I am. So awesome! I know that to be true - only He can satisfy. Then why so often do I turn to junk food (worldly stuff) to nourish my soul? This chapter helped me close the gap on that question. I find that I am like the people - eat of the bread and then demand a sign. Eat of the bread and then challenge Jesus to perform. All the while missing out on the feast Jesus himself lays before me.....Him...anytime - anywhere!
Take eat...this is my body broken for you!
I love bread about as much as Ron Burgundy loves scotch! Jesus claims to be the bread of life that will always satisfy. Always satisfy? Yes always satisfy. Being the insecure guy I am I loved on page 54 where Jesus pays mankind the highest compliment. We as earthly creatures can only be satisfied by heavenly food! We are the creatures who's hunger and thirst can only be met by the great I am. So awesome! I know that to be true - only He can satisfy. Then why so often do I turn to junk food (worldly stuff) to nourish my soul? This chapter helped me close the gap on that question. I find that I am like the people - eat of the bread and then demand a sign. Eat of the bread and then challenge Jesus to perform. All the while missing out on the feast Jesus himself lays before me.....Him...anytime - anywhere!
Take eat...this is my body broken for you!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Authority!
A big theme that kept popping up for me during this chapter was Jesus' unapologetic authority. Wow, I've got to hand it to him, the man had confidence. But what blows my mind, is what He did with that confidence and authority.....he suffered, served, and gave.
"Who is He who comes with Divine investiture?
Who is He who comes before the Ancient of Days without bowing or confessing His sin?
Who is He to whom is given an everlasting Kingdom?
Who is He whom all nations will worship?" (p.47)
Lord, help me to not make You so small. I know You are friend and confidant, but sometimes I reduce You to being just that. Forgive me. You are SO MUCH BIGGER.
"Jesus was claiming to be that towering figure of Daniels' vision!....He was on trial before the highest religious court. But when He dared to call Himself the Son of Man the tables were turned." (p. 48)
Wow! What confidence! What authority Jesus had in who He was! This makes me think of our "I Am" statements. Can you imagine what we would be like, how we would act, and how we would speak, if we truly believed those statements?
I am a child of God! I am forgiven and set free! I am led by the Spirit of God!
"Jesus is the Son of Man, the judge of the world. But He comes into the world first to suffer, and as He says, 'not to be served, but to serve and give His life a ransom for many." (p.48-49)
With all of that authority and confidence, what is His stance? What does He choose to do? Ah yes, sacrificial, servant, life-giving love.
At our Admin. Training weekend, we discussed that people who serve humbly, sacrifice for others, serve others, and meet the needs of others first, are great leaders. Well folks, Jesus was the greatest.
"Who is He who comes with Divine investiture?
Who is He who comes before the Ancient of Days without bowing or confessing His sin?
Who is He to whom is given an everlasting Kingdom?
Who is He whom all nations will worship?" (p.47)
Lord, help me to not make You so small. I know You are friend and confidant, but sometimes I reduce You to being just that. Forgive me. You are SO MUCH BIGGER.
"Jesus was claiming to be that towering figure of Daniels' vision!....He was on trial before the highest religious court. But when He dared to call Himself the Son of Man the tables were turned." (p. 48)
Wow! What confidence! What authority Jesus had in who He was! This makes me think of our "I Am" statements. Can you imagine what we would be like, how we would act, and how we would speak, if we truly believed those statements?
I am a child of God! I am forgiven and set free! I am led by the Spirit of God!
"Jesus is the Son of Man, the judge of the world. But He comes into the world first to suffer, and as He says, 'not to be served, but to serve and give His life a ransom for many." (p.48-49)
With all of that authority and confidence, what is His stance? What does He choose to do? Ah yes, sacrificial, servant, life-giving love.
At our Admin. Training weekend, we discussed that people who serve humbly, sacrifice for others, serve others, and meet the needs of others first, are great leaders. Well folks, Jesus was the greatest.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Dehumanized Humanity
The reminder that Jesus was fully human yet fully God brings me back to all the times on the water when I felt so exhausted, drained, best down, humiliated, and seeking comfort. I think of Christ's dehumanized humanness and amazed at his humility and power to persevere. Christ withstood the toughest lashing, mocking, and asphyxiation in the history of the universe yet I complain when I get hungry, few hours of sleep, or cold. Give me a break Josh! Christ's blood gushed from his veins on multiple occasions during his last hours started from his prayer in the garden when he sweated blood to the spear in his side immediately following his death and the torn curtain. What have I "given" or spilt for the name of Christ? He pours out blessings through his blood, sweat, and tears yet I refuse to give up the comfort of my "needs." This chapter is challenging me to look through the human eyes of Christ to determine my needs (Christ and water) from my wants (everything else).
This week was full of "If I choose to love Jesus, my brothers will think of me as a traitor and may try to kill me" in the time that i spent with the rhcc small group guys. Not to the extent of killing but "i'll get left out of parties and the chill group of people" and i had to ask them and myself over and over "is Jesus worth the risk?"
When DJ goes into his barrage of questions at the end of page 51 i can see that the son of man is totally worth the risk. The "i am yours" line takes me back to the song line "i am yours, i am yours, all my days, Jesus i am yours."
(apologize for the late post)
(apologize for the late post)
Dance Party
"I am yours" was the defining spiritual encouragement for me last week.
As I smiled repeatedly when thinking that our creator is good and actually calls me and you His own, I would hear in my mind again and again Christ's comment that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. I was left asking two questions about Christ's first and last statements.
# 1 - "Are the first and last statements in some form an ultimate description of Christ's mission - the first who became last?"
# 2- "Are the first and last statements a rendering of final judgment or more of a choreography?" Like in Revelation 4 where Jesus puts crowns on the elders (crowning them, dignifying them) and then the elders immediately removing the crowns as an offering of worship back to Jesus. Its like a first/last dance party. First-last. Last-First. First-last. And for the kinesthetics out there - lot of movement - (lifting off and on of the crowns.)
Well, if Revelation is a first/last, last/first dance party. It's my favorite. And I want to dance with somebody, I want to feel the heat with somebody. OOOOh, I want to dance with somebody. With somebody who loves me.......like the Son of Man.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
He is worth the risk
Jesus is seriously so cool
Here are some lines, passages, that really stuck out to me this week
- "He will not be boxed up in the private religious spheres of life. He will not stay there."
- "Knowing Jesus is the Son of Man puts our lives in perspective. Rulers and empires will rise and fall but the Kingdom of the Son of Man will last forever. It cannot be destroyed- His resurrection demonstrates that for all time (Eph. 1:19-23)." 50
- "The future is secure; it all ends at the feet of the Son of Man"51
So what am I going to do with Jesus today, in Mexico, at the Delta? What does it look like to say 'I am Yours' everyday, trusting in Him with everything?
Jesus you overwhelm me. May my actions, words, attitude, hopes, and thoughts always be pointed to Your Glory. What else can I say to you- I AM YOURS
Here are some lines, passages, that really stuck out to me this week
- "He will not be boxed up in the private religious spheres of life. He will not stay there."
- "Knowing Jesus is the Son of Man puts our lives in perspective. Rulers and empires will rise and fall but the Kingdom of the Son of Man will last forever. It cannot be destroyed- His resurrection demonstrates that for all time (Eph. 1:19-23)." 50
- "The future is secure; it all ends at the feet of the Son of Man"51
So what am I going to do with Jesus today, in Mexico, at the Delta? What does it look like to say 'I am Yours' everyday, trusting in Him with everything?
Jesus you overwhelm me. May my actions, words, attitude, hopes, and thoughts always be pointed to Your Glory. What else can I say to you- I AM YOURS
Thursday, February 7, 2013
77/80 not bad...
I could hear the news paper boys shouting "Man claims to be 'Son of Man' Extra Extra!!!" Jesus seemed to be all about controversy. Deciding to follow Him (literally drop everything, fishing nets and boats included) people must have thought even his followers were crazy. To hear this guy speaking who was just a carpenters boy the way that classically trained Rabbi's did, but with a very different message. This must have been breaking news!
Like Reid (and Emily) said... he flipped the tables...
Self-giving-sacrificial-servant-love.
It's crazy... I love it... Train me, teach me,
Extra Extra!
"Son of Man is just about the most pretentious piece of self-description that any man in the ancient Near East could possibly have used."- Ethelbert Stauffer
Like Reid (and Emily) said... he flipped the tables...
In Daniel's vision all people and nations serve Him. Jesus turns everything upside down and instead, serves the entire world by giving his life as a ransom... The rightful Judge of the whole world takes upon Himself the very judgement He decrees. As the Son of Man, Jesus the Christ has the authority to execute judgement. He comes, and to everyone's surprise the Son of man exercises that authority by executing that judgement against Himself.
Self-giving-sacrificial-servant-love.
It's crazy... I love it... Train me, teach me,
The Son of Man Prequel
I really don't have much to write about the chapter except that again I stand in awe of the Son of Man! I am obsessed with Jesus! I know that sounds weird but I mean it in a good way. Ever since I was a little boy He fascinated me like no other! And through this chapter He has done it again. How could He get away with calling himself that.....because it was Him....and then He "Flips the tabs" on our understanding of Daniels vision by living the prequel of the vision. Serving instead of being served, taking judgment upon himself....and so on and so on.
-Out
-Out
Are You Ready To Be Offered?
"He ransoms our lives by giving Himself away so that we can live!"
I know I've heard this time and time again, but it always brings me to a place of complete and utter awe of my Savior. Going back to what Emily talked about in her post, "Jesus turns everything upside down and serves the world by giving his life as a ransom." For me? For us? For the world? Jesus goes against everything the world thought, and still thinks, and gives Himself away so I can live? Wow.
And then he calls us to give ourselves away so others can live. I'm immediately brought to the sacrifice culture point in the Super Ultra where it says "commit yourself to be slaughtered on behalf of your team so that they might live." I'd like to be able to say that for the past few summers I got to see what that looked like from the barney/driver position. But undoubtedly I know I failed in some way or another each summer. And now, I can only look forward, not knowing specifics of what it'll look like being on the admin team.
But ultimately, those specifics don't matter. The call is the same. Give myself away. The devo from yesterday in My Utmost for His Highest spoke to this a little bit, and I want to share it with you guys.
I know I've heard this time and time again, but it always brings me to a place of complete and utter awe of my Savior. Going back to what Emily talked about in her post, "Jesus turns everything upside down and serves the world by giving his life as a ransom." For me? For us? For the world? Jesus goes against everything the world thought, and still thinks, and gives Himself away so I can live? Wow.
And then he calls us to give ourselves away so others can live. I'm immediately brought to the sacrifice culture point in the Super Ultra where it says "commit yourself to be slaughtered on behalf of your team so that they might live." I'd like to be able to say that for the past few summers I got to see what that looked like from the barney/driver position. But undoubtedly I know I failed in some way or another each summer. And now, I can only look forward, not knowing specifics of what it'll look like being on the admin team.
But ultimately, those specifics don't matter. The call is the same. Give myself away. The devo from yesterday in My Utmost for His Highest spoke to this a little bit, and I want to share it with you guys.
I'm ready to be offered. It is a transaction of will, not of sentiment. Tell God you are ready to be offered; then let the consequences be what they may, there is no strand of complaint now, no matter what God chooses. God put you through the crisis in private, no one person can help another. Externally the life may be the same; the difference is in will. Go through the crisis in will, then when it comes externally there will be no thought of the cost. If you do not transact in will with God along this line, you will end in awakening sympathy of yourself.
"Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar." The altar means fire -- burning and purification and insulation for one purpose only, the destruction of every affinity that God has not started and of every attachment that is not an attachment in God. You do not destroy it, God does; you bind the sacrifice to the horns of the altar; and see that you do not give way to self-pity when the fire begins. After this way of fire, there is not that oppresses or depresses. When the crisis arises, you realize that things cannot touch you as they used to do. What is your way of fire?
Tell God you are ready to be offered, and God will prove Himself to be all you ever dreamed He would be.So what is the sacrifice? It's me. It's Katy. It's us. It's our whole life, our whole being. And I don't know about you guys, but that fire scares me. But I hold onto the promise in the last sentence, that God will be (and already is) all I've ever dreamed (or will dream) He could be.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Writing in the Margins
It seems the more I read, the more questions I have. The more I learn about Jesus, the more mysterious he becomes. I agree with Dale Bruner, "There are no graduates from the Jesus school" (p.. 24).
I am a big fan of highlighting and writing in the margins of a text, and boy, this week I just about ran out of highlighter juice and pencil lead. My thoughts and questions on this blog may not be very cohesive and orderly, but they came straight from my thoughts and scrawled margin writings at the time.
Thought: I love this image. I am picturing being completely immersed in a pool, totally submerged. The very life of God is being indwelled in me....and that's to stay. That does not go away. THE very life of God is in me.
Thought: Joe was a friend of mine who became a believer when we were in college. I remember sitting with him in a coffee shop after he had been asked by Campus Crusade to share his testimony in front of the students at a meeting. He was really nervous and shared that he did not have that "moment of conversion" or a "lightning strike" moment with God. We talked for several hours and I remember telling him that everybody's journey with God is different. He pursues each person in a different way and, for some, there is a "BAM!" moment, and for others it is a slow, "turning to the light" process.
I am so happy Darrell included that the baptism of the spirit can be slow and quiet, and over a period of time. This could be a big question on some campers' minds this summer.
Thoughts: Nina, what is one way you experience newness with Christ?
Answer: Talking with others about Christ. I always get Jesus Schooled this way. I walk away convicted, with many questions, and much to think about. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:25
Thoughts: Baptism and salvation: More similar than we think? They are both continuous and are a process of Christ infusing and pruning.
Ceremonially we are baptized once and we only need to be saved once (we don't need to doubt our salvation once saved), but both are continuously being "worked out."
Is this correct thinking?
Thought: "Lord, help me not to make you safe!"
Thought: Hallelujah!!
I am a big fan of highlighting and writing in the margins of a text, and boy, this week I just about ran out of highlighter juice and pencil lead. My thoughts and questions on this blog may not be very cohesive and orderly, but they came straight from my thoughts and scrawled margin writings at the time.
- "...To put it more graphically, Jesus the Baptizer dunks us and drenches us with the very Life of the Triune God" (p.28).
Thought: I love this image. I am picturing being completely immersed in a pool, totally submerged. The very life of God is being indwelled in me....and that's to stay. That does not go away. THE very life of God is in me.
- "It may be sudden, critical and sensationally transforming; it may be slow and quiet and spread over a period [of time].
Thought: Joe was a friend of mine who became a believer when we were in college. I remember sitting with him in a coffee shop after he had been asked by Campus Crusade to share his testimony in front of the students at a meeting. He was really nervous and shared that he did not have that "moment of conversion" or a "lightning strike" moment with God. We talked for several hours and I remember telling him that everybody's journey with God is different. He pursues each person in a different way and, for some, there is a "BAM!" moment, and for others it is a slow, "turning to the light" process.
I am so happy Darrell included that the baptism of the spirit can be slow and quiet, and over a period of time. This could be a big question on some campers' minds this summer.
- "The one common denominator for all is the experience of newness" (p.29).
Thoughts: Nina, what is one way you experience newness with Christ?
Answer: Talking with others about Christ. I always get Jesus Schooled this way. I walk away convicted, with many questions, and much to think about. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:25
- "This is the One who keeps on baptizing. Continuous action. Keeps on baptizing" (p. 32).
Thoughts: Baptism and salvation: More similar than we think? They are both continuous and are a process of Christ infusing and pruning.
Ceremonially we are baptized once and we only need to be saved once (we don't need to doubt our salvation once saved), but both are continuously being "worked out."
Is this correct thinking?
- "So, from our fear, we settle for a manageable form of religion and hold the full reality at arm's length...Out of fear we try to domesticate the Wind and Fire of God even if it is no longer satisfying."
Thought: "Lord, help me not to make you safe!"
- "But the point is we need not fear the effusion- for the simple reason that we were made for this!..This effusion does not make us weird- it makes us human! We are finally human! (p.35)
Thought: Hallelujah!!
Monday, February 4, 2013
Swarm from the Lukewarm
Sorry for posting late. "So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16). As I read over this chapter this past week I was struck with this image of immersion and diving completely in. So often in the church we talk about "going All in" or "giving it our all." But so often we sit idly by, walk by the injured man on the side of the road and don't stop to help, neglect to forgive others seventy times seven times, we get greedy, jealous, covetous, easily angered/frustrated, etc. Man, but Jesus is dunking us in the water! If his grace is an ocean we Are all sinking. But when we are completely 100% dunked in the water of his grace, truth, and love how could we dare to be lukewarm (neither hot nor cold). We deserve to be spit out everyday-to be left on the floor for someone else to walk over, yet Christ picks us back up, runs to us when we come home, and lets us take off the training wheels and do our best not to fall for the 8 millionth time TODAY! However he knows that we all win and fall short of the glory of God. BUT he continues to dunk us in full body up to our heads covered in redemption. "Jesus is the one who keeps on baptizing. He is the one who keeps on dunking His people in and drenching His people with His spirit" (33). He washes our feet every morning and sends us out to be hot not lukewarm. He wants is to burn with desire And love for others in the oven of his sacrifice and unfailing love, not bask in the warmth of our own desires and wants. "We are therefore (again and again) in need of a cleansing bath, we are need of a showering of new grace" (34). Let's go out and freeze in the middle of the Delta in the early morning to spend time with Him. Lets work in the blazing Shasta sun on Sunday afternoons preparing for campers. Lets not work in the comfort of our lukewarm, cozy protection and desires, but lets burn HOT and be dunked in the waters of His Truth.
Puny Pansiness
A guy told me yesterday that He's glad Jesus stopped all the O.T. sacrifice system because, "you know, all that sacrificing would be a lot of work. I'm lazy so I'm glad Jesus has made it easier by His grace."
I was an in a setting that required me to respond to his opinion in prayer. The prayer was, "Jesus, I dread your new covenant, because its not some bird or bull being ripped open and burnt......its me.....
As much as I want the gospel to be about me cleaning up the highway, the reality of the gospel is run for your ----ing lives BECAUSE SOMEONE'S COMIN' down your highway!!!!!!!!!
As much as I want to get my life in order. Jesus has come to obliterate my order.
I strive to get civilized and Jesus is so *$&% uncivilized that He comes after all attachments, all civilities, all orders and baptizes them all with fiery Kingdom craziness.
In summary - John wearing a loin cloth and munching locusts out in the middle of who knows where is such a mild form & picture of the wild, savage heart of Christ.
In summary - I'm a puny pansy. Jesus please make me wild like you.
Flippin' the Tabes!
Dude, Jesus totally flipped the tabes!!!!!!!
"he was on trial before the highest religious court. but when he dared to call Himself the Son of Man the tables were turned. the court was on trial before Him! "Blasphemy!" they cried. Indeed, the judges were now not on the side of the ancient of days, the divine judge of history, but on the side of the beasts being judged!"
I find myself in awe of Jesus in this moment. To bring everything we thought we knew about history, about ourselves, about our position before God into utter destruction. To reverse what we thought we were sure of and dismantle every self-righteous, "i got this" thought.
Its the greatest climax of any story every written in history, the twist ending... but the plot thickens.
As I listent to how the tabes were flipped in the face of the pharisees and judges my heart collapses in my chest, my stomach drops, and I catch my breath as I realize how powerfully, destructively and beautifully the tables have been flipped on me.
I am - without a better explanation - desperately trying to claw my way out of sinking sand. Sunken in sin each move I make to ascend to solid ground I slip deeper. And the tabes are flipped. "everything that needs to be done about sin has been done" My vision of God's presence/glory up on a hill that I can just reach if I work hard enough is violently shattered. My ideas about saving myself are relentlessly crushed. the tables are flipped and I am on solid ground. The judgment I expect and deserve to bear is taken by Jesus.
My ideas about kingdoms, power, authority are obliterated as THE king, THE power, THE authority hangs on a tree, for me. tabes flipped.
My ideas about what it means to be great... destroyed. Tabes flipped.
"In Daniel's vision all people and nations serve Him. Jesus turns everything upside down and instead, serves the world by giving his life as a ransom" flippin the tabes.
Jesus you have turned my world upside down. You have turned THE world upside down. May my ideas of what it means to serve, what it means to be greatest in the kingdom of heaven be found on your side of the table. In the destruction of what I thought I knew, may your reality become my reality. May I rest in the aftermath of your grace.
Over and over You ask, "who do you say the Son of Man is?" If I believe what you say I can lay down my performance and simply respond "I love you Jesus. I am yours. I will risk it all to follow you. I will not hesitate to flip the tabes of my life because you have flipped the tabes of the world"
"what else can you say the to the Son of Man?"
"he was on trial before the highest religious court. but when he dared to call Himself the Son of Man the tables were turned. the court was on trial before Him! "Blasphemy!" they cried. Indeed, the judges were now not on the side of the ancient of days, the divine judge of history, but on the side of the beasts being judged!"
I find myself in awe of Jesus in this moment. To bring everything we thought we knew about history, about ourselves, about our position before God into utter destruction. To reverse what we thought we were sure of and dismantle every self-righteous, "i got this" thought.
Its the greatest climax of any story every written in history, the twist ending... but the plot thickens.
As I listent to how the tabes were flipped in the face of the pharisees and judges my heart collapses in my chest, my stomach drops, and I catch my breath as I realize how powerfully, destructively and beautifully the tables have been flipped on me.
I am - without a better explanation - desperately trying to claw my way out of sinking sand. Sunken in sin each move I make to ascend to solid ground I slip deeper. And the tabes are flipped. "everything that needs to be done about sin has been done" My vision of God's presence/glory up on a hill that I can just reach if I work hard enough is violently shattered. My ideas about saving myself are relentlessly crushed. the tables are flipped and I am on solid ground. The judgment I expect and deserve to bear is taken by Jesus.
My ideas about kingdoms, power, authority are obliterated as THE king, THE power, THE authority hangs on a tree, for me. tabes flipped.
My ideas about what it means to be great... destroyed. Tabes flipped.
"In Daniel's vision all people and nations serve Him. Jesus turns everything upside down and instead, serves the world by giving his life as a ransom" flippin the tabes.
Jesus you have turned my world upside down. You have turned THE world upside down. May my ideas of what it means to serve, what it means to be greatest in the kingdom of heaven be found on your side of the table. In the destruction of what I thought I knew, may your reality become my reality. May I rest in the aftermath of your grace.
Over and over You ask, "who do you say the Son of Man is?" If I believe what you say I can lay down my performance and simply respond "I love you Jesus. I am yours. I will risk it all to follow you. I will not hesitate to flip the tabes of my life because you have flipped the tabes of the world"
"what else can you say the to the Son of Man?"
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Constant Re-Learner
"Who is He?... The fact is we will never be done with the question! We will never be done asking it, let alone answering it...'There is no graduate from Jesus School.'"
Sometimes I think reading these books I'm looking for "The secret... do this and follow this... so that I can..." Am I looking to graduate? NOPE! No one graduates from Jesus school. I'll never be done learning/re-learning.
As many of you have commented about dunking and drenching I was rocked by that as well. It's so interesting to read about how simple the language is made (now with the english translations) but how deep the original meanings were.
Sometimes I think reading these books I'm looking for "The secret... do this and follow this... so that I can..." Am I looking to graduate? NOPE! No one graduates from Jesus school. I'll never be done learning/re-learning.
As many of you have commented about dunking and drenching I was rocked by that as well. It's so interesting to read about how simple the language is made (now with the english translations) but how deep the original meanings were.
"Jesus keeps on infusing His followers with divine life and will keep on doing so until every fiber of our being radiates with the glory of God.
How's that for good news? (WIJp.32) "
"Spirit of God, Descend upon My heart"
-George Croly
Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
wean it from earth, through all its pulses move,
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Though art,
and make me love Thee as I ought to love.
Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,
one holy passion filling all my frame;
The baptism of the heaven-descended Dove,
my heart an alter and Thy love the flame.
Good news Indeed! Good news Indeed! Every fiber, every stitch infuse me Father until I [re]learning again and again.
The One Who Baptizes!
"Being baptized by Jesus the Baptist will manifest itself in different people in different ways. In different personality types in different ways. In different cultural settings in different ways"
wow. I love this. I am a huge comparer and often I get caught up thinking I have to be like so and so in order to be a Christian, I have to talk and act like so and so to be a good driver, no one will love me unless I have the personality of such and such.
wrong. Being baptized by Jesus' living water does not make me like any other Christian ... it makes me myself! "The only common denominator is newness" and the newness I experience is not being made to fit a cookie cutter description of a good Christian or awesome Sonshine staff; the newness I experience is the awakening of the Emily God has created me to be.
His spirit breaths life into me and I discover that I am in fact fearfully and wonderfully made; uniquely created and uniquely loved.
Instead of trying so hard to be what I think I need to be, I let Jesus unleash his untamable, unsafe, and completely good spirit into my heart to mold me into the one He has created me to be. And I am reminded that the one He has created me to be, is the one Jesus loves.
wow. I love this. I am a huge comparer and often I get caught up thinking I have to be like so and so in order to be a Christian, I have to talk and act like so and so to be a good driver, no one will love me unless I have the personality of such and such.
wrong. Being baptized by Jesus' living water does not make me like any other Christian ... it makes me myself! "The only common denominator is newness" and the newness I experience is not being made to fit a cookie cutter description of a good Christian or awesome Sonshine staff; the newness I experience is the awakening of the Emily God has created me to be.
His spirit breaths life into me and I discover that I am in fact fearfully and wonderfully made; uniquely created and uniquely loved.
Instead of trying so hard to be what I think I need to be, I let Jesus unleash his untamable, unsafe, and completely good spirit into my heart to mold me into the one He has created me to be. And I am reminded that the one He has created me to be, is the one Jesus loves.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
'My heart an altar and Thy love the flame'
1) 'Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness' Isaiah 40:30.
It's so awesome that the first place we meet Jesus is in the wilderness. He comes to us in our desert to fetch us for himself and take us to be with him.
2) 'We must never conceive of 'salvation' in purely negative terms, as if it consisted only in rescue from sin, guilt, wrath and death. We thank God that it is all these things. But it also includes the positive blessing of the Holy Spirit to regenerate, indwell, liberate and transform. What a truncated gospel we preach if we proclaim the one without the other! And what a glorious gospel we have to share when we are true to the scriptures':
GAH!!! This joy bombed by heart! And it think this is the answer to/it complements what I posed in last weeks blog about change/renewal/life/joy/transformation.
3) 'Who can control him? So from our fear, we settle for a manageable form of religion and hold the full reality at arm's length. Out of fear we try to domesticate the Wind and Fire of God and settle for the predictable even if it is no longer satisfying'
God, may I never try and manage you. May I never settle for easy and comfortable. Lord, give me the courage to joyfully follow where you lead. Ruthlessly demand of me a reckless trust. Jesus, I am both terrified and excited to travel that journey with you.
It's so awesome that the first place we meet Jesus is in the wilderness. He comes to us in our desert to fetch us for himself and take us to be with him.
2) 'We must never conceive of 'salvation' in purely negative terms, as if it consisted only in rescue from sin, guilt, wrath and death. We thank God that it is all these things. But it also includes the positive blessing of the Holy Spirit to regenerate, indwell, liberate and transform. What a truncated gospel we preach if we proclaim the one without the other! And what a glorious gospel we have to share when we are true to the scriptures':
GAH!!! This joy bombed by heart! And it think this is the answer to/it complements what I posed in last weeks blog about change/renewal/life/joy/transformation.
3) 'Who can control him? So from our fear, we settle for a manageable form of religion and hold the full reality at arm's length. Out of fear we try to domesticate the Wind and Fire of God and settle for the predictable even if it is no longer satisfying'
God, may I never try and manage you. May I never settle for easy and comfortable. Lord, give me the courage to joyfully follow where you lead. Ruthlessly demand of me a reckless trust. Jesus, I am both terrified and excited to travel that journey with you.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Something Beautiful
In your ocean, I'm ankle deep
I feel the waves crashin' on my feetIt's like I know where I need to be
But I can't figure out, yeah I can't figure out
Just how much air I will need to breathe
When your tide rushes over me
There's only one way to figure out
Will ya let me drown, will ya let me drown
Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful
To touch me, I know that I'm in reach
'Cause I am down on my knees, I'm waiting for something beautiful
Oh, something beautiful
"We are afraid that if we were to really open up to Jesus's baptism we might get swept up into something beyond our control." p.35
"But the point is we need not fear the effusion - for the simple reason that we were made for this!" p.35
Baptism. The old self descends, drowns, dies. The new self rises, loves, lives. He baptizes us. We can either stand ankle deep in grace like an ocean, or let Jesus break our knees, baptize us, and show us Something Beautiful.
"Two roads diverged in the woods... and I took the road less traveled... AND IT HURT, MAN!" -Kid President, "Pep Talk"
Baptism in and with the Holy Spirit is Something Beautiful. Something Beautiful does not mean Something Painless, Something Easy or Something Decent. But it is Something Beautiful. It's the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of my self absorbed world. AND IT HURTS, MAN! But it's so beautiful.
-Mike
Continuously Filled
It's not a one-and-done deal with Jesus. "It is the nature of Jesus, the Saviour of the world, to baptize and keep on baptizing, to immerse and keep on immersing, to soak and keep on soaking, to flood and keep on flooding, to fill and keep filling, to infuse and keep on infusing. This is the one who baptizes not once, not twice, not three times, but again and again and again. Jesus keeps on infusing His followers with divine life and will keep on doing so until every fibre of our being radiates with the glory of God! How's that for good news?" (DJ, 32).
YES! That is such good news! Every day, every moment, we are being baptized, immersed, soaked, flooded, filled, and infused with the Spirit of the Living God! How sweet is that? "It is the nature of Jesus to keep on giving His life to us!" (DJ, 34). It's a continuous process of Jesus bringing newness, bringing life, bringing grace, mercy, love, etc. "We are finally what we were created to be when filled with and animated by the life of the Triune God" (DJ, 35).
Dang, I want that. I wish I was more consciously aware, day to day, of Jesus' continuous baptism, immersing, soaking, flooding, filling and infusing in my life. But so often I'm totally unaware. How would that change my relationships with everyone around me? Parents? Roommates? Professors? Classmates? The more I'm aware of how much I'm being filled, the more I will realize how much I have to give away.
How many times have we gone through a "dry time" in our faith, and used the phrase "I just feel like I'm not being filled right now?" This chapter has assured me of the fact that I am always being continuously filled by the only person who really matters, the person of Christ.
Jesus, keep on infusing us with divine life and keep on doing so until every fiber of our being radiates with your glory. We want to live in the reality of what we were created to be, and that is to be filled with and animated by the life of the Triune God.
YES! That is such good news! Every day, every moment, we are being baptized, immersed, soaked, flooded, filled, and infused with the Spirit of the Living God! How sweet is that? "It is the nature of Jesus to keep on giving His life to us!" (DJ, 34). It's a continuous process of Jesus bringing newness, bringing life, bringing grace, mercy, love, etc. "We are finally what we were created to be when filled with and animated by the life of the Triune God" (DJ, 35).
Dang, I want that. I wish I was more consciously aware, day to day, of Jesus' continuous baptism, immersing, soaking, flooding, filling and infusing in my life. But so often I'm totally unaware. How would that change my relationships with everyone around me? Parents? Roommates? Professors? Classmates? The more I'm aware of how much I'm being filled, the more I will realize how much I have to give away.
How many times have we gone through a "dry time" in our faith, and used the phrase "I just feel like I'm not being filled right now?" This chapter has assured me of the fact that I am always being continuously filled by the only person who really matters, the person of Christ.
Jesus, keep on infusing us with divine life and keep on doing so until every fiber of our being radiates with your glory. We want to live in the reality of what we were created to be, and that is to be filled with and animated by the life of the Triune God.
Dunked and Drenched!
To be dunked and drenched by the spirit! To be soaked head to toe by the Spirit! To weigh a few more pounds because I am soaking wet with something fresh and sweet. The fog this morning was thick at 5:00am in Lodi. As I drove to Panera Bread my headlights made visible the moisture in the air that is fog. Immediately I thought of this chapter. The fog was so thick that I had to use my windshield wipers to remove the moisture. I want the Spirit of God to be like that in my life. So thick, so visible, that other not only see it but feel it in their lives. I too often quench the work of the Spirit in my life due to being critical, judgmental, prideful, and fearful. Father forgive me, create in me a clean heart and renew a right Spirit within me.
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