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!
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