Gary Moon Quote…

“Saints are just like you and I—except they have determined to live their lives so close to God that it makes the devil too nervous to follow.”

Gary Moon, Falling For God

Limitations

"Sometimes the limitations you are willing to accept establish the boundaries of your existence."

- Erwin McManus, "Wide Awake"

 

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

—Mark Twain

Picked up Erwin's new book "Wide Awake" recently and once again have been blown away.  I forget how inspiring his writings are for me.  His ability to speak to the human spirit in a way that challenges and encourages is amazing...and comes in perfect timing in my life.  Sometimes I need to be reminded that often limits are self-defined and created.

I woke this morning viewing life through the bars of circumstance and time, then remembered that Christ has freed me to embrace eternity today.  As I reflect on this reality fear gives way to hope, and courage wells up to live from faith for love.

Power of Mystery

"We have long emphasized preaching the truth and have usually defined truth as biblical facts that can be ingested and defended.  We forget that facts do not produce life, only the mystery of godliness can do that.  The key question of vitality is not 'Do you have the facts of the faith?' but ' Are you in touch with the mystery that empowers them?'"

- Calvin Miller, Into the Depths of God

Quote for Thought...

"The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted, uncared for, and deserted by everybody.  The greatest evil is the lack of love."

- Mother Teresa

An Ember

An Ember in the Dark by Louis L'Amour

Faintly, along the shadowed shores of night
I saw a wilderness of stars that flamed
And fluttered as they climbed or sank, and shamed
The crouching dark with shyly twinkling light;
I saw them there, odd fragments quaintly bright,
And wondered at their presence there unclaimed,
Then thought, perhaps, that they were dreams unnamed,
That faded slow, like hope's arrested flight.

Or vanished suddenly, like futile fears--
And some were old and worn like precious things
That youth preserves against encroaching years--
Some disappeared like songs that no man sings,
But one remained--an ember in the dark--
I crouched alone, and blew upon the spark

The Companion of Christmas - Thoughts from Henri Nouwen

I read this this morning, great way to start the day...

"God came to us because he wanted to join us on the road, to listen to our story, and to help us realize that we are not walking in circles but moving towards the house of peace and joy.  This is the great mystery of Christmas that continues to give us comfort and consolation: we are not alone on our journey.  The God of love who gave us life sent his only Son to be with us at all times and in all places, so that we never have to feel lost in our struggles but always can trust that he walks with us.

The challenge is to let God be who he wants to be.  A part of us clings to our aloneness and does not allow God to touch us where we are most in pain.  Often we hide from him precisely those places in ourselves where we feel guilty, ashamed, confused, and lost.  Thus we do not give him a chance to be with us where we feel most alone.

Christmas is the renewed invitation not to be afraid and to let him-whose love is greater than our own hearts and minds can comprehend-be our companion"

- Henri Nouwen, Gracias

The Battle of Two Loves

"There can be only two basic loves, the love of God unto the forgetfulness of self, or the love of self unto the forgetfulness of God."

- Augustine

This quote has stirred some deep places in me this week.  Thoughts I look forward to sharing, but not just yet.  Rather than rambling about me intimations, I'd like to hear from you.  Is the battle really that simple?  Are there merely two paths for the human soul to journey leading to two opposing destinations?  Or is this an oversimplification?  How do you see this expressed in your world?

Quote for Thought

"We have long emphasized preaching the truth and have usually defined truth as biblical facts that can be ingested and defended.  We forget that facts do not produce life, only the mystery of godliness can do that.  The key question for vitality is not "Do you have the facts of the faith?" but "Are you in touch with the mystery that empowers?"

- Calvin Miller, Into the Depths of God

Quote for Thought

"The days of our lives are representatives of eternity rather than fugitives, and we must live as if the fate of all of time would totally depend on a single moment."

- Abraham Heschel, Man Is Not Alone

Engagement (Thoughts from "Call To Commitment")

"Some of you," she would say, "have got to stay home and make the same sacrifices as those who got to Indochina and take years to prepare, learning the language, the customs and such things. You must learn a new language also, the language of the world, so that those who are worldly and sophisticated, but spiritually illiterate, can understand you. You must do everything they do, and do it better - but without sin. Read better and more broadly than they do, entertain better and more charmingly, dress better and have a knowledge of all the things in which they are interested, so that you can understand their point of view. If you do not do this, you will speak not only a foreign language in this pagan country, but one that repels."

- Elizabeth O'Conner, Call To Commitment

The quote above was spoken to Gordon Cosby, Elizabeth-Anne and Mary Campbell by Mrs. Campbell while they were contemplating missionary service. After I read her comments I was whisked away to the courts of Babylon and four young men enslaved by an evil empire...

"As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. ... And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom."

- Daniel 1:17, 20

Turning all this as a light on my own life as a "suburban missionary" complexity seemed to melt away into the simple reality of engagement. Following Christ is not our removal from the World but movement toward it. How much does the "Christian Sub-culture" alienate us from those we are here to give our lives to? What does it look like for us to excel with purity? How do we become "students of our culture" while maintaining our "kingdom citizenship"? Tough questions that need solid, practical answers.

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

- James, Book of James 1:26-27

Long Week...

"Mankind will not perish for want of information; but only fro want of appreciation.  The beginning of our happiness lies in the understanding that life without wonder is not worth living."

- Abraham Heschel, Man is Not Alone

It's amazing how fast a week can go.  I woke up this morning to find myself in the middle of August with a slight whiplash at how fast life moves at times.  It's easy for me to get caught up in "doing" that I forget living involves "being".  This morning I ran across the above quote from Abe.  Once again I was reminded that realignment begins with wonder.  There is such limitless beauty in creation waiting to be seen and experienced.  Reflecting on this has birthed a conviction, to embrace a faith that strives to awaken others to the beauty around them.  Could it be that the beginning of the fight for justice and peace, rebirth and reconciliation begins with the simple act of discovering the majestic beauty all around us?  I know this...the sunlight flowing in this morning from the window has warmed more than the room.

Quote for Thought

"The dignity of man stands in proportion to his obligation as well as to his rights."

- Abraham Heschel, God in Search of Man

 

He has told you, O man, what is good;
   and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
   and to walk humbly with your God?

- Micah, Micah 6:8

Quote for Thought

"What Jesus wants from us is not admiration, but imitation."

- Ronald Rolheiser, The Holy Longing

Propositional Christianity

This is today's devotional from Ransomed Heart...

A “Propositional” Christianity

We have lived for so long with a “propositional” approach to Christianity, we have nearly lost its true meaning. As Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen says,
"Much of it hinges on your view of scripture. Are you playing proof-text poker with Genesis plus the Gospels and Paul’s epistles, with everything else just sort of a big mystery in between—except maybe Psalms and Proverbs, which you use devotionally? Or do you see scripture as being a cosmic drama—creation, fall, redemption, future hope—dramatic narratives that you can apply to all areas of life?" (Prism interview)

For centuries prior to our Modern Era, the church viewed the gospel as a Romance, a cosmic drama whose themes permeated our own stories and drew together all the random scenes in a redemptive wholeness. But our rationalistic approach to life, which has dominated Western culture for hundreds of years, has stripped us of that, leaving a faith that is barely more than mere fact-telling. Modern evangelicalism reads like an IRS 1040 form: It’s true, all the data is there, but it doesn’t take your breath away. As British theologian Alister McGrath warns, the Bible is not primarily a doctrinal sourcebook: “To reduce revelation to principles or concepts is to suppress the element of mystery, holiness and wonder to God’s self-disclosure. ‘First principles’ may enlighten and inform; they do not force us to our knees in reverence and awe, as with Moses at the burning bush, or the disciples in the presence of the risen Christ” (A Passion for Truth).

- (The Sacred Romance , 45)

Quotes for Thought

"The Gospel says you are more sinful and flawed than you ever dared believed, yet you are more accepted and loved than you ever dared hope because Jesus lived and died in your place."

"God has given us the Gospel to create a safe environment to look beneath the surface."

"You can be yourself because there's nothing left to prove"

- Peter Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy Church, The

Something Epic...

Some Larger Way

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way. (J. R. R. Tolkien)

"The Sacred Romance calls to us every moment of our lives. It whispers to us on the wind, invites us through the laughter of good friends, reaches out to us through the touch of someone we love. We’ve heard it in our favorite music, sensed it at the birth of our first child, been drawn to it while watching the shimmer of a sunset on the ocean. It is even present in times of great personal suffering—the illness of a child, the loss of a marriage, the death of a friend. Something calls to us through experiences like these and rouses an inconsolable longing deep within our heart, wakening in us a yearning for intimacy, beauty, and adventure. This longing is the most powerful part of any human personality. It fuels our search for meaning, for wholeness, for a sense of being truly alive. However we may describe this deep desire, it is the most important thing about us, our heart of hearts, the passion of our life. And the voice that calls to us in this place is none other than the voice of God."

(The Sacred Romance , 195)

Preparing for the wedding has caused me to reflect on this incredible reality God has called us to in Christ. Part love story, part action/adventure movie, part epic war tale ... It's good to be reminded that our faith is a journey of the heart as well as the mind.

Insights from Heschel on The Holiness Tradition

I continue to be stirred by Foster's exploration of the "Holiness Tradition - The Virtuous Life". It's good to be reminded that our actions matter, they have eternal significance.

I've also found myself returning to the works of Abraham Heschel for insight on the role of virtuous deeds from a Hebraic perspective. Here are a couple of quotes that have been good to reflect on...

"There are three starting pints of contemplation about God; three trails that lead to Him. The first is the way of sensing the presence of God in the world, in things (Isaiah 40:26); the second is the way of sensing His presence in the Bible (Exodus 20:2); the third is the way of sensing His presence in sacred deeds (Exodus 24:7)." (italics mine)

"Ultimately, then, the goal of religious life is quality rather than quantity, not only what is done, but how it is done."

Abraham Heschel

Love's Service

The first time I heard this was in an interview with Brennan Manning discussing his relationship with Rich Mullins...it has haunted me ever since.

A physician comes periodically to the pool hoping to be the first in line and longing to be healed of his melancholy. The angel appears but blocks the physician just as he is ready to step into the water. The angel tells the physician to draw back, for this moment is not for him. The physician pleads for help in a broken voice, but the angel insists that healing is not intended for him.

The dialogue continues — and then comes the prophetic word from the angel: "Without your wounds where would your power be? It is your melancholy that makes your low voice tremble into the hearts of men and women. The very angels themselves cannot persuade the wretched and blundering children on earth as can one human broken on the wheels of living. In Love’s service, only wounded soldiers can serve."

Brennan Manning, "Abba's Child"

Quote for Thought

Thought of this while studying through the "Holiness Tradition" in Foster's Streams...

"Faith is not a silent treasure to be kept in the seclusion of the soul, but a mint in which to strike the coin of common deeds."

"The dichotomy of faith and works which presented such an important problem in Christian theology was never a problem in Judaism. To us, the basic problem is neither what is the right action nor what it the right intention. The basic problem is: what is right living? And life is indivisible. The inner sphere is never isolated form outward activities.

Abraham Heschel

Stations on the Road to Freedom :: Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Discipline

If you set out to seek freedom, then learn above all discipline of soul and your senses, so that your passions and limbs might not lead you confusedly hither and yon. Chaste be your spirit and body, subject to your own will, and obedient to seek out the goal that they have given. No one discovers the secret of freedom but through self-control.

Action

Dare to do what is just, not what fancy may call for; lose not time with what may be, but boldly grasp what is real. The world of thought is escape; freedom comes only through action.
Step out beyond anxious waiting and into the storm of events, carried only by God's command and by your own faith; then will freedom exultantly cry out to welcome you spirit.

Suffering

Wondrous transformation! Your strong and active hands are tied now. Powerless, alone, you see the end of your action. Still, you take a deep breath and lay your struggle for justice, quietly and in faith, into a mightier hand.
Just for one blissful moment, you tasted the sweetness of freedom, then you handed it over to God, that he might make it whole.

Death

Come now, highest moment on the road to freedom eternal, Death, put down the ponderous chains and demolish the walls of our mortal bodies, the walls of our blinded souls, that we might finally see what mortals have kept us from seeing. Freedom, how long we have sought you through discipline, action, and suffering.
Dying, now we behold your face in the countenance of God.