Category "Uncategorized"

A BEAUTIFUL WITH-NESS

A Beautiful With-Ness

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

This past Sunday I spoke on the story of Ruth – about how she lived out a faithful “with-ness.” When Ruth told Naomi, “Your people will be my people,” she was saying, “I’m WITH YOU in this.”

Here are the concluding lines of the sermon:

What is brave? To be faithful, even when other’s aren’t. It’s brave to live out a faithful with-ness, while others have chosen to avoid eye contact and walk on the other side of the street. God help us to be brave.

The picture at the top of this post is from Saturday’s Great Big Backpack Give. DJ Schug is standing with his friends from school. Last Fall, DJ’s mom discovered a “How to speak Arabic” text book in DJ’s school bag. When she asked him about it, he… Read More

the face of the other

The Face Of The Other

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

I particularly enjoyed David Benner’s chapter “Otherness” while reading his book, Soulful Spirituality: Becoming Fully Alive and Deeply Human. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

Soulful spirituality invites us to do a better job of recognizing and prizing the otherness of others rather than simply seeing them as extensions of ourselves or using them as containers for our own projections.

This is what Jewish philosopher Martin Buber had in mind when he distinguished between “I-Thou” and “I-it” relationships. We relate to someone as… Read More

reflection on travels what we see and how we see

What I Saw & How I Saw It (A Reflection On Travels & The Ways We See)

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

I’ve been on vacation – or “holiday” as they call it where my family and I have been – for the past month. For the last two years, we’ve been dreaming about, saving for, and planning this trip.

We had places we wanted to go and specific sights we wanted to see.

Two years of planning builds a lot of anticipation. We were stinkin’ excited to go on this European adventure!

On a daily basis, our eyes were wide with wonder. A number of times on this trip I whispered “My God” – not in a flippant or take-the-name-of-the-Lord-in-vain kind of way, but in… Read More

richard beck post a million boring things

Christianity Is Boring

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

I recently wrote about our addiction to adventure. Here’s a brief excerpt:

Yes, there is something repetitious about the Christian life. Following Jesus isn’t necessarily about going into new territory every day. Often, it’s about doing the same things over and over and over…

Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” —Luke 9.23

Taking up one’s cross daily is – I don’t know any other way to say it – repetitive. Even Jesus (who was perfect) participated in these repetitive things.

*     *     *     *

Richard Beck has written a great post entitled “A Million Boring Little Things” in which he says…

Being more and more like Jesus is a million boring little things.

Here’s his entire post—seriously, read it.

*     *     *     *

I was talking to one of my students recently about the temptations of youthful spirituality, how when you are young you get addicted to the buzz of the worship high and then go searching for a more intense… Read More

sunday shout outs 2015

Sunday Shout Outs

- - Guest Posts, Life With God, Uncategorized

Here’s what I really enjoyed reading online this past week…

sarah schwartz post

This post, I Need To Hear From Women, by Sarah Christine Schwartz.

My favorite line(s):

I need to see the daughters of Mary operating in the dignity that was given to them at the tomb as the first people to carry the message of the gospel. 

I have a deep love and high regard for the men who have taught me from the pulpit and the lectern—I’ve needed and need them, too. But I don’t ever think there is going to be a lack of their voices in my life to tell me about Jesus. 

I need a… Read More

addicted to the thrill

Our Addiction to Adventure

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the repetitive nature of the Christian life. Yeah, I know, this isn’t exactly an “amen” worthy point. It is true though.

Eat this bread. Drink this cup. Do it again. And again.

I mean, when will we have read our Bibles enough?

Is it possible to have fulfilled the command to “Love your neighbor as yourself” so we never have to do it again? Can someone say, “Oh, I already did that, so I don’t have to love neighbors anymore.”

And what if the church isn’t teaching us anything NEW? Y’know… stuff we haven’t heard before? Where’s all the next level stuff? Gimme some of that!

What about giving? Can ya hit a certain level and just be done with it already? You know, kind of like that High Striker carnival game with the heavy sledge hammer and the bell thingy?

high striker carnival game

Ding ding ding ding ding! Congratulations. You’ve hit the level. You’ve arrived. You never have to give again!

And what about forgiveness? How many times do we really have to forgive the same… Read More

go lower post

To Remember That Stooping & Serving Is Beautiful

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

I remember when I first heard about a pastor who had his own personal chef, chauffeur, and tailor. My mind was blown. Wow! Holy cow! So…. THIS is success. THIS is what arriving looks like. THIS is a thing of beauty and I want to get there some day too.

I thought: I need to build my platform so that I can be somebody important – someone others will serve.

Around that same time, I had read books like “Under Cover” and “God’s Armor Bearer” – books that emphasized how important it is to serve the “man of God” (the pastor or leader or top dog in your organization). The message was clear: we should aspire to carry his briefcase, his Bible, wash his car, mow his lawn, run his errands… you know, really serve the big guy.

There was another message too, and it was a motivating one. It went something like this… Read More

big gulp title bar

The Skyway 7-11 & A Samaritan Well (People Matter Period)

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

 

People matter to God. Period.

That’s exactly what the life and death and resurrection of Jesus shows us.

For God so loved. He gave. Who does He love? The world. Everyone. All people.

When I was in 8th grade, I was going through a rough time. I’d started using drugs. I was struggling at school and at home with my family.

There was a youth leader at my church named Troy Jones. He went out of his way for me. Once a week, he picked me and my friend Pat up from school.
He bought us Big Gulps at the 7-11 in Skyway. Then we went to the… Read More

single lane scottish roads

A Lesson From Single-Lane Scottish Roads & Stanley Hauerwas On Community

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

note: pictured above – a single-lane road on the Isle of Mull

Two of my favorite authors – Jean Vanier and Stanley Hauerwas – collaborated on a book together: Living Gently in a Violent World—The Prophetic Witness of Weakness. While talking about the need for community, Hauerwas says…

I love the Isle of Mull in Scotland—for one, it is beautiful. But I also love the roads on Mull. They are all… Read More