Posts Tagged: "brian zahnd"

THE WAY OF BEAUTY

The Question I Will Keep Asking Over And Over Again

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike. No synonym for God is so perfect as Beauty.   —John Muir

As I’ve shared before, my word for the year is Beautiful. It shows up in my goals…

Make beautiful food. Write beautiful words. Say beautiful things. Dream up beautiful things to do. Go beautiful places. Notice beautiful things and learn from them. Take beautiful pictures. Design beautiful artwork. Think beautiful thoughts. Pray beautiful prayers. Find the beautiful in the unexpected or where it has been previously unnoticed.

So, with goals like these, I will obviously be asking myself this question over and over again: Is it beautiful?

In a recent staff meeting, I shared with the team that I will be asking this question about our church too, “I’ll want to know that what we are doing and saying and giving and making is beautiful. If it’s not beautiful, something needs to change.”

In that meeting, I read some words by… Read More

THE GIFT post

The Present

- - Life With God, Uncategorized, Video

This beautiful, animated short The Present has won over 50 awards, and it’s not difficult to see why. For reals, watch it…

Now be honest, you felt differently about the boy when he finally got up off the couch, didn’t you? I did. What a vivid reminder:

Knowing someone’s story changes how you see them.

Or, as Brian Zahnd has said… Read More

HITTING THE WALL post

Hitting The Wall

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

Doubt, uncertainty, the “dark night of the soul,” finding yourself in unknown territory where the faith you’ve always known doesn’t seem to be working, hitting the wall…

Nobody wants to be there. And when we find ourselves there, we wish we could just cancel it, wipe it off the books entirely.

But hitting the wall is a necessary part of our growth and development.

In Brian Zahnd’s new book Water to Wine, he describes developmental psychologist James Fowler’s insights on the matter (I will paraphrase):

There are stages of spiritual development in… Read More

2014 stain post

14 Good & Bad Stains 2014 Left On Me

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

*note: The picture above was taken through the window of my room at the Los Angeles Dream Center from our recent trip with a crew from NWLife – serving for a week there.

I’m so ready for 2015.

This year—while it wasn’t all bad—certainly had more than it’s fair share of bad news. I’ve felt like 2014 has refused to go out quietly or peacefully. It all reminds me of the opening lines from Jesus Walks by Kanye West…

Yo, we at war. We at war with terrorism, racism, and most of all we at war with ourselves.

As I reflect on 2014, I’m struck by a number of things that left their mark on me. So here they are: 14 Good & Bad Stains 2014 Left On Me… Read More

friday fun & free stuff

Have A Sunny Fun Day (Maybe Win A Free Book Too)!

- - Fun / Humor, Uncategorized, Video

Nothing beats a sunny day in the Northwest. It’s perfect. Maybe your Friday will even get better – with a few fun and/or funny videos… and a chance to win a new book too! Here we go:

 

1. FREE BOOK—A FAREWELL TO MARS BY BRIAN ZAHND.

farewell to mars book

I loved Brian Zahnd‘s book “Beauty Will Save The World,” and I’m loving his latest work, “A Farewell To Mars.” Here’s your chance to get this brand new book (it was released on June 1st) – all you have to do is comment below (scroll down to the bottom of this post to comment – say anything) and you will be automatically entered to win. A winner will be selected and announced on this post within 24 hours.

 

2. VIDEO—FLIGHT OR FIGHT OR WHATEVER FEATURING ROB NORMAN.

Comedy writer Rob Norman tells his story of being robbed—and how he could have fought his attackers or ran away… but chose to do neither. (PG-13 language)… Read More