Peace in a Violent World
If it was outrageous then, what makes it different now?
God, Justice
You are the God of holiness
Missional Community…Simple
You’ve maybe seen the “Missional Church Made Simple.” Here is “Missional Community…Simple.” Good stuff.
The Restart
I am giving this blog thing another go. I may move to a different host at some point (this one seems creatively limiting), but I feel like I am ready to start blogging/posting again.
Peace!
Grace to Give Away
I read last week that Luther stated in his Disputation at Heidelberg that, “Grace is given to heal the spiritually sick, not to decorate spiritual heroes.”
I love that because sometime we think of grace as a toy we get to play with or control. Grace is truly for us, but not for us to just keep but to giveaway or pass on to others. It seems there are many that think God gives grace for their own self-aggrandizement or advancement.
Barth on Mission
Man, I love this quote:
"The congregation, the so-called homeland church, the community of heathen Christians should recognize themselves and actively engage themselves as what they essentially are: a missionary community! They are not a mission association or society, not a group that formed itself with the firm intention to do mission, but a human community called to the act of mission." Karl Barth, Die Theologie und die Mission, 118.
Christmas for Free
Here is the link to Karli (my daughter) and Caroline Fowler's free Christmas album. It is super good and, well, free!
A Christmas Prayer
Sometimes we find your love in the warmth of relationship. In the embrace of a friend or in the believing words of a parent or in the intimacy of a life companion. Sometimes that love even come as mystifying forgiveness from someone we have injured.
We find your love in the traditions of the Incarnation…family gatherings, the trees, the gifting, and the warm drinks…the Jesus story.
Sinners in the Hands
Here is a email question (and my response) from a young seminarian friend of mine:
"A question that keeps coming up in discussion with people at school is…Did the Father pour out His wrath on Jesus when He was on the cross? If so, was His wrath emotional anger on the Son? Or was His wrath the penalty for sin (death) on the Son? Big question..I don't know what is most faithful to scriptures teaching? It seems like a "pic ture of God" idea. I really apprecia te your feedback."A will add a couple things to the grappling.
The Holy Spirit Revisted
George Whitefield wrote in a letter: “Follow after, but do not run before the blessed Spirit; if you do, although you may benefit others, and God may overrule everything for your own good, yet you will certainly destroy the peace of your own soul.”
When I read the above quote I was struck by how much activity in the church is simply human effort. Activism is one of the ethics of the new church (a good thing), but often times it is rampant rather than led. Singer songwriter, Joan Beaz summarized this ethos with the statement, "Action is the antidote to despair." Doing something, anything, is mostly good. It can, however, be activity at all cost. I am as guilty of this as anyone, being wired so tight. In the church it could almost be perceived as secular pursuit with a Jesus bumper sticker.