tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91436262024-03-13T23:01:32.812-07:00The JourneyA spiritual journey drawing the soul closer to GodUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger186125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-36334353232829551872012-12-15T07:42:00.000-08:002012-12-15T07:43:10.539-08:00Rediscovering Wonder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We live in a world where most things are explainable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are fewer and fewer mysteries left to
be explained.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scientists have been able
to send robotic submarines to the deepest pats of the oceans to discover and
explain what lives in these remote areas. Rocket ships have been sent to the
moon, to Mars and to the edge of our universe to discover if life exists
outside our planet and to learn more about the scientific processes of
creation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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It seems there are few things left to discover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are no new worlds to discover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The universe has been mapped and distant
stars are named.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p> </o:p></div>
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I prefer to live in a world where discovery and mystery and
wonder still exist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I prefer to live in
a world where I can still ask ‘why?” and maybe never know the answer. When was
the last time you wondered about anything? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When was the last time you experienced
something unexplainable? <o:p> </o:p></div>
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Wonder surrounds us; all we have to do is allow ourselves to
experience the wonder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some call it
having a childlike heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think of
Jesus instructing his followers to change and become like little children so
they may enter the kingdom of heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine
experiencing the kingdom of heaven (which we can experience here and now) with
a childlike heart.</div>
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My friend, and one of my favorite authors, Margaret Feinberg
has a new book releasing on Christmas day: “Wonderstruck: Awaken to the
Nearness of God.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recently I was sent a
sample of the book and I found myself smiling and laughing as I read through
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it challenged me to see the
wonder that exists around me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout
the book Margaret displays her childlike heart, even in the ways she prays:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>“More than anything, what I long
for is our God, the One who bedazzled the heavens and razzle-dazzled the earth,
to meet us in such a way during our time in Scotland that we find ourselves
awestruck by his goodness and generosity, his provision and presence. I’m
praying for pixie dust. I want to leave here with a sense of wonderment as we
encounter and experience things only God can do.”<o:p> </o:p></div>
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When have you ever prayed for pixie dust?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it is time for a heart check-up, a time
to rediscover your childlike heart.<o:p> </o:p></div>
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Margaret is offering the book at a reduced price on Amazon
and Barnes and Noble for $7.57.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book
would make an awesome Christmas gift (I have gifted many of Margaret’s books in
the past).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This offer is only valid
through the end of the day, December 25th.<o:p> </o:p></div>
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Join me as we all learn to live wonderstruck together!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-79316931858232750862012-02-25T15:08:00.002-08:002012-02-25T15:17:17.308-08:00Influenced by God, influenced by others? Part 1Recently on Facebook the author Margaret Feinberg posed this question, “Does God influence your relationship with others or do others influence your relationship with God?”<br /><br />It has been permeating my thoughts ever since I read the question over a month ago. I do not have the answer, maybe just more questions, or maybe just chaotic attempts at an answer. But when I consider “Why would the Creator of the world want to hang out with me?” I am filled with questions and chaotic attempts at an answer.<br /><br />I am a very relational person. I love people! As I was growing up most of my teachers would comment on my report card that Rick loves to make friends. If there were 4 R’s in education (Reading wRiting, aRithmetic and Relationships) I would have gotten an “A” in relationships. <br /><br />A year ago I took the Strength’s Finder Assessment test. This test helps determine the attributes and strengths of individuals in leadership. My top 5 strengths are Input, Connectedness, Positivity, Woo and Activator. <br /><br />Here are some thoughts from the assessment regarding my strengths:<br /><br /> <strong>Input:</strong> You probably converse with others in your field about ideas, theories, or concepts to gather the latest thinking.<br /><br /> <strong>Connectedness:</strong> Because of your strengths, you might want people to seek your company or crave your friendship.<br /><br /> <strong>Positivity:</strong> Driven by your talents, you often find yourself bringing people into your circle of acquaintances, friends, or family.<br /><br /> <strong>Woo: </strong>Few things delight you as much as hearing a stranger say, “I really like you — and I’ve just met you!”<br /><br /> <strong>Activator: </strong> Because of your strengths, you generate enthusiasm so people become as eager as you are to transform an idea into something tangible.<br /><br />As you can see from the list my leadership style is based around relationships, quality relationships that take others point of view into consideration. Relationships that encourages and trusts. And relationships that are fun and exciting. With relationships like this how can one not influence others in all aspects of their life and faith.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-70708141747388057452012-02-22T09:48:00.000-08:002012-02-22T09:52:53.263-08:00Pilgrimage: Lent Journey, Day 1I have not been to Israel. It is not that I have never wanted to go, or that I have never had the opportunity to go, I have just been unable to work out the details to make the trip a reality. Life is complicated. Trips are expensive. And did I mention that trips are expensive?<br /><br />Recently I have been thinking about my desire to visit Israel that I added it to my “Bucket List.” I have many things on my “Bucket List” that I want to see and do. I won’t bore you here with the list, it grows sometimes by the hour. And as I have been thinking about this vacation trip to Israel I been thinking through this question:<br /><br />Would a trip to Israel be a pilgrimage? <br /><br />In ancient times it was a requirement to make a pilgrimage to the Temple three times a year. In Deuteronomy 16 we read about the Festival of the Passover (verses 1-8), the Festival of Weeks (verses 9-12) and Festival of Tabernacles (verses 10-15) and the requirement to be at the place God chose (I assume the Temple, verse 16). <br /><br />It is recorded in Luke 2:41-52 that Jesus and his family made the pilgrimage to the Temple when he was younger. In this passage we are unsure of the age of Jesus but we get a demonstration of his wisdom and knowledge and his ability to reason. People started to notice him. <br /><br />With the fall of the Temple in AD70 pilgrimages to Israel were no longer required. Today pilgrimages are made to the local synagogue to worship and celebrate what God has done. <br /><br />So what about me, a Christian man? I am required to make a pilgrimage?<br /><br />Many people make pilgrimages to Israel, the Temple Mount, the Wailing Wall and other historic sights. Others make a pilgrimage to Rome and the Vatican City. Still others make a pilgrimage to the birth place or the resting place of Saints that have made an incredible contribution and personal sacrifice to Christianity. But no where in scriptures (from a Christian perspective) do I see a requirement to make a pilgrimage.<br /><br />It is unfortunate. <br /><br />Pilgrimage to me requires sacrifice. A pilgrimage is not a vacation or a sight seeing trip. There is no need for a tour guide on a pilgrimage. It is a time of worship and celebration and remembrance of what God has done and is doing. One of the requirements of pilgrimage was that you do not show up empty handed, everyone was to bring a gift proportional to size of God’s blessings on you. <br /><br />Passover is approaching and today marks day one of the Lenten season. Today I start my personal, spiritual pilgrimage, what gift do I bring?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-75727276353712417352012-01-04T06:38:00.000-08:002012-01-04T06:58:04.035-08:00How to Deal With SinOne of the many books I am currently reading on my Kindle, is “The Teaching of the Twelve: Believing & Practicing the Primitive Christianity of the Ancient Didache Community” by Tony Jones. In the book Tony refers to Matthew 18:15-17: <br /><br /><em>“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”</em><br /><br />I have taught through this passage numerous times. It seemed straight forward and obvious how to handle my sinning brother: go talk to him man to man, one on one, mano y mano. Set the deadbeat straight by exposing him to his sin. There is an air of protection to the sinner. His sin was not shared with the community (church). The hope is that if his sin was exposed he would stop and correct his behavior.<br /><br />If my Christian brother refused to listen to me, the passage instructs me to bring others from our community. This instruction comes from the Old Testament with the idea that the testimony of witness requires more than one person’s word. If two or three affirm the brother’s sin, maybe then he will change his ways. No where does it require these “others” to be in church leadership, but I do believe that these “others” are from the community (church). <br /><br />If the brother still refuses to change his sinful nature, his sin was to be told to the community (church). Not as we would read in the Gossip Magazines, not as we hear on TMZ, not as we might over hear at school or on break at work, but as a way to inform the community of their sinful brother’s error. It is corrective, the community is to also be a witness to help correct this brother. <br /><br />But what happens when the brother still does not change his sinful ways? <br /><br /><em>treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector</em> <br /><br />What does that mean? For me it was instruction to kick sinful brothers and sisters out of the youth group. It seemed clear that if I tried everything to get those foul mouthed, smokers and partiers to stop their sinful ways by following Matthew 18 I had no choice but to kick the kid out. And isn’t this is the same method followed by churches? <br /><br />But Tony Jones says that the Ancient Didache Community, an early first century Christian group, would say this is the wrong conclusion. <br /><br />Let us look at the example of Jesus, who seemed to hang out with sinners and tax collectors: <br /><br /><em>While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.</em> Matthew 9:10 <br /><br /><em>Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” </em>Luke 5:29-30 <br /><br /><em>The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’</em> Matthew 11:19 <br /><br /><em>Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.” </em>Matthew 21:31 <br /><br />From the Parable of the Lost Sheep, <em>Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus.</em> Luke 15:1 <br /><br />Wild! Jesus never instructs us to kick out the sinful brother, rather these are the people we should be embracing. Matthew 18:17 is not a clause in our Statement of Faith that allows us to avoid that sinning, cussing, smoking, and drinking womanizer. These are the people we should love with all our heart and energy. <br /><br />If you continue reading in the same chapter of Matthew, we see Peter asking Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?” <br /><br />Jesus’ wise instruction follows!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-49006860549494561222011-06-07T18:31:00.000-07:002011-06-07T18:37:42.050-07:00Day 8 of the 30 Challenge to Write<em>There will be an agreement in whatever variety of actions, <br />so they be each honest and natural in their hour.</em> <br />Ralph Waldo Emerson<br /><br /><strong>Today's Challenge</strong><br /><br />What would you say to the person you were five years ago? What will you say to the person you’ll be in five years?<br /><br /><br />Five years ago I was working fulltime for a church in Corona as the youth pastor and associate pastor. At the time I felt like the culmination of lots of hard work and prayer was being blessed. I had worked hard to build credibility. I had worked at a large church with an enormous youth group giving me the experience to grow a youth group. I went to seminary and received a Masters in Christian Education with an emphasis in youth ministry. After three years of ministry with this youth group in Corona, we were experiencing numerical and spiritual growth. Every year more and more junior high and high school students and their parents called our church home. It was a very exciting time!<br /><br />Four years ago that vocation was no longer a reality.<br /><br /><strong>What would I say to myself 5 years ago? </strong><br /><br />Stay true to who you are. Do not cut corners. Give yourself fully to the work you have been called to. Never stop!<br /><br />Be prepared for change, just because things are going great does not mean that rugs can’t be pulled out from underneath you. <br /><br />Don’t give up, even though it hurts when unexpected change happens. It is not the end of the world. Good things can still, and probably will, happen.<br /><br />I am loved. Do not lose track of those people who love you. <br /><br />Be prepared to set new goals and reevaluate your old goals.<br /><br />Expect the unexpected. You might end up doing something unexpected.<br /><br />Work hard. Keep your eyes open. <br /><br /><strong>What would I say to myself 5 years from now?</strong><br /><br />I think in retrospect of everything I have learned these past 4 years I would tell myself the same things I told myself 5 years ago. We are placed in situations that we may have absolutely no control of. But that does not mean that we cease to exist because the situations are ugly and hurtful. But we have a control on how we dust ourselves off. <br /><br />We decide to work hard and keep our eyes open to new opportunities around us. Something unexpected can happen and we need to be ready to embrace the unexpected. We need to check our goals, because goals are what motivate us into action. We will always be loved. And when change happens, and it will, we are not going to give up. It is not the end of world, rather as we know from our past experiences, it is time for another new beginning.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-69640079178591735442011-06-06T19:16:00.000-07:002011-06-06T19:28:03.184-07:00Literal Adam and Eve?<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AQYQm9L5F7k/Te2Mi8h-duI/AAAAAAAAAKM/WwKLuoaf-4E/s1600/ct_cover_june_2011-300x402.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AQYQm9L5F7k/Te2Mi8h-duI/AAAAAAAAAKM/WwKLuoaf-4E/s200/ct_cover_june_2011-300x402.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615298842392950498" /></a><br />I am a monthly subscriber to Christianity Today magazine. I enjoy the magazine, it is a critical magazine at times and makes some unpopular statements. This month Christianity Today’s cover story “<a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/june/historicaladam.html">The Search for the Historic Adam</a>” written by Richard N. Ostling, is one of those articles. <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/june/noadamevenogospel.html">Christianity Today also offers their own response to this article</a>. Now I am not going to comment on the article here but I will present some questions that come to mind if we discover there was not a literal Adam and Eve of the Genesis narrative we grew up knowing and believing.<br /><br /><br />What happens to our faith, and Christianity in general, without Adam and Eve?<br /><br />What happens to the theology of Paul?<br /><br />If early man was part of an evolutionary process, are we really created in the image of God?<br /><br />How hard do we fight to retain a literal Adam and Eve? Should we?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-18167732670775344302011-06-06T15:08:00.000-07:002011-06-06T15:14:31.793-07:00Day 7 of the 30 Challenge to Write<em>Our arts, our occupations, our marriages, our religion, we have not chosen, but society has chosen for us. We are parlour soldiers. We shun the rugged battle of fate, where strength is born.</em> – Ralph Waldo Emerson<br /><br /><strong>Today's challenge:</strong><br /><br />What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to accomplish but have been afraid to pursue?<br /><br />These past days have reminded me that I desire to be a good communicator. Communication is done in so many different mediums. There are oral communicators that speak and individuals that communicate through the written word. <br /><br /><strong>I have a desire to communicate well. </strong><br /><br />These individuals use stories and narratives to communicate history. These individuals use poetry to communicate beauty and art. These individuals use truth ,fact and fiction to communicate morality. These individuals can motivate others to action. These individuals can give warnings of things to come. These individuals use humor, irony and tragedy.<br /><br /><strong>I have a desire to communicate well. </strong><br /><br />It is my desire to continue to communicate through these 30 days using many of the styles and methods I have listed above. I desire to refine the craft and improve my consistently challenging myself to write deeper thoughts, to write clear and concise thoughts without a ton of words.<br /><br /><strong>I have a desire to communicate well. </strong><br /><br />I look forward to feedback. My hope is that this feedback will drive to do better. That this feedback will push me to look further inside myself to discover the hidden communicator I feel I can be.<br /><br /><strong>I have a desire to communicate well. </strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-37227832585315316662011-06-06T09:59:00.000-07:002011-06-06T10:10:21.131-07:00Hungry for God, Chapter 3<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XRa9BgG27n0/Te0JlxgESKI/AAAAAAAAAKE/yWpLSb6yLM0/s1600/HungryForGod.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 133px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615154854948522146" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XRa9BgG27n0/Te0JlxgESKI/AAAAAAAAAKE/yWpLSb6yLM0/s200/HungryForGod.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><div>Every day I take a shower. It is not an option, I must take a shower. Even when I worked for a camp, almost hundred miles and an hour car ride down a very windy mountain road to the nearest big town, I took a shower--everyday. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>If I do not wash my hair for even one day, I am uneasy about my oily hair, and I feel that I smell foul. </div><br /><div><br />I cannot imagine missing a day. A month would be beyond my dreams, rather it would be a nightmare! </div><br /><div><br />My dealings with the poor and the homeless have been limited, safe and at a distance. I have brought junior high kids to the inner city and skid road to experience and see the tragedies of people living less than 20 miles from our comfortable and big homes where we all take nice hot showers, everyday. </div><br /><div><br />I have taken church groups to other poor parts of Orange County to offer a hot meal, once a month. Only once a month. It was always a struggle to get individuals and families to sign up to serve. Prior to serving the hot, and simple meal, the group would stop at Carl’s Jr. for a burger and fries. My goal was to get the groups going to eat alongside the individuals they were serving. Make connections and make relationships, get to know the individuals you are serving. They have lives and stories. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>It never happened. </div><br /><div><br />I believe the reason my goal never came to fruition was because of an unwillingness to face the reality that this individual I am talking to could be me. An unwillingness to face the uncomfortable and to be with someone who has gone without a shower for days or months. An unwillingness to face the uncomfortable and to face that undesirable stench that comes off someone unclean. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I pray that my eyes would be opened and that I would sense a different smell, a more desirable smell... </div><br /><div><br />Margaret shares a story in chapter 3 about Jim Cymbala praying with a homeless man, up close and personal, in spite of the filth and smell coming off this homeless man. It took a God sized prompting, “<em>Jim, if you and your wife have any value to me, if you have any purpose in my work--it has to do with this odor. This is the smell of the world I died for</em>.” </div><br /><div><br /><em>This is the smell of the world I died for… </em></div><br /><div><em><br />This is the smell of the world I died for… </em></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-8401134107166731532011-06-05T08:13:00.000-07:002011-06-05T08:21:31.680-07:00Day 6 of the 30 Day Challenge to Write<em>Life wastes itself while we are preparing to live.</em><br />Ralph Waldo Emerson<br /><br /><br />If you had one week left to live, would you still be doing what you’re doing now? In what areas of your life are you preparing to live? Take them off your To Do list and add them to a To Stop list. Resolve to only do what makes you come alive.<br /><br />Bonus: How can your goals improve the present and not keep you in a perpetual “always something better” spiral?<br /><br /><br />A couple weeks ago a group of people followed a “prophet’s” message that judgment day was approaching. On that day the real believers would be called up, or raptured to heaven. As the weeks and days drew closer, many of these followers could be seen standing on street corners with signs and banners warning others to repent.<br /><br />So this assignment was something I considered as I observed the actions of these followers. I had heard that many of these followers quit their jobs and sold all their possessions. Their belief was that anything less would demonstrate a lack of faith in the prediction of judgment day, which translated into a lack of faith in God.<br /><br /><strong>What would I do if I believed that judgment day was really approaching?</strong><br /><br />As a Christian I do not believe that God would call us away from our calling, even if He made it known <em>The End</em> was quickly approaching. Because is it really <em>The End</em>?<br /><br /><strong>Revelation 21</strong> <em>Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”<br /></em><br />When <em>The End</em> happens we discover that it really is <em>The Beginning</em>, again. We will live in a city, and city life requires jobs, professions and vocations. It requires moms, dads and children. It requires schools, teachers and students. And it will require grocers selling healthy foods to the people. People will continue to work. And this is not a new thing. In the first <em>Beginning</em>, Adam and Eve were given tasks in the Garden, it wasn’t a free ride. So maybe the oldest, and maybe noblest, profession is being a gardener. Think of that the next time you see your gardener mowing your lawn.<br /><br />So what does that mean to me? God calls each of us to do and be. Many of us feel that our jobs, professions and vocations are callings given to us by God. I do! How I could stop doing what God has called me to do?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-34667062525760468922011-06-04T22:02:00.000-07:002011-06-04T22:06:32.557-07:00Hungry for God, Chapter 2<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--fglKDQZOKo/TesOy8yk4AI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/jAcCdev2IFM/s1600/HungryForGod.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 133px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614597628921962498" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--fglKDQZOKo/TesOy8yk4AI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/jAcCdev2IFM/s200/HungryForGod.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>Chapter 2 of Margaret’s book “Hungry for God” is Kairos Moments. Time in Greek is represented by two words, <em>chronos</em> and <em>kairos</em>. <em>Chronos</em> is the measure of the quantity of time: seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks and years are all measures of time. Summer, winter, spring and fall are all measures of time, <em>chronos</em>. <em>Kairos</em> is the measure quality of time.<br /><br />We all experience both types of time, <em>kairos</em> and <em>chronos</em>. I like to consider a day at work. Most days I work 8 to 10 hours. Some days time drags, other days time flies. Some days are fulfilling, other days feel like nothing gets accomplished.<br /><br />I look forward to my time with Monica. Thursday nights are date nights when we usually go out to dinner together. These are nights are devoted to sharing our time with each other enjoying each others’ company. It isn’t about how long we are together, it is about the love we share with each other.<br /><br />Margaret uses the example of <em>kairos</em> with God interactions with Adam and Eve in the Garden. As I was reading this chapter I was reminded that we follow a God that lives outside time and space. God does not measure time in the same ways that we do. He does not set an alarm clock to wake up for work. I am sure God does not have a Day Planner. God lives outside the <em>chronos</em>. God desires the <em>kairos</em>.<br /><br />But God desires the relationship. God desires time with us, not the quantity of time but the quality of our time with Him. It is not just about the time spent in prayer or reading the Bible. The big question is: am I devoting my entire heart, my entire mind, my entire soul and my entire strength to my <em>kairos</em> time with Him? </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-63104950223289602662011-06-04T13:43:00.001-07:002011-06-04T13:43:24.407-07:00Day 5 of the 30 Day Challenge to Write<span xmlns=''><p><em>If we live truly, we shall see truly.</em><br /> </p><p style='margin-left: 36pt'>Ralph Waldo Emerson<br /></p><p><span style='text-decoration:underline'><strong>Today's challenge:</strong></span><br /> </p><p>Not everyone wants to travel the world, but most people can identify at least one place in the world they'd like to visit before they die. Where is that place for you, and what will you do to make sure you get there?<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>I have been fortunate to travel through the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean. As a kid, my family would load up our camper and travel to mountain resorts. It was always an adventure to have the five of us, and sometimes the family dog, crammed in that little camper. This was the mode of our transportation and our accommodations all the way through our high school years. Thankfully, my brothers and I slept in a tent once we landed at our camp ground.<br /></p><p>We traveled once to North Dakota to visit family; my mom lived there until her family moved to California. Many of her aunts and uncles lived there at the time we visited. We traveled up Highway 15, passing through Utah, Montana and South Dakota. We saw Zion National Park, Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore. It was incredible!<br /></p><p>In high school I was able to go with my high school band to Hawaii. It was awesome. The trip was filled with concerts, parades and acts of mischief. <br /></p><p>When I graduated high school my buddies and I bought ourselves a Caribbean Cruise graduation present. It was another awesome experience filled with exploring the ports and experiencing culture. One of the ports we stopped in was Port-au-Prince, Haiti. We had no idea what we were going to experience in Haiti. I can tell you it was life changing.<br /></p><p>In one of the Jamaican ports we optioned out of the tour package and just rented a taxi for the day. We saw and experienced all the same excursions that everyone on the ship did, but for only $20. We also drove through the neighborhoods, drank Red Stripe Beer and ate lunch with the locals. It was unforgettable. Since then I have been on cruises to Alaska and Mexico and we take similar, self made excursions, in the back of a cab or in a rental car.<br /></p><p>In Haiti we were planning on doing the same thing, except there was taxi cab system in Haiti, just millions of people cramming the dock as we pulled our ship in. It was 1978. The country was in turmoil, many uprising and coupés have happened since that year. <br /></p><p>As we walked onto the dock we were being pulled and grabbed at until we hired a young man to be our walking guide. His job was to get us to the capital, the marketplace, and to keep us safe. I think he cost us less than a dollar, total.<br /></p><p>We experienced and saw more poverty than I knew existed in the entire world, collectively. People with deformities were lying in the streets begging for pennies. Young children were walking through the litter and urine of the streets barefooted. It was the most depressing day, but the most eye opening day I have ever known. Since that time the sights and smells have never left my mind. When the earthquake hit Haiti it all came rushing back. <br /></p><p style='margin-left: 36pt'>I have dreams to visit Europe, especially Germany and Romania where my ancestors lived. I heard the family is still standing, hundreds of years later. <br /></p><p style='margin-left: 36pt'>I have dreams to visit lands of Biblical importance: Israel, Egypt, Rome, the Middle East.<br /></p><p style='margin-left: 36pt'>I have dreams to visit Rwanda and Burundi.<br /></p><p style='margin-left: 36pt'>I have dreams to visit New York.<br /></p><p style='margin-left: 36pt'>I have dreams to visit cities like Portland and Seattle.<br /></p><p>But I have this deep desire to visit Haiti again and to stay in Port-au-Prince. But this time when I visit I pray that I can be used to help with the troubles and hurts that this country has experienced. That might be nothing more than offering a fresh drink of clean water, but I know that many there crave that drink.<br /></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-24786224121993789142011-06-03T13:51:00.001-07:002011-06-03T13:55:53.394-07:00Hungry for God, Chapter 1<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I6RGNaChb9o/TelKLx7d_-I/AAAAAAAAAJw/bqKgYL9XNU4/s1600/HungryForGod.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 133px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614099976735817698" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I6RGNaChb9o/TelKLx7d_-I/AAAAAAAAAJw/bqKgYL9XNU4/s200/HungryForGod.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><span xmlns="">Yesterday the mailman delivered a large manila envelope addressed to me. It looked exciting! I love getting mail, especially if it is something cool. And this large manila envelope did not disappoint. In that large manila envelope was a gift from Margaret Feinberg: her latest book, "Hungry for God: Hearing God's Voice in the Ordinary and the Everyday."<br /><br /><br /><div><br /><p>A couple years back I was in the bookstore looking for something to give as a gift. That day I discovered Margaret Feinberg through her book, "Organic God." It is funny that there are those times when a book's cover is what draws you to pick it up and buy it. </p><br /><p>I took the book home and was preparing to wrap it up when I decided to give it a quick read. This is generally very difficult since I am a slow reader. But this book sucked me in. I was giving the book as a gift that evening and I was doing my best to read as much as possible. Unfortunately I didn't finish and I had to buy myself my own copy.<br /></p><br /><br /><p>So today I have started reading "Hungry for God" and I am thankful that this gift from the large manila envelope is for me to read at my leisure. I just finished chapter one, "An Forgettable Invitation." I know that God desires a relationship with His people and with me as an individual. I loved when Margaret talks about God meeting Elijah on Mount Carmel in the whisper.<br /></p><br /><br /><p>When you and I whisper we need to be extremely close to the listener for them to hear us. You do not whisper across a room. A whisper is close and intimate. The whisper must have fresh breathe because you are that close. Monica and I have our whisper moments.<br /></p><br /><br /><p>So when God is in the whisper to Elijah, it is close and intimate. Wow! I want to hear God in the whisper. I want God to be close and intimate with me. I know that God is always near, I pray that I would be a good listener. </p></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-17577664077049402852011-06-03T08:42:00.001-07:002011-06-03T08:50:04.733-07:00Day 4 of the 30 Day Challenge to Write<div><br /><span xmlns=""><br /><div><em></em></div><br /><div align="center"><em>That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him.<br />Where is the master who could have taught Shakespeare?<br />Where is the master who could have instructed Franklin,<br />or Washington, or Bacon, or Newton?<br />Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare.<br />Do that which is assigned you,<br />and you cannot hope too much or dare too much.<br /></em>– Ralph Waldo Emerson<br /></div><br /><div><br /><span style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline"><strong>Today's challenge: </strong></span></div><br /><p>Identify one of your biggest challenges at the moment (ie I don't feel passionate about my work) and turn it into a question (ie How can I do work I'm passionate about?) Write it on a post-it and put it up on your bathroom mirror or the back of your front door. After 48-hours, journal what answers came up for you and be sure to evaluate them. </p><br /><p>Bonus: tweet or blog a photo of your post-it. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bhHCLi2PX88/TekBVGoqubI/AAAAAAAAAJc/v9dzz2G40c8/s1600/post%2Bit.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 145px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614019872564099506" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bhHCLi2PX88/TekBVGoqubI/AAAAAAAAAJc/v9dzz2G40c8/s200/post%2Bit.JPG" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O-9CVjlJ5do/TekBvqVGpgI/AAAAAAAAAJk/VclQYHU02a4/s1600/full%2Bpicture%2Bpost%2Bit.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 176px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614020328822318594" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O-9CVjlJ5do/TekBvqVGpgI/AAAAAAAAAJk/VclQYHU02a4/s200/full%2Bpicture%2Bpost%2Bit.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><br /><p><br /></p><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><p><span style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline"><strong>My Post It says: What are my plans to achieve my aspirations? </strong></span><br /><br /><br /></p><br /><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Rick Ellis' Aspirations</strong></span><br /></p><br /><p><strong>Professionally… </strong><br /></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt">I strive to build relationships with the customers and the employees I come into contact daily. </p><br /><p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt">I strive to know as many customers by name as possible.<br /></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt">I strive to make our customers feel like a guest in our home.<br /></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt">I strive to fill all our customer requests. </p></span></div><br /><div><span xmlns=""><br /><div><br /></div><br /><p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt">I strive to keep the store clean.<br /></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt">I strive to help my employees reach their fullest potential.<br /></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt">I strive to reward employees who do above and beyond our expectations of them.<br /><br /></p><br /><p><strong>Personally… </strong><br /></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt">I strive to serve others.<br /></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt">I strive to love my wife more.<br /></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt">I strive to grow intellectually.<br /></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt">I strive to read as much as possible.<br /></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt">I strive to rest and enjoy the world around me.<br /></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt">I strive to build on my happiness.<br /></p></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-1085901068351414362011-06-02T07:40:00.001-07:002011-06-02T07:43:13.989-07:00Day 3 of the 30 Day Challenge to Write<span xmlns=''><p style='text-align: center'><em>It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; <br/>it is easy in solitude to live after our own; <br/>but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd <br/>keeps with perfect sweetness <br/>the independence of solitude. <br/>- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance<br /></em></p><p><span style='text-decoration:underline'><strong>Today's challenge:<br /></strong></span></p><p>The world is powered by passionate people, powerful ideas, and fearless action. What's one strong belief you possess that isn't shared by your closest friends or family? What inspires this belief, and what have you done to actively live it?<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>One of my strongest beliefs as a leader is that I cannot hold tightly to things that others should be allowed to do. Empowerment is one those words leadership books and professionals are constantly encouraging leaders to practice. And it is a practice because it doesn't come easily. Many of us don't just fall into leadership, rather we earn the right to be a leader.<br /></p><p>Many, many years ago, at the young age of 16, my first real job was as a grocery bagger. Later I became a produce clerk, frozen food clerk, grocery clerk, grocery manager, assistant store manager and finally store manager. The road was long, none of these accomplishments happened over night. But along the way I learned a lot about the industry and how to drive sales and make a profit.<br /></p><p>I have heard more war stories from my bosses. These men and women worked hard to build their companies, and these stories are important to remember and share. They worked singlehandedly when there was no one else in their employment. They worked the produce, grocery and checked out groceries all by themselves. They opened the doors at 8AM and closed the store at 10PM. There were no lunches, they grabbed a snack and ate it as they worked.<br /></p><p>The problem for many is the road to success (done so many years ago) is the thing they hold tightly to. These individuals think they are the only ones that know how to accomplish the task. Everyone else will do it wrong, or be incomplete, or they will take too long. I know how to accomplish every task in the store, I can do it all. But is that the task I was hired to do?<br /></p><p>Empowerment requires letting go, allowing others to complete a task with little interaction from the boss. <br /></p><p>Empowerment requires coaching and cheerleading. I feel that spending 5 or 10 minutes with my empowered leaders gives me their best performances. Daily I listen to their accomplishments, struggles and goals. I offer my thoughts without just giving a solution (who knows, they might have a better solution). I help the leaders identify problems and offer my assistance if necessary. But I really enjoy praising my team for excelling in reaching sales goals (which they are doing regularly!).<br /></p><p>Empowerment is not creating individuals that look and work like me. Empowerment allows others to discover that they are unique and they are capable of doing great things.</p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-81229648031678763452011-06-01T09:14:00.001-07:002011-06-02T07:41:15.330-07:00Day 2 of the 30 Day Challenge to Write<span xmlns=""> <br /><p><br /></p><br /><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><em>Your genuine action will explain itself, and will explain your other genuine actions. Your conformity explains nothing. The force of character is cumulative.</em> – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance<br /></p><br /><p>If 'the voyage of the best ship is a zigzag line of a hundred tracks,' then it is more genuine to be present today than to recount yesterdays. How would you describe today using only one sentence?<br /></p><br /><p><br /></p><br /><p><strong>Today I get outside myself and live for others.<br /></strong></p><br /><p><br /></p><br /><p>These are easy words to say, difficult to execute. My senior pastor would challenge the congregation to get outside ourselves, because the church God blesses gets outside of itself. So it becomes something that is individual and collective. There is the challenge of trying to accomplish this daunting task every day. But there is knowledge that we are not trying to accomplish this daunting task alone. Others, like us are also trying to make a difference without seeking personal gain. And isn't that the difficulty for us: not looking for the pat on the back, the praise or the big bucks?<br /></p><br /><p>So I am going to look at every encounter with another human as a divine appointment. I will make every effort to smile and say hello. And if the situation presents itself, strike up a conversation and listen. Who knows how God will use me in that situation, I just have to be willing to be used.<br /></p><br /><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><em>Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful</em>.<br /></p><br /><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">1 Corinthians 4:2</p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-32500891969087676432011-05-31T09:43:00.001-07:002011-06-02T07:42:27.014-07:0015 Minutes to Live<span xmlns=""> <br /><p>I decided to take a <a href="http://ralphwaldoemerson.me/">30 day challenge</a> to write through the inspiration of words written by Ralph Waldo Emerson. This is a challenge that I heard about through The Domino Project, a group founded by Seth Godin.<br /></p><br /><p><br /></p><br /><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><em>We are afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other.<br /></em></p><br /><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><em>Our age yields no great and perfect persons.</em> – Ralph Waldo Emerson<br /></p><br /><p><br /></p><br /><p>Writing task for Day 1:<br /></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt"><span style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline"><strong>You just discovered you have fifteen minutes to live.</strong></span><br /></p><br /><p>Below are my thoughts, rather questions, about my last 15 minutes alive:<br /></p><br /><p><br /></p><br /><p>Would I look for ways to increase my legacy?<br /></p><br /><p>Would I run to connect with those I love the most?<br /></p><br /><p>If a disaster is quickly approaching would I work to save others?<br /></p><br /><p>Or would I love to save myself?<br /></p><br /><p>Would I be freaked out?<br /></p><br /><p>Would I pray?<br /></p><br /><p>Would I cry?<br /></p><br /><p>Would I be of sound mind to embrace and be with my wife for the entire 15 minutes?<br /></p><br /><p>Would I call my daughters?<br /></p><br /><p>Could I?<br /></p><br /><p>Would I be at peace?<br /></p><br /><p>Would I examine my past?<br /></p><br /><p>Would I be happy?<br /></p><br /><p>Would I be sad?<br /></p><br /><p>Would I focus on missed opportunities?<br /></p><br /><p>Would I relish the achievements?<br /></p><br /><p>Would I consider my future?<br /></p><br /><p>Eternity<br /></p><br /><p>Heaven<br /></p><br /><p>Hell<br /></p><br /><p>Forever with my creator<br /></p><br /><p>Or, total separation<br /></p><br /><p>Would I care about the stranger?<br /></p><br /><p>Would I share my faith?<br /></p><br /><p>Would I have time for experiences?<br /></p><br /><p>Sex<br /></p><br /><p>The beach<br /></p><br /><p>The mountains<br /></p><br /><p>A walk<br /></p><br /><p>Would I express my gratitude?<br /></p><br /><p>Thank God<br /></p><br /><p>Thank my wife and family<br /></p><br /><p>Thank my parents<br /></p><br /><p>Thank those closest to me<br /></p><br /><p>Thank my acquaintances<br /></p><br /><p>Thank my adversaries<br /></p><br /><p>Would I notice my breathing?<br /></p><br /><p>Each inhale<br /></p><br /><p>Followed by each exhale<br /></p><br /><p>As if it were my last breath<br /></p><br /><p>Would I be happy?</p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-54953232956051250762011-05-28T05:48:00.001-07:002011-05-28T05:52:22.749-07:00The Samaritan Woman at the Well: allegory?I get up early every morning before I go to work and I start my day with a delicious cup of coffee (ok a couple!). It is an awesome way to wake up. The house is quiet, no one else is awake. It is at this time that I enjoy thinking and reading and praying.<br /><br />So as I was thinking fairly random thoughts, the prophets of the Bible came to mind. Their mission or calling was to proclaim the actual Word of God to a nation (specifically to the leadership of the nation) that they were being unfaithful. At times the nation is called a prostitute and a whore.<br /><br />One of the most preached passages of scripture that I have heard is from John 4: The Samaritan Woman at the Well. It is a message filled with truth and helps us get a picture of the nature of Jesus.<br /><br />Here are my thoughts that came to mind as I considered the Old Testament Prophets and the story of The Samaritan Woman at the Well. <br /><br />Maybe the store of Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman was more allegory that an actual event that happened. I know that many are mad at me already!<br /><br />Why would Jesus stop in this Samaritan village. According to the many times I have heard this passage, a good Rabbi would avoid Samaria like it carried a plague. Why would Jesus want to stop off on this evil, corrupt and sinful planet?<br /><br />The woman is said to have had many husbands (she is unfaithful). Some say that she was nothing less than a prostitute or a whore.<br /><br />Maybe the 5 husbands represent the many alliances that Israel has had with foreign nations, their alliance is no longer with God. And she is told that the man she is living with is not her husband. Could this “husband” be the alliance that many Jewish leaders were enjoying with Rome? How faithful are we? What nations or things do we have an alliance with?<br /><br />Are we unfaithful? Could we be considered nothing less than a prostitute or a whore?<br /><br />Why would God want to be with us, why would a Jewish Rabbi want to be with Samaritans? <br /><br />Maybe the place and the way we worship is just as wrong as the Samaritans. Real worship has yet to be revealed, to the Samaritan, the Jew or the Christian.<br /><br />The message of salvation, the cup of living water, is offered to the Samaritans, the Jews and to everyone willing to take it.<br /><br />And for a period of time the Son of God stayed in the Samaritan village. Jesus stayed with us for a period of time.<br /><br />Now to do the research and see where my thoughts line up with scholars much smarter than me. What are your thoughts?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-54776288928535181582011-05-22T07:50:00.000-07:002011-05-22T07:51:22.728-07:00Post "Judgement Day" PrayerSo today maybe we should be praying for lives disrupted by a guy who misled them into believing yesterday would be Judgement Day. Many people selling everything willing to spread a false warning. We heard you, we saw you. Now we pray for you!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-20637625805870965992011-05-19T15:41:00.000-07:002011-05-19T16:08:07.533-07:00Margaret Feinberg's Latest Book<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8YUZ2eMcwKk/TdWic9sPeEI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/o4oT35Wx4so/s1600/Hungry_for_God_sm%252520cover%255B1%255D.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8YUZ2eMcwKk/TdWic9sPeEI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/o4oT35Wx4so/s400/Hungry_for_God_sm%252520cover%255B1%255D.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608567529439983682" /></a><br />One of my favorite authors of Christian devotionals is Margaret Feinberg. The books go a bit further than most devotionals. They are not feel good stories, although you do feel better after reading them. They are not the cutesy stories that you would expect from "Chicken Book for the Soul." Her books lead us into a discovery of God working in our lives, here and now. She is an awesome story teller and she writes like you are talking to a friend. <br /><br />I have read three of her past books: Organic God, The Sacred Echo and Scouting the Divine. They were all great reads. The way you know that I enjoyed the book is that I lend them out and give them as gifts. The elders at one church I worked each received a copy of The Sacred Echo. They enjoyed it so much that many of them bought her other books.<br /><br />Her latest book, Hungry for God, is being released this week. Margaret sent me an email with an excerpt from the book. I liked it so much I felt led to share it. I have a new item added to my wish list from Amazon: Hungry for God!<br /><br />What Does it Mean to Hunger for God? (An adaptation from Hungry for God by Margaret Feinberg)<br /><br />I don’t know anything about real hunger. While billions suffer in starvation and poverty, I live behind the plush curtain. Yet hunger is woven into the fabric of our humanness—no matter where you live. Appetite is a primitive desire that doesn’t discriminate. Every human has felt its pangs. Without an appetite, we slip into starvation and even death. Hunger is the gnawing reminder that in order to have strength, we must have sustenance.<br /><br />If physical hunger is a set of feelings focused around the stomach that lead a person to search for food, then spiritual hunger is a set of experiences or longings that compel a person to search for God. Just as my body needs food to survive, my spirit needs God to thrive. A divine appetite drives me to pursue a vibrant relationship with God—one in which I find my sustenance and strength. <br /><br />Unlike physical hunger, which can be satiated by food, our spiritual appetites can only be quelled by God. But is it possible to dine on an intangible being? How do we feast upon something we cannot see, touch, or taste? Over the last several years, I’ve learned that God’s voice is the only entrée that can nourish our ethereal cravings. Hearing and experiencing, rather than eating, assuages spiritual hunger.<br /><br />The moments in my life when I’ve been the most spiritually hungry and the most spiritually satiated share a common trait: God’s voice. My spiritual hunger grumbles loudest when I feel furthest from God. Though I cling to the mental assertion that God is everywhere and he promises to never leave nor forsake, I’ve encountered days, weeks, and months, where I still wonder, Where are you, God? <br /><br />I long for a single word to appease my spiritual belly. When God finally breaks the silence, the sound of his voice is spiritual nourishment, his voice a banquet for my soul—every syllable a tasty morsel, every expression flavored with love. <br /><br />Longing to know him. <br />Longing to experience him. <br />Longing to hear him. <br />Is that what it means to hunger for God?<br /><br />You can learn more about <a href="http://mar.cta.gs/00z">Hungry for God at Amazon</a>. <a href="www.twitter.com/mafeinbergor">Become a follower of Margaret Feinberg on Twitter</a> and become a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Margaret-Feinberg/85766418443">Fan on Facebook</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-32558371824109793912011-04-30T13:54:00.000-07:002011-04-30T14:02:16.503-07:00History of Conflicts<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-94FXWWqPSHw/Tbx4vDx59eI/AAAAAAAAAJI/tjt6-7ZcVCw/s1600/conflict%2Bhistory.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 195px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-94FXWWqPSHw/Tbx4vDx59eI/AAAAAAAAAJI/tjt6-7ZcVCw/s400/conflict%2Bhistory.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601484786405864930" /></a><br />Today I was given a link to a web page that uses Google Earth and a timeline to give a visual illustartion of all the conflicts the world has experienced since 4000BC! It is impressive and very alarming. It would be interesting to determine from the timeline how many years were truly peaceful years, if there were any.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.conflicthistory.com/#/period/1959-2010">Go to Conflict History to see this incredible, powerful and alarming tool</a> When you follow the hyperlink you will come to the years I have been alive, not too peaceful!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-5343326619043835342011-04-25T10:21:00.000-07:002011-04-25T10:24:03.225-07:00Literal vs. FigurativeOne reason some churches are considered liberal is their view of the Bible. Did everything (EVERYTHING) historically happen in the Bible? Who decides?<br /><br />Now we know that Jesus spoke in parables. A parable is a story that speaks a truth, a spiritual and moral truth. The story of the prodigal son did not literally happen, it was story told by Jesus to get the listener to ask: “What?” The excellence of Jesus’ parables is that we can put ourselves into the story and discover a truth about ourselves. <br /><br /><em>For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. </em><br /><br />Did God literally create the earth in 6 days? (Abraham Heschel would say that God created on the seventh day too, on that day He created rest, Sabbath) Or is there another truth we miss in this story? From this story we see a God that creates and shapes a world into existence. He creates in a specific order. He separates the chaotic from the ordered. He creates the plants and the animals and places them in just the right place. And then He creates humans and places them in the middle of this perfect, and orderly creation. And He hangs out with us. Our God is not a distant god that creates on accident, or makes mistakes. Our God is near, and desires a relationship with us.<br /><br />I wrestle with the narrative of David and Goliath. Did this battle really happen? Or is there another truth that we miss from the story? We all face battles. From this story we are told that David faced the lion, the bear and the champion Goliath and won those battles. Did he do it alone? For me the story says that when you are in a battle and the odds are against you, God hears your cries. <br /><br />I do not have a checklist close at hand to decide if a passage is literal or figurative. There are passages I hold as I literal and there are passages I hold as figurative. Both types speak truth. Does that make me a liberal? I praise God that he has given me the freedom, liberty to explore those amazing stories and to allow me to place myself into His continuing narrative.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-43580112461876883312011-04-25T09:55:00.000-07:002011-04-25T09:57:09.963-07:00Johnny Cash, he was such a BA<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BQUcCaWN3Ck" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-32986668470484671192011-04-24T19:57:00.000-07:002011-04-24T19:59:07.908-07:00Are You a Liberal?“Are you going to that liberal church?” This was a question asked of someone attending our church plant. When I heard this I was unsure if I should be upset or not. <br /><br />What constitutes a person, an organization or a church as being liberal? Why do we automatically think negatively when someone calls us liberal? <br /><br />Liberal is defined as being favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs. It is also defined as being open-minded or tolerant, especially free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values, etc.<br /><br />Conservative is defined as being disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.<br /><br />Being liberal or conservative does not make one a democrat or a republican. Both parties, and those outside these parties, demonstrate liberal and conservative thoughts and hopes. <br /><br />When I think of liberals I think of people who were instrumental in making change. These individuals saw injustices and responded. I think of individuals like Martin Luther King Jr., Susan B. Anthony, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther, the founding fathers, maybe even Jesus.<br /><br />Another interesting idea about being liberal is the reference to the word free. Consider the word liberty. If it were not the views of individuals willing to make change happen, we may not be enjoying the freedom, liberty we enjoy today.<br /><br />So how do I respond to being called a liberal, or leading a liberal church? <br /><br />Watch for posts as I explore this idea further.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-87452346118597648682011-04-19T17:41:00.000-07:002011-04-20T04:45:12.848-07:00Power of StoryI love NPR Radio, call me a liberal, and I heard this amazing story today. I am also a lover of narrative and the importance of allowing each of us, past and present, the ability to tell our stories. We are part of a mosaic tapestry that becomes more and more beautiful as each of us contribute to the overall story. It is amazing that The Creator would weave our stories into His grand story. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/04/19/135539003/breathing-life-into-bland-blunt-birth-certificates">To listen to the story go here</a><br /><br /><em>Jake Halpern teaches journalism at Yale University.</em><br /><br />President Obama's birth certificate, the one that his campaign released in 2008, is one seriously boring document. It tells us almost nothing about his actual birth — other than the bare-bones details. I assumed all certificates were like this until one day, a few weeks ago, when my dad discovered his father's birth certificate — which was issued in Poland, 107 years ago.<br /><br />The document is packed with juicy details — I won't go so far as to say it's a swashbuckling tale of adventure — but, in terms of story development, it's way better than Obama's. It mentions, for example, the name of the presiding midwife — a woman named Chaje Rader from the town of Hutar. It also provides the name of the guy who performed the circumcision — Mr. Benzion Klein — and it even indicates that Klein was the town's butcher. This makes sense. I mean, you wouldn't want the town's blacksmith doing the deed — would you? The document notes that Grandpa was an illegitimate child. There is even a part of the document offering the name of the godparents who witness the birth.<br /><br />What I am driving at is this: If you read in between the lines, a story of sorts emerges. A guy is born in a small town where no doctor is available — just a midwife to do the delivery and a butcher to cut the foreskin. Some old codger, the gray-haired godparent, shuffles over to the house in the heat of summer and bears witness to the whole thing. Then some municipal official intercedes and announces, matter-of-factly, that the baby is illegitimate. It's interesting: The birth certificate says that Grandpa's parents were actually married, by a religious figure, a rabbi. Yet the marriage wasn't recognized by the state — and this was often the case for marriages in Eastern Europe conducted by a rabbi. This is an indication that Grandpa, his family, and his people weren't really integrated into mainstream society; and helps explain why, 21 years later, Grandpa immigrated to America.<br /><br />Grandpa left Poland under a false identity with someone else's passport. This was, presumably, the only way out. We're not sure why, and he's not alive to offer an explanation. But here is the interesting part: He brought his real birth certificate with him, tucked away, hidden in some deep, inner pocket. If anyone had gotten suspicious and searched him they would have discovered his ruse and Grandpa might not have made it to America. So why did he do it? Why'd he take the risk?<br /><br />He did it because his birth certificate contained the story of his life — it was a very, very condensed autobiography — it told the tale of who he was, where he came from, what life was like there, and why he left. And tonight at Passover my family will take a moment — as it always does — to remember Grandpa's exodus.<br /><br />Birth certificates nowadays serve a strictly bureaucratic purpose; but if we learn anything valuable from scrutinizing the president's certificate, it ought to be that its brevity, its lack of detail, its sheer boringness, represents a lost opportunity to know more about what life was like at the very moment that this man was born. This is truly the first chapter in his story and, sadly, from a literary and historical perspective, it's a very poor read.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143626.post-36459138318193790992011-04-18T17:55:00.000-07:002011-04-18T18:01:04.800-07:00The Triumphal EntryLast night as a community we talked about the Triumphal Entry of Jesus on the Sunday before he was put to death. We looked at all four passages in the Gospel that point to the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. One thing we discovered is that many are not very familiar with this passage. We felt that maybe why some were unfamiliar with the passage is that on Holy Week our eyes are focused on the cross, not the entry. <br /><br />This is an amazing passage but it is a difficult passage to put our minds around. It is not a simple message to preach, although it is often preached simply.<br /><br />Consider the Hero to Zero message. This one goes that on that Sunday the crowd showed up to watch Jesus parade into Jerusalem with his disciples. The crowds were excited to see this miracle worker. They had heard that Jesus had healed the leper, gave sight to the blind and just recently raised Lazarus from the dead. The crowd lines the street and as Jesus passes by they lay their cloaks on the street and wave palm fronds and cheer. But by the time Thursday night or Friday morning arrives the crowd turns on Jesus and demands that Pontius Pilate crucify him. <br /><br />But I do not think this passage is that simple. <br /><br />First let’s consider the donkey and/or colt that Jesus rode into town on. Jesus sends some of the boys (none of the Gospels name who he sends) ahead to get a donkey that has never been rode. They will find this animal tied up. In Matthew’s story there is a mommy donkey and a baby donkey (long complex story!). How did Jesus know there would a donkey tied up? How did he know the owner would be willing to give him away? Was it prearranged? <br /><br />We are told that this ride into Jerusalem fulfills a prophecy made my Zechariah, 500 hundred years prior to Jesus’ birth. This was a tough time for the Jewish people. There is no Jewish king. They have become a province to Persia under King Dairus’ rule. There was this longed for hope for a new king, the messiah, the savior of the Jewish people. <br /><br /> Zechariah promises that times will get better for the Jews. “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” This passage talks of a victorious king returning from battle to his people. Matthew quotes this passage but omits “righteous and victorious.” Why? Maybe the battle hasn’t been won, yet.<br /><br />But we do see Jesus lowly, humbly entering the city on a donkey. This is a statement of peace. He is not entering Jerusalem on a chariot or on the back of a horse or in a tank. He is not coming into Jerusalem with his army carrying guns or knives or weapons of mass destruction. <br /><br />Image the scene, imagine the people, imagine the smells, imagine the sounds. The crowd following Jesus is pumped up! But the city, those on the inside, is concerned. Matthew says that the city is stirred. Being stirred has a feeling of turmoil, like waiting on an expectant storm brewing on the horizon. It brings to mind a tornado in the Midwest. Or maybe like the earthquake warning heard 30 seconds before the big one hit in Japan. <br /><br />So this peaceful entry of Jesus is welcomed by one crowd and feared greatly by another. <br /><br />One writer (Chad Myers) describes it:<br /><br />The bulk of the passage refers not to the event itself but to the organization, preparation, and planning. The movement described is complex; there is collaboration between the out-of-towners and the local resistance community. The political action is planned to coincide with a time when imperial power is blatant and feelings of resistance are high. The protest tools are low-tech and readily available, and the demonstration design is inclusive and participatory—there is no “audience.” Large numbers serve as security and protection for those who are identified and targeted as leaders. <br /><br />At Passover, the liberation of slaves is celebrated with a pilgrimage festival to an occupied Jerusalem. Security is high and the situation volatile. In this fraught atmosphere the kingdom movement stages a performance that lampoons the Roman imperial procession. The “king of peace” is not a warrior but a peasant healer who comes riding not a war chariot but a donkey, and crowds fill the streets celebrating an alternative vision. Exciting, dangerous, transformative, participatory, nonviolent! <br /><br />Hosanna!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0