I came across this little paragraph by Marva Dawn and Eugene Peterson in their discussion of how our methods of Christian leadership can pull us away from God?s call rather than drawing us closer to God. Listen to what they say: ?Ephesians 6:11 reads literally, ?Clothe yourselves with the panoply of God for you to […]
Failure: How to Respond
C. S. Lewis? spiritual director, Fr. W. F. Adams wrote a pamphlet (Thoughts from the Note-Books of a Priest Religious. London: The Faith Press, 1949). I paraphrased one of his lines about those in ministry in this way: ?Others may fail and give up, but the faithful fail and keep going.? This is an echo […]
Fasting and Prayer: The Fruit of Fasting
?The point is this: fasting identifies with God?s perspective and grief in a sacred moment. Fasting enables us to identify with how God views a given event; fasting empowers us to empathize with God. Fasting is about pathos, taking on the emotions of God in a given event. This will be explored at times in […]
Living Grace: You Can’t Do It On Your Own
Recently I purchased a new iPhone. I read the part in the instructions about charging the phone, and then stopped reading. I went to the Apple store and asked for their help to set it up and then I followed their instructions. The phone received email and stored my music but it didn?t work as […]
Wait on the Lord
Often, I enjoy reading, reflecting on and journaling insights I gain from scripture. The other day, I spent some time in Isaiah 40:26-31 (click to read) and appreciated these gifts as I wait on the Lord: 25-26 ? I too often lose sight of your majesty and immensity, Father. Your personal care of the countless […]
Discerning Stillness from Laziness
Thomas Merton, in a letter written in 1959 to Pablo Antonio Caudra (a writer from Nicaragua he had befriended), offered some interesting words about wrestling with the difference between unholy inactivity and holy stillness: ?In any case, let us pray for one another that we may make creative use of the mysterious difficulties of […]
Practicing Simplicity in Choosing Our Words
?It is a wholesome act of humility to withhold the expression of our opinions, at least until others have spoken, or until we are asked to give our judgment. Often when we have accurate knowledge of a subject which is being discussed, it is a real act of mortification to refrain from speaking; and this […]
