“I do not counsel people. I teach them to pray.”

Counseling is a responsibility of pastors.  Or so many would say. I have talked with friends who commonly meet with parishioners to listen to their struggles, whether they be emotional, spiritual, physical, relational, financial, or otherwise, and after listening they strive to then offer a word of wisdom, a bit of encouragement, or glimmer of hope.  Maybe they just offer presence.  One of my friends, Nicole, has sought to ask herself how she offers Christ to each person with whom she meets.  There is much to be commended in this posture.

This week, during my time away at the Renvoare’ Conference, I heard from Chris Webb.  Chris relayed a story of his time as an Anglican parish priest, in which a woman came to him to discuss the horrible end to her marriage–a terrible, ugly divorce.  She described how the relationship had deteriorated, how she had been destroyed by the actions of her husband, and how she was angry.  Before Chris could speak, she told him that she already knew what he was going to tell her to do.  She surmised that he was going to tell her to forgive.  She told him that she could not.

His reply surprised her.  He said, “I wasn’t going to tell you that, though I can see why that might have been your supposition.”  He continued, “I cannot help you to forgive,” he told her, “but as an Anglican priest I took vows to help you to pray.”  He explained to his hearers, “I did not take vows to offer counseling, but to teach people to pray.”

His next word of pastoral advice took her further by surprise.  He said, “Do you wish that your husband would die?”  She said, “Yes.”  He said, “pray that.”  She said, “What?”  He said, “Yes, I want you to pray that he should die.”

Chris then pointed to Psalm 55, a Psalm of David, a man after God’s own heart.  Beginning in verse 12, the Psalm reads, “If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him.  But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of my God.  Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the grave, for evil finds their lodging among them.”

This surprises us, of course.  But Chris challenged his hearers by saying that David was radically honest with God.  He told the truth about himself.  And God could handle it.  After seeing the woman who had suffered so greatly at the hands of another once some time had passed, Chris asked her how things were going.  She said she was still in prayer, but she doesn’t pray Psalm 55 anymore.  God had been working on her heart.  Those words no longer fit her emotions.  God had been at work healing her in the midst of her honesty.

There is a lesson for us there, for our own prayer lives and for our ministries.  Do we offer people counsel, or do we teach them to pray?  May we be those, like David, who are radically honest in our conversations with God, even when what we find there is unattractive, ugly, repulsive.  May we face our heartache, our pain, our hurt, our shortcomings, our sufferings, and be truthful to the one who is the Truth.

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Home From Renovare’ :: Additional Reflections

After being delayed on the runway in San Antonio, redirected mid-flight to Waco for refueling, rescheduled on two different flights at DFW, eventually being bumped to a Thursday morning return flight, experiencing an unexpected layover in Dallas (thanks, Fitzhugh family), I’m home.  And it is good to be home.  I am thankful for what I have learned these past few days in the company of those in Christ at Renovare’, and return home with a renewed joy in my calling as a follower of the Jesus way.  What a great time.

My final day in San Antonio I heard from John Ortberg, Pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in California.  The best quotes from his talk were captured on my Twitter feed, so if you’re curious you can scour the content there.  We then engaged in a closing time of worship.  We sang hymns I knew and others I did not.  We celebrated what God had accomplished during our time together.  I witnessed impressive displays of humility from Dallas Willard and others, and was captivated by the sheer joy of Richard Foster during a time of closing conversation.  I was thankful that I was able to hear from both men and women who inspired me in my faith.  My admiration for them reaches beyond them to the source of what makes them admirable.  The life of “the saints” can indeed result in praise of the Almighty God who, by grace, has made them what they have become.  I do not worship the saints, but I am thankful to God for the saints whom I heard from during my time with Renovare’.

For friends and other readers of this blog, I can confidently commend the ethos, ideas, and practices spoken of at Renovare’.  These people are concerned with the spiritual life, they are concerned with growing the soul, they are concerned about holiness.  They are centered on Jesus.  And I believe they know from whence their “success” comes: from God alone, by grace.  As a means of response for my readers, I would encourage all to read and reflect on a document introduced on Tuesday of the conference: A Call To Spiritual Formation.  Think about the ideas presented here, and, if you find them compelling, commit yourself to them.  Here are the six headline statements from this document:

• God calls us all to become like Jesus.
• As we are rooted in Jesus and the kingdom he proclaims, we are progressively transformed.
• Our engagement with God’s transforming grace is vital.
• Spiritual formation happens in community.
• Spiritual formation is, by its very nature, missional.
• We invite all people, everywhere, to embrace with us this calling to be like Jesus.

For my Kansas City area friends, I would welcome a discussion of what it might mean to commit ourselves more deeply to these ways and encourage one another in holiness.  For my friends who are more distant, or are connected with me through this blog, I would also be interested to know if you are interested in this call and in these ideas.  I would like to foster a network of peers who are committed to these ideas and this kind of approach to spiritual formation, and perhaps creatively formulate some means to facilitate an ongoing conversation wherein we might inspire one another in ministry, in service, and in our journey to become more like the person of Jesus so that we might more accurately serve as signposts to his kingdom, his reign, his gospel, and the salvation found in him.

May you be a blessing to the One who gives you, by grace, life, breath, love, hope, and charity.

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Renovare’ :: Day 3

Today has been another fantastic day.  I think the heat is bearable (not that I like it!).  I’ve stood in the shade, made sure to hydrate, and have spent as little time in the sun as possible.  Today I have had the delight of a good cup of coffee, Mexican food, intercessory prayer, uplifting, encouraging, creative, and challenging speech, a restful nap, reminders of my lovely wife, and the blessing of God’s presence in his people and through his Spirit.  I can count today among my blessings.

I’ve been updating my Twitter feed throughout my time at the Conference, and have made connections with a few others present here or observing from far away.  I hope the information I’ve relayed has been encouraging and helpful.  Richard Foster, during his talk today on Moses and the importance of words, warned against Twitter’s capacity to diminish the power of our conversation.  This week, my friend Tim asked, via Facebook, if Twitter would further “colonize his attention span”.    There is plenty to chew on both in Foster’s critique and Tim query, so check out my feed and be the judge.  How are tools like Twitter both a blessing and a curse?

As for now, I’m happy to be wrapping up my day with a short decaf Americano from Starbucks.  It looks like this:

That is the 8 oz. size they do not list on the menu.  Try it sometime.

Emilie Griffin :: Session 1

OK, on to the events of the day.  If you have been reading my blog you know that I was late to the first session, but arrived in time to hear from Emilie Griffin, an author who has deep knowledge of the spiritual classics, and is the editor of the HarperCollins Spiritual Classics series.  Emilie’s talk was on the person of Elijah.  She remarked that “Elijah’s ministry is mostly about the undivided heart.”  She expanded by saying that we should be persons who’s attention are rapt by the one who created us, that we should be captivated by God.  However, she said, it is more common that, ”We want to take God captive…when in fact it should be the other way around.”  She’s right.

My greatest insight during this session came from this remark by Griffin: “If we do not have desert in our own lives, we should make some desert spaces so that we can hear God speak into our lives.”  We should, “Encounter times of solitude and search these out.”  Knowing that we cannot all be like the desert fathers, Griffin stated that our desert could easily be a blank page of a journal, a place where we enter, explore, and allow the remainder of the world to fade away so that we can seek out and encounter God.

I have no problem with desert spaces.  For too long, I have felt, I have been wading in the sand.  But in these spaces God has strengthened me, taught me, spoken to me, instructed me, and urged me on when I have grown weary, providing an oasis at just the proper time, time enough to recuperate, be refreshed, and set out again on the journey.  Griffin quipped that no one reads of St. John of the Cross and the dark night of the soul and says, “Yes, I think I’ll try that,” but when one finds oneself in the dark night, it is a place where we may be purified and may be prepared for a fresh infusion of God’s grace.  These three days at this conference would not be so powerful if not for my experiences in what I described to Molly as “a wasteland” from which I have come.  I have truly been inspired while here, and await my return home to begin putting the things I’ve learned into practice among those whom I journey with.

Printed at the conclusion of Griffin’s talk are these words, which I will pass on:

Let nothing trouble you, let nothing frighten you.
All things are passing; God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
He who possesses God lacks nothing:
God alone suffices.

-St. Teresa’s Bookmark

Workshop :: Apprentice Practices

We discussed these practices in our workshop today with Jim Smith:

1. Sleep
2. Creation Awareness
3. Counting Your Blessings
4. Living with the 23rd Psalm
5. Lectio Divina
6. Margin
7. Bible Reading
8. Solitude
9. Hospitality
10. Spiritual Biography
11. Play
12. Sabbath Keeping
13. Media Fast

I can’t wait to further incorporate these practice into my daily walk.

Robert Gelinas :: Holiness and the Jesus Way :: Session 2

Unfortunately I arrived at the afternoon session about 10 to 15 minutes late.  I missed out on the beginning of Gelinas’ talk, but here are a few quotes I jotted down that I found powerful:

• When God is like oxygen, prayer is like breathing.
• Jesus is the picture of holiness we are called to.
• Follow the way of winning by losing.
• Can you see in the cross a more beautiful way of life?

The first quote, “When God is like oxygen, prayer is like breathing,” followed after an exercise.  Gelinas had everyone stand, and take a deep breath.  We were to hold our breath, but when we began to breath again, we were to sit in our seats.  Gelinas delineated between those things we ask God for that would be “nice” and those things that we “need,” and challenged us to advance in the spiritual life to a place where our dependence on God equaled our need for our next breath or our next heart beat–things we need, actions constantly ongoing, but not always consciously acknowledged.

Richard Foster :: Moses, WORDS, and The Jesus Way :: Session 3

Anyone wishing to save humanity today must first of all save the word.
-Jacques Ellul 

Foster’s talk was the best thus far.  Here are a few quotes:

• Words matter because they carry ideas, and ideas rule the world.
• The word is precious to us beyond all telling.
• Words in our day have been overshadowed by the visual.  These things can shape us for good or for ill.
• Today, the fact that people have absolutely nothing of value to say does not stop them from writing books.
• Words have been trivialized in our day.
• When these things happen…we descend into Babel.
• We need silence to unplug us form the inanity of Babel.
• We need: Words grounded in silence (See V of T.S. Eliot’s Ash Wednesday).
• We need: Words that are significant in context.
• We need: Words that are crisp and clear and imaginative.  ”Friends, we need to love God all the way down to our nouns and our verbs and our adjectives.”
• Foster told us that when St. Francis and St. Clare met for conversation, the house where they met glowed.  He then said, “May our conversations generate heat and light and spiritual energy.”
• It isn’t how much we read, it is how much of what we read we are able to live.

Foster’s talk had power.  He began by saying that as Christians, we are people of the spoken, living, and written word, and that those three facets of Christian character remain a source of power and vitality for us today.  Foster then explored our context of today, which devalues the word, explaining first that the visual overshadows words in our day.  He cited the 007 Bond films, which, as they have progressed, have emphasized dialogue less and less, and brought action and “the chase scene” to prominence.  He cited Quantum of Solace as a prime example, and he is right.  His critique was not meant to be a judgment on the power of the visual arts, simply a statement of how things are–a fact–of our present reality, and the challenge this presents to the word.

Foster then moved from the overshadowing of the word to the trivialization of the word, explaining how talk radio, the blogosphere, and even social media tools such as Twitter impoverish our conversation, and create occasions where people speak (or Tweet) even though they have nothing of value to say.  He quoted Goethe, “To act is easy, to think is hard” to support his case that there are many today who are talking (as action), yet fail to think first.  Further, he cited Pascal, who said, “All men’s miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.”

As a final critique, Foster offered that words have been corrupted by the practice of doublespeak.  Citing Orwell’s 1984 and other works of literature, Foster demonstrated how words no longer are allowed to hold their meaning, or they are given some meaning other than they might otherwise possess.  He pointing to Orwell’s vision, where, when people read the word “peace” they meant “war” and when they saw the word “freedom” they understood “slavery.”

Foster’s response to the impoverishment of our words was threefold, and I have cited them above.  He said we must ground our words in silence, and they must grow in silence.  We must offer words that are significant in their context.  And we must present words that are crisp, clear, and imaginative.  I am certain he could have spoken at length about each of these ideas.  I am saddened he did not have more time.

Some Concluding Thoughts

As I have already said, today I was blessed in many ways.  Following the conclusion of our final session, I approached two intercessory prayer ministers and asked them to pray that God would make my path plain, that I would know where to go, what to do, and how to minister.  I’m in a period of transition in my life, having space to dream new dreams, undertake new work, partner creatively with others, and serve in capacities I had not imagined.  I’m eagerly awaiting, however, a time and place where I can serve using the full compliment of my gifts, and that from my service I might receive joy.  I’m writing, I’m growing, I’m building relationships with others, and I’m encouraged by what God is doing in my life.  But I sense there is something more.  I’m excited about what waits around the bend.

Tomorrow is my last day at the conference.  I’ll post my reflections upon returning home.  In minutes I’ll return to my hotel room, call my wife, and then listen in silence.

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Renovare’ :: Day 2

I only have a few minutes before I have to gather my belongings and make the walk to Municipal, but I hit the pillow last night determined to wake this morning and post more of my thoughts, observations, quotables, and insights from Day 2 of the Renovare’ Conference for all to enjoy.  More commentary to come later.

Kang, Abraham, and the Simplicity of Words

The conference kicked off at 9:00 a.m. at Municipal Auditorium.  I arrived early, grabbed a seat, and prepared myself for worship.  We began our time singing Taize’ style, voicing the words of the Psalms.  I was blessed.  During one song we sang in Latin, “Veri Sancte Spiritus” meaning, “Holy Spirit, come to us,” and I felt this invitation was an appropriate way to begin our time together.  It was a sound reminder that our knowledge, love, affection, and service to God begins first with God’s movement toward us, providing us with the grace to do those things God would have us to do.

Following the time of song, the message was given by Joshua Choonmin Kang.  What made this occasion unique was Kang’s decision to preach the sermon in Korean while one of his associates translated.  Here are some of the things I jotted down from Kang’s sermon on Abraham, sacrifice, resurrection, Mt. Moriah, hope, evangelism, and the power of God:

 

• “The reason we like to travel is to find a place to revisit.  We read books to find a book we would like to reread.  Mt. Moriah is a place we like to revisit.  There we find new perspectives…”
• “We cannot see the best thing God has prepared for us until we give up that which is most precious to us.”  Abraham did not see the ram caught in the thicket until he had fully prepared to give up his son.  Only when Abraham make his final move did he see the ram that had been provided.
• “One of the important points of spiritual formation is to empty oneself.”
• “God wants us to have the best of the best.  But in our spiritual lives good things are the enemy of the best things.”
• “The most important thing to our spiritual formation is the Jesus Christ way.  Glory to the Lord.  God bless you.”

 

Workshop :: Day 2

During my second session with Jim Smith and friends we discussed “Apprentice Principles.”  Jim drew a diagram on the board that illustrates the four components of transformation.  Here it is:

For persons to be transformed, Jim challenged us to discover a synergy between these four components.  We must adopt the narratives of Jesus as our stories over and against any other stories that may dominate our thinking, engage in “soul training exercises,” and undertake this task with a community of others seeking to follow after Jesus.  This will take place due to the guiding and direction of the Holy Spirit, who operates in a somewhat sneaky, mysterious manner.

As we discussed these components, the most significant insight that I had was during our discussion of community.  A member of Jim’s ministry team said that when we are in community we are in reflection and dialogue with others who are on the same path.  That has been my challenge.  I am on the way of Jesus.  I am friends with others on the way of Jesus.  But at times it has been challenging to find others with whom I am of one mind.  We work, we dialogue, and we reflect on our journey after Jesus, but what I am seeking after is a community of disciples with whom I can share common doctrine, common practice, and common passion.  I will discuss this more in a future post, and expand my thoughts.

Chris Webb

During the first afternoon session we heard from Chris Webb, newly appointed President of Renovare’.  You can check out a picture of him at the new Renovare’ website (they are still fine-tuning the site).

I didn’t write down too much from Chris’ talk, but not because it lacked depth or radical insight.  The man spoke in solid, narrative blocks.  There are times in which you find something so solid, so dense, that it is difficult to extract a simple sentence or a few one-liners.  That was the case with Chris.  His sermon on the life of David was engaging, complex, and challenging.  His basic, underlying point, is that David was a sinner, much like us.  Actually, David was a radical sinner (all you have to do is read the Bible to discover this, and this goes beyond his murder of Uriah and affair with Bathsheba).  Chris reminded us that David, unlike most of us, was a sinner, yet one after God’s own heart, and we see this with greatest clarity in the Psalms.  The Psalms reveal that despite David ruthless, exorbident life of sinfulness, David was brutally honest with God in his writings.  Our failure, most times, is that we are not truthful with God.  We are sinners, but we do not tell the truth about our sin–not to God, not to others, not to ourselves.  Chris said, “We do not tell the truth about sin.  We do not tell the truth about ourselves.  But only those who deal with the truth about themselves can tell the truth about others.  And only those who can tell the truth about others can love them.”

Dallas Willard

After Chris’ sermon we had a short break, and resumed our time together with song and a message from Dallas Willard.  Jim Smith introduced Willard, saying, “When you learn from Dallas you think you are going to get a drink of water but you get a fire hose right to the face.”  How true.

Dallas’ talk was on servanthood, the prophet Isaiah, and the radical ministry of Jesus.  His three key concepts were Exile, Kingdom, and Servanthood.  Here are a few quotes I wrote down:

• “The actual human condition is one of exile.”
• “Being a servant of people displaces our judgment of them.”
• “Kingdom precedes Servanthood.”
• “You have to learn how the servant God comes into your life and turn your kingdom over to him.”
• “You find the kingdom God when you enter the action of God.”
• “The Kingdom of God emerges out of exile.”
• “Being a servant is not a matter of particular acts, being a servant is a matter of your whole life.”

Willard proposed that a Christian entrepreneur could do well by introducing something beyond W.W.J.D. (What would Jesus do?) and ask, rather, “How would Jesus do it?”  This is a question of means, not ends, and entails that the actor understand the thinking and the heart of the Master one chooses to follow.  We would not only act as Jesus acts, but we would be as Jesus would be.  Good stuff.

In addition, Willard’s discussion of servanthood included an exploration of John 13.  Willard noted that Jesus’ knowledge of where he was from and where he was going (to his death) enabled him to humble himself, take a towel, wrap it around his waist, and wash his disciples’ feet, modeling servanthood for them.  Jesus served out of abundance–God had provided and taken care of all things.  Most operate from a scarcity mentality, rather than the abundance mentality that should mark life in the Kingdom of God for the follower of Christ.

Evening on the River Walk

After a long day, I walked the River Walk, worked up a sweat, finally sat down for a burger at Fuddruckers’, and then went to Starbucks for a couple of hours to record my thoughts.  As of now I’m late for our first session (this post will go live moments before I hit the streets).  More reflections will come later!

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Renovare’ :: Day 1

I couldn’t be happier to be in San Antonio.  Early this spring I stumbled upon Renovare’s 2009 Spiritual Formation Conference.  I cannot remember how my attention was drawn to this event or how I ended up at their website.  I can only remember sending a short email to my wife, Molly, with the link and a question, “Do you think I should go to this?”

 

Her reply: “Yes.”

 

I arrived on Sunday and proceeded to check in at my hotel, the Wyndham St. Anthony, which is across the street from Travis Park and easily within walking distance of the Hyatt Regency and San Antonio’s Municipal Auditorium–the two primary centers of activity for this conference.  The River Walk is nearby, which is a center of life in this city.  Within the first hour of being present at this conference I knew that I had made a good decision.  I’ll say more about this during my final thoughts.

 

Below you’ll find my observations, quotations, insights, and my own highlights.  Others at this conference will, no doubt, have other moments they believe more worthy of mention.  This conference intersects with my life at a time when the discourse I’m finding here is needed, and, thus, what I find edifying may be commonplace for others.  These people here are a blessing, and I’m thankful for the gift I am being giving these few days.

 

Check In and a Conferencing Tip for Social Media Gurus

 

For those organizing a conference (or soon attending one), if you haven’t considered what I’m about to tell you, I’d recommend pulling a page from the Renovare’ playbook and incorporating this idea into your next event.  What is it?  Enabling conference participants to easily broadcast what social media networks they utilize.

 

As I checked in, I was asked if I used Facebook or Twitter.  The answer: both.  Registration had been going on for about three or four hours.  I was the first person at that table to indicate I was fully wired (this should tell you something about where I fit demographically at this conference).  The check-in volunteers, upon learning I used these tools, supplied me with two icon stickers to place on my name tag so that when I connect with others we can further our connection through social media.  Renovare’ also had designated a hashtag for those using Twitter.  The problem: the hashtag was included in a line of text that was cut from their sign.  As a result, I’ve stuck with #renovare. 

 

Jim Smith :: Following Jesus

 

The Renovare’ Conference includes additional learning opportunities, or workshops.  If you’ve been to a conference you are accustomed to these.  I chose “How to Make the Jesus Way My Way” with James Bryan (Jim) Smith.  Jim is an Assistant Professor of Religion at Friends University and a member of a United Methodist Church in Wichita.  Day one was undeniably a blessing.  Here are a few quotes, funnies, insights, and observations from our first session:

• Based on the study of George Barna and Willow Creek’s Reveal study, we have concluded that the church is failing at discipleship.  Most of us, very likely, did not need these studies to tell us this.  However, the data is helpful, and commendable.  We need to be truthful, but there is hope.
• “‘Hurry sickness’ is the #1 spiritual illness in our day.”
• Definition of discipleship: “The process of being formed in Christ. (Gal. 4:19).”
• “We know we are moving toward success when we see Christ-like behavior.”
• A disciple is someone who spends time in the presence of a master, you are “with someone to be like them.”  ”You think like they think, do like they do.”
• “The A’s, B’s, and C’s” eclipse the D” <–Obstacle to discipleship: Attendance, Building, and Cash overtake Discipleship.  Jim called ABC a “Fallen Power” and “Oppressive.”  I agree.
• “Are you producing people who walk in step with Jesus?”
• “Why is it that church is the only place you have to come early to sit in the back?”
• Key question: “Does the gospel I preach naturally lead others to follow Jesus?”
• We need to change our understanding of success –> Making Disciples of Jesus Christ.  We must “Enroll people into the University of Jesus.”
• We must preach what Jesus preached, teach what he taught, “The Kingdom of God is available to you now.”
• We must fall in love with a God who is “Good, Trustworthy, Love, Holy, and Self Sacrificing.”
• We must work to build bigger Christians, not bigger churches.
• “We live at the mercy of our ideas.” –Dallas Willard
• We must precede the imperative with the indicative, telling people their status in Christ (the way things are).  The imperative follows–telling people what we must do.  Read Ephesians as an illustration of this.
• Your life is hidden in Christ with God.  (Col. 3:1)  You are safe and secure in the Kingdom.
• “We are people in whom Christ dwells and delights.”  Try that on as a core narrative, vs. “God loves you when you are good, and is upset with you when you are bad.”

There was more, but that is what I retained, wrote down, and dwelled with as I entered my evening.  Good stuff.

 

Counting Your Blessings

 

Among the exercises Jim asked us to complete, one was counting our blessings.  He asked for ten.  He told us that in the Apprentice curriculum, which he has brought to life alongside a team of others, they begin with fifty, move to one hundred, and then go on and on.  Here is my list of ten:

1. Molly
2. Home
3. Education
4. Ryan Fitzhugh
5. The Conards
6. Good Books
7. Family
8. Coffee
9. Computer
10. Vacations and Accompanying Memories

Try it.  Grab a piece of paper.  Name ten.  Then keep going.

Texas Culture

 

As I approached the steps of Municipal Auditorium I was greeted by the sound of a cowboy quartet singing “Ghost Riders in the Sky.”  These gentlemen were decked in full cowboy attire–hats, chaps, blue jeans, boots, and some sweet mustache action.  What do you get when you combine an upright bass, guitar, fiddle, and some great vocals playing a classic open range tune?  That’s right.  The feeling that I’m at home.

 

After entering the auditorium I received a double pleasure, as a large mariachi group navigated their way through the performance hall.  If I felt I was at home hearing cowboy music, the emotional impulses I experienced moved north and became knowledge–I didn’t feel I was home, I knew I was home–and I was glad.

 

Singing in Spanish, Singing the Hymns

 

Renovare’ has arranged for local church musicians/bands to be present during the General Sessions, and I appreciate this.  Instead of bringing in a headliner musician, we get to hear from partner churches in this area.  The music thus far has been very good.  Last night we sang a portion of “Open the Eyes of My Heart” in Spanish, which quickly brought to mind Rev. 7:9-10. I was also blessed in singing “Jesus Paid it All.”

 

Eugene Peterson and The Jesus Way

 

During our first general session we heard from Eugene Peterson, presenting on “The Jesus Way.”  Here are a few things I jotted down:

• “Using language on the Jesus way requires that we join the conversation.”
• “Idolatry is without doubt the most popular religion in town.”
• “You can’t hurry the mature life in Christ.”
• “There are no steroids in matters of holiness.”
• “Spiritual formation cannot be accomplished by mass marketing.”
• Paraphrase: You can’t rush a pregnancy, you must nurture it–just as Christ is born in us.

Peterson’s talk was great.  If you haven’t read The Jesus Way, check it out.  It would be worth exploring Peterson’s comparison of the adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin, and their quest for the North Pole to the spiritual climate of today.

Praying the 23rd Psalm

 

As a spiritual exercise, those in my workshop (around 185 people) were instructed to pray the words of Psalm 23 as we fell asleep.  I have worked at memorizing this Psalm, and after a couple of minutes of review was able to recite the text word perfect.  As I prayed the Psalm, I felt my heart expand in love for God and truly took joy in knowing that Christ was present.  Good stuff.

 

Some Final Thoughts

 

For the past five years I’ve been formed by the writings of Dallas Willard and Richard Foster.  Truthfully, I’ve been formed by Christ in them.  Their writings have been a blessing to me, have helped me reach a greater understanding of life as a disciple of Jesus, and encouraged me.  I’m so glad to be here–the others who are leading at this conference have been a blessing to me as well.

 

In the coming days I plan to add more to my blog in terms of reflection.  I have jotted down ideas to write about ministry and my calling, the state of my soul over the last four years, and what it means to journey through desert, wasteland, pause at an oasis, and then become confused when reaching a large body of living water.  The last two weeks I believe God has been at work in my life, teaching me in radical new ways and awakening affections in me that I have not felt for some time.  I also have a desire to name some of the deficiencies I perceive in my own community, and partner with those I walk with to bring about something new and life giving in Christ.

 

That’s all for now!  I’m about to head home, write more tonight, and bring you more in the morning!

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Renovare’, Riverwalk San Antonio, and Coming Home

In the coming days I’ll be posting updates from San Antonio, Texas.  I’m participating in the Renovare’ Conference and I’m very excited about what I’ll be hearing.  Expect updates each day!  The blog has been a little too silent lately.  I’m hoping this time in Texas will inspire creativity, rejuvenate my soul, and serve as a catalyst for my spiritual life.

I would appreciate prayers while I’m here, would love to hear questions from friends, and will gladly share my experiences each day.  I’ve been looking forward to this conference for months, and I can’t wait to see what God will do!

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Compassion + NOOMA = New Video

Hey friends, the people at Compassion International and Flannel have teamed up to produce Corner, a new NOOMA video.  You can check it out here.  I’m a Compassion advocate and have watched the NOOMA short films with interest.  They are a helpful springboard for theological discussion, speaking powerfully with clever juxtapositions, engaging contextualization, and helpful biblical insights.  There are pieces that are immensely helpful, and others that can be critically explored.

Check out the video, find conversation partners, and, if you haven’t already, consider supporting a Compassion kid.

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Hammer Time!

Thanks to Matt for directing my attention to this bit of greatness.

When I’ve written about Flash Mobs, this is what I’m talking about!

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The New GM?

Check out this video:

Lesson for churches: Repentance comes before renewal.  This definitely merits expanded commentary, but I’d rather start a conversation.

What do you think?

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Speak the Truth to me. Don’t sell me.

Jesus is a person.  Not a product.  Introduce me.  Don’t sell me.

I’m quite accustomed to hearing Jesus presented as someone who can help me, lift me up when I am down, or solve my problems.  Through song and sermon I’ve become acquainted with “feel good” Jesus.  I’ve been told that I have needs only Jesus can address.  I have a problem, Jesus is the solution.   I have a question, Jesus is the answer.  Jesus will make me feel better.  Jesus is the missing piece in my life.

All of the above may be true.  Jesus might make me feel better about myself, about my relationship with others, and he will undoubtedly inspire my affections toward God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  But will he satisfy my intellect?  Are Christian convictions true?  And will you speak about them as if they were true, reasoning with me intelligently about things that matter, about the foundations of reality?  Or will you attempt to convince me purely through the affections, assuming “feel good” Jesus is sufficient?

I hope not.  I hope you will not only make me feel welcome, but satisfied in the knowledge of God.

John Wood Oman, in his 1931 book Grace and Personality, wrote:

There is only one right way of asking men to believe, which is to put before them what they ought to believe because it is true; and there is only one right way of persuading, which is to present what is true in such a way that nothing will prevent it from being seen except the desire to abide in darkness; and there is only one further way of helping them, which is to point out what they are cherishing that is opposed to faith.  When all this has been done, it is still necessary to recognize that faith is God’s gift, not our handiwork, of His manifestation of the truth by life, not of our demonstration by argument or of our impressing by eloquence; and that even He is willing to fail till He can have the only success love could value–personal acceptance of the truth simply because it is seen to be true.

Speak the truth to me.  Don’t sell me.  And through hearing the Truth, perhaps I will be set free.  Perhaps I will set my feet on the firm foundations of reality, and live on the basis of knowledge of Christ.  Stop talking about life in Christ as empty-headed and emotionally driven–purely a “leap of faith.”  As one entrusted with the gospel, preach it as though it were true, and suffer for it, if necessary (2 Timothy 1:8-12).  Appeal to my heart and my mind.

Fads come and go.  Jesus reigns forever.

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