Let Us Begin Again
cusp: a point of transition (as from one historical period to the next) Once again, we are on a cusp. We wake up. We start the coffee. We begin again, literally but also metaphorically. The call of the moment is to bravely reset on the successes and failures as well. It's a new day to create with our lives. To breathe hope into hopeless spaces, and to scrape art into the scratchboard of life. St. Bonaventure tells us that towards the end of his life St. Francis would tell the other friars: “Let us begin again, brothers, for up until now, we [...]
Silence in the Way of Jesus
“A word with power is a word that comes out of silence. A word that bears fruit is a word that emerges from the silence and returns to it. It is a word that reminds us of the silence from which it comes and leads us back to that silence.” Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart I have been pressing into the connection between the formation that happens through the contemplative life and the formation that happens through stepping out into active mercy and justice. I'm convinced more and more, that to live a Christ-centric life of love, mercy, and justice, [...]
The Way of Humility
Humility. It all comes down to that. The Christian life (that is, following in the way of Jesus) is a way of humility. I know it may be hard to see that in a society that seems to rotate on an axis of power. Yes, even in the church. There is a refocus that is needed - a revival of Christ-centeredness. When our lives rotate on an axis of power, it is about pride and getting our way – regardless of what it takes. It’s very often about force, and even violence. It’s about having the last word, and about being right. [...]
Walking at the Pace of Jesus
We aren't made to keep up the pace that many of us find ourselves in. Hustle, busy, and how much we can do and how well we do it is often embraced by our culture. Well, eventually, we max out. We have to stop. Recently, as a part of the sermon series "Following the Way: The Simple Patterns of Jesus," I shared the message "Walking at the pace of Jesus." These thoughts are something that is always rolling around in the back of my mind as I navigate life in suburbia (very different than life in the mountains as well as life [...]
It’s OK to be a mess
“Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion.” Brennan Manning, Abba's Child
Still Growing Up To Be a Child
A theme in my life that I thought until now was kind of a seasonal thing, was the idea that I would often call: “growing up to be a child.” In Matthew chapter 18 we read a story about the disciples coming to Jesus with the question, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” It says that Jesus called a child over into the middle of the conversation and He said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in [...]