Abandonment

Wastefull Extravagance: Experiments in Abandon Part 6

2014-08-26T01:22:58+00:00By Joel|Abandonment|

One danger in abandon (for the onlookers) is the seeming lack of logic in the situation. In John 12 we see the account of Mary anointing Jesus with oil. This oil (spikenard) was valued at being worth about a years wages. The question in the head and mouths of the disciples and onlookers was: "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." Jesus' answer: "Leave her alone, it was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me." It made perfect sense to Jesus. In Luke 10 [...]

Franciscan Abandon: Experiments in Abandon Part 5

2014-08-18T22:34:55+00:00By Joel|Abandonment, francis of assisi|

My wife and I watched one of my favorite movies the other week. "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" is a movie about Francis of Assisi. While the movie is painted with a wonderful tint of Seventies music and flower-child vibe, it does wonderfully at conveying (in part) the uniquely undying passion of this Italian character that has been celebrated by Catholics and Protestants alike. Francis, having grown up in a well-to-do family, was struck by an illness while off at war. Returning home he had many encounters of God speaking to him. God stirred Francis' heart to rebuild a broken down church. Francis abandoned all and devoted himself to living with the poor, rebuilding the church and [...]

Experiments in Abandon: Part 3

2014-08-26T01:18:25+00:00By Joel|Abandonment, Christianity, Jesus Christ|

a·ban·don [uh-ban-duh-n] 2.to give up; discontinue; withdraw from So the point of this meditation/experiment is in no way just an academic look at a conceptual truth. The point of this whole thing is that Jesus Christ is real, what He taught is real, and He is really coming back. With all of its mistake made by its ambassadors over the years, the truth is still Jesus is the way...even though the truth has been distorted by a culture that has strayed far from the value system of the Way (what Jesus taught). I don't say all of this to be a downer, especially to the Church...but I believe we need a wake up call. We have [...]

Experiments in Abandon: Part 2

2014-08-26T01:15:36+00:00By Joel|Abandonment, discipleship, Jesus Christ|

a·ban·don [uh-ban-duh-n] 4. to yield (oneself) without restraint or moderation Jesus spoke a lot about the economy of the Kingdom of God, most of it is along the lines of if you want to find, you've got to lose. Lose what? Your life, your hard "earned" social identity (i.e. popularity, reputation), your comfort...most in a humanistic American culture will say different (thanks a lot gnosticism and doctrines of cheap grace). More and more this equation is always morphing in my life. Joel + Jesus=? What does this look like? Well, I know what the answer to the equation must be, but what must happen to find the answer? The equation must have some more integers, surely. But [...]