discipleship

Silence in the Way of Jesus

2022-03-30T21:47:27+00:00By Joel|discipleship, Silence, Solitude, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation, Stillness|

“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, means to passionately pursue the way that Jesus walked out His conversational life with [...]

The Way of Humility

2021-09-02T17:52:55+00:00By Joel|Christianity, discipleship, Jesus Christ, Kingdom of God, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation, theology, Worldview|

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. It’s about being recognized and respected. An axis of power, which we see in [...]

Praying a Prayer of Peace for Today

2020-10-15T05:19:09+00:00By Joel|discipleship, francis of assisi, Kingdom of God, Prayers and Blessings, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation, trust|

I remember when I first learned of Francis of Assisi. I was a student at a Lutheran university when the choir that I was in sang a piece that was an arrangement of the words from the Franciscan attributed "Prayer of Peace." Eventually through research I found that there is no evidence that Francis himself wrote the prayer, nevertheless I was captivated by the story of Francis (he did, after all, personify that prayer). It radically impacted my heart. Having been to a third world country out of high school, I returned to the U.S. unsatisfied by what the U.S. culture offered in empty promises and visions of material dreams. And it was not whether it [...]

Clinging to God

2020-08-02T06:44:10+00:00By Joel|discipleship, Jesus Christ, Kingdom of God, Memoirs, Spiritual Formation, Story, theology, Videos|

"Knowing God's intentions is what we need to hang on to when there's times of pain and suffering." - Dr. Jim Wilder on Susie Larson Live Recently, I shared a message on the posture of 'clinging to God' at the church where I serve. The topic that we are on is "Recalculating: when plans change." As I thought about this in my own life I have been humbled. From the high desert of the Navajo Nation, to sleeping on couches throughout my late teens and early twenties, I am thankful for all those who opened their hearts and homes to me as a young monk-ish nomad, itinerately walking everywhere. I am in awe of the [...]