Urbana '12 David Platt reminds us Jesus IS WORTHY

https://urbana.org/blogs/urbana-12-live-blog/urbana-12-friday-1228-evening

Our First Christmas Together as Newlyweds

Last time we came to Clewiston for Christmas we were still dating (not sure if we were engaged back then), but now my mom and family are officially Hugo's in-laws =D

Beautiful and sunny holiday weather. I wonder if we'll ever spend a cold, white Christmas in New York one year with his dad. It seems like a fun idea in my head, but the reality of snowy weather may be far from my imagined ideal.

Memory Lane

Are we like the church of Sardis? Is the Underground? Am I? Are you? Do we have this great reputation on the outside... people saying nice and flattering things about us... but do they align with God's view of us? Would the good things people say about us match what God has to say about us? He is the one who sees the truth of who we really are. Let us be honest and sober-minded of ourselves. Let us confess the lies, the hidden things and enjoy the freedom and wholeness that the Holy Spirit can bring.

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Revelation 3:1-6

We shouldn't ask God to take our sins or trials away (ie: our desires, our pain). That isn't how he works. He has given us a Spirit of power and self-control to get through them and to flee from sin. He has given us a Spirit of love that empowers us to love others, even when it is difficult to do so. God was pleased when Solomon asked for wisdom to deal with his enemies, instead of asking to have them destroyed or taken away.

In the Name of Jesus

One of the greatest ironies of the history of Christianity is that its leaders constantly gave in to the temptation of power...

What makes the temptation of power so seemingly irresistible? Maybe it is that power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love. It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life. Jesus asks, "Do you love me?" We ask, "Can we sit at your right hand and your left hand in the Kingdom?" Ever since the snake said, "The day you eat of this tree your eyes will be open and you will be like gods, knowing good from evil", we have been tempted to replace love with power. Jesus lived that temptation in the most agonizing way from the desert to the cross. The long painful history of the church is the history of people ever and again tempted to choose power over love, control over the cross, being a leader over being led. Those who resisted this temptation to the end and thereby give us hope are the true saints.

Henri Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus

Set a Fire

"He that will set the hearts of other men on fire with the love of Christ must himself burn with love."

This is my prayer. To burn with love, the only true love that comes from God. A love that purifies and consumes every part of one's heart so that nothing dishonorable to Him remains. This is the kind of love I desperately need and desire. Come Lord Jesus and rekindle your flame in me.

Esther House

A ministry in Denver http://www.odmdenver.org/estherhouse.html

similar to Created in Tampa http://tampaunderground.com/missionchurches/created.html

Wedding Videos

We hired Drew to do videography for our wedding (10/07/12). He produced these two videos, capturing special moments and snapshots from our ceremony and reception. I'm glad we decided to include this element in addition to the beautifully executed photography by Candice. http://candicewright.passgallery.com/event/n03mF126775

Bloom Church

The Underground may not be so unique after all. God seems to have house church networks that look very similar in distant places like Denver, CO as well. Awesome. I like their concept. "Gardens of Resurrection" are sprouting up and blooming more than we might expect. Traditional-style churches may not win out after all.

http://bloomchurchdenver.com/#/home

The Single Story

How to create a single story- show a people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become.

It is impossible to talk about the single story without talking about power (the ability to not just tell the story of another person, but to make it the definitive story of that person)

Palestinian poet writes, "if you want to dispossess a people, the simplest way to do it is to tell their story and to start with secondly." Start with the arrows of the Native Americans and not with the arrival of the British. And you have an entirely different story. Start the story with the failure of the African state and not with the colonial creation of the African state, and you have an entirely different story.

All of these stories make me who I am, but to insist on only these negative stories is to flatten my experience, and to overlook the many other stories that formed me.

The single story creates stereotypes. And the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete; they make one story become the only story.

Engage with all stories, not just the negative ones.

The consequence of the single story is this: it robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult. It emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar.

Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.

A Reflection

I was sitting in one of my roommate's rooms today, talking about our days and a potential new roommate we are both excited to have move in soon. In the midst of the discussion I brought up how I came to live in the house and how welcomed I felt by her. My roommate then said something rather touching to me. It was something like this: "I always wanted you to move in. Do you ever choose people? Like when you first meet someone and you are trying to feel them out. Well, I chose you." It was such a casual conversation but for some reason this response really struck me. I felt so..... touched. I really can't describe it any other way.

I have regrettably fallen out of the habit of self-contemplation and reflection, but tonight I wanted to dig a little deeper and perhaps uncover why this comment hit me so powerfully. I believe it stems from the similarity between what she said and what God says to us in his Word.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last.

Sometimes I forget that simple truth. In my head I might think, "I chose to follow Jesus in college" or "I am not doing a very good job being a disciple right now," but this Scripture demonstrates a security we can feel, knowing that it is really Jesus who has chosen us and sent us out. He hasn't left us to be unpicked players in a game of soccer or flag football. I'm pretty sure we have all experienced the anxiety of standing amidst our fellow classmates (most of whom are more athletic or popular than ourselves) and worry about whether or not we will be picked last. The worst blow to ego a middle schooler could imagine, right? And it has undoubtedly happened once or twice. We don't get picked. We are last. We are shamed.

Maybe some part of me still feels a sense of insecurity or inadequacy among peers. I was never the popular, outgoing, social butterfly growing up. And who could be, considering my upbringing by two very misguided and negligent parents? I have seen the hand of God work miracles in this area of my life, however. Although I am still very much introverted, God really blessed me with great friends in college who brought out the more confident and social side of me. Many of these same friends are still part of my life now.

It's an amazing feeling to be wanted and to be sought out by someone. To be chosen is almost like being told, "You are so special to me." How I felt today in response to what my roommate said to me almost in passing is actually something we should feel each time we meditate on the beautiful truth that God chose us (even before we were ever born!). The Enemy can attack people in a number of ways. One way he attacks me is by feeding me lies about my true worth and value, not only in the eyes of God but in the eyes of other people. When I take the bait I become a more suspicious, critical and self-loathing person. And these kinds of lies used to bombard me a lot. They still do today, but fortunately I am better equipped to fight the lies with the Truth. I can better recognize the attacks, the condemning voices and the trap to reel me back in. And tonight Jesus has lovingly, gently, and quite artfully spoken those tender assurances again to my heart through the voice of a friend. He is still equipping me and building me up just when I need it. And even when I think I don't.

For this reason, and for so many more, I love Him dearly.

An Impactful, Moving Song

"people need to hear the truth of this. it's a challenge to me, it's a challenge to the church. just pursue Jesus and rid ourselves of idols". originally written and sung by Ross King.

"take a break from all the plans that you have made... and sit at home alone and wait for God to whisper"

"anything i put before my God is an idol
anything i want with all my heart is an idol
anything i can't stop thinking of is an idol
and anything that i give all my love is an idol"

i have to agree with Needham that this is the kind of song that when you hear it, it changes you. there is so much depth to what may at first seem like simple words. it's so impactful to me because i am reminded of God's call to believers to offer their whole selves, their whole lives as a living sacrifice to him. this is their act of worship. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship." (Romans 12:1) it is so easy for us to make idols out of lesser things and not even realize it. we have an equal tendency to simply view worship as singing songs of praise to God. and don't get me wrong, that is part of it. but i like the message behind this song, which is ironic in and of itself... the singing of a song that is proclaiming how worship is more than one... i've been learning this lesson lately from Jesus even as i have been reconnecting spiritually during times of worship at the Underground. i remember the first Sunday back (7/1) after my long 6-month break and just feeling so close to God during worship. it was almost like a reunion with Him, a much needed return visit after being away for so long. i apologized for the long separation and delayed homecoming. i cried and reached my hands up to Him, and He was there with me. this singing of praise and gratitude to our God is worship. but it is only a part of it. worship is so much bigger than a song or poem of adoration. it is all of who we are in relation to God. it's who we consider ourselves to be in relation to Christ and how we act because of it. worship is giving - our money, our time, our love,  our patience, our advice, our thoughts, our homes, our food, our stories, our everything. worship is humility - seeing Jesus, our humble servant King, and  faithfully working to embody our Lord because we know He is worth it. it's making the commitment to not only long for Christ's character because we know He is altogether beautiful, but to intentionally walk alongside the Holy Spirit towards our predestined end - a radiant, spotless bride sanctified unto the Lord. worship is sacrifice - it's not holding anything back from God. it's setting all of our desires, plans, successes, failures, aspirations, concerns, doubts, and fears upon the Lamb, the only One who can bear them. for me, it might look like putting my dreams of a masters in public health at the alter or laying down my fear of vulnerability at the feet of Jesus. worship is the right response of a child of God to his Maker, his Father, his Savior, His friend. tears are often shed because God breaks through to our hearts, and we cannot help but be in humble awe of Him, as we give ourselves fully to him as the living sacrifice he has made us and calls us to be.

The “It” Factor Every Relationship Needs

The first bite of my lunch stuck in my throat as soon as she started crying. A friend and I had just sat down for a meal and a catch-up session after being out of touch for a few months. She shrugged and stared down at her burrito as the tears continued. “I’ve given it everything I can ... two years of my life. And now he’s just not returning my calls or texts. I can’t believe this is happening.” As we talked about her failed relationship, I found myself reflecting on a question I’ve pondered for months: What is the one thing every relationship—friendship, dating, marriage—must have to be healthy?

When I asked my friend this question, she said communication. I ask others, and they say humility or honesty or Jesus.

But I think there’s something even more important than any of that. It’s the one thing that Jesus needs from you. It’s the one thing your relationships need from you. By the end of our lunch, my friend and I both knew this mysterious factor was exactly what her boyfriend was lacking: The desire to grow.

I’m guessing that sounds obvious, even stupid, to you. Everyone wants to grow, right? Perhaps in theory, but in reality, many people don’t want to do the work that growth requires. Friendships, working relationships and marriages all eventually turn toxic if both parties aren’t committed to growth. Think about people who’ve bugged you to no end, the ones who are “close-minded” or “stuck in their ways” or “control freaks.” At the end of the day, isn’t the heart of our complaint the fact that these people won’t change, won’t flex, won’t grow?

As a marriage counselor, I see this hurdle when a husband or wife simple won’t show up for sessions. Nothing says “I refuse to grow” like that! And yet, how often are we guilty of the same thing in being physically present in our relationships, yet refusing to show up mentally or emotionally.

So, do you really want to grow? Ask yourself these questions:

1) When is the last time you listened to a friend admonish you, and then went and did something about it?
2) Are you intentional about meeting personal goals or do you simply drift day-to-day?3) If you asked a close friend or family member what they’ve observed in you the past few months, for better or for worse, what would they say?

Growth and the Gospel

In Matthew 19, a young guy comes to Jesus to ask about the good life, and Jesus’ response illustrates how serious He is about our growth. After Jesus covered all of the basics—follow the 10 commandments, love your neighbors—the young man says he’s committed himself to these things. It’s clear that he understands and lives God’s way, and wants to go even deeper. So, then he asks Jesus about his wealth. But when Jesus tells him to give up his money and follow Him, to grow even closer in relationship, the young man chooses the status quo. He chooses comfort, instead of challenge-provoked growth of character and faith.He walks away from the most important relationship in his life because he wasn’t willing to give up the luxuries that were preventing him from growing in his faith.

THERE IS NO ROOM FOR PASSIVITY IN RELATIONSHIPS DEFINED BY GROWTH.

Paul admonishes the church at Ephesus to “grow up into” Jesus, who is the head of the church. And how do we do that? By “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) to one another, by growing up in our salvation (1 Peter 2:2). Growing up looks like more devotion to Jesus, more humility, more honesty, more courage to do the right thing and more mercy when things go wrong. These are Christ qualities, and they are also the qualities that create people who love each other in healthy, honoring ways.

The "It" Factor at Work
A healthy relationship is composed of two people who are humble and honest enough with one another to allow growth to occur, which often means admitting mistakes and working through the hard stuff. There is no room for passivity in relationships defined by growth.

So, what is humility, really? Humility is not a self-hating, insecure abasement of oneself, but a healthy understanding of your weakness rooted in a healthy understanding of God’s strength. Humility actually takes confidence—confidence to believe you are worth loving even when you are flawed, and courage to believe that God can change even the most stubborn personality traits.

A good relationship also takes honesty. Honesty isn’t about cold-hearted critique. It’s about loving someone—not out of selfish motive or self-protection, but out of a genuine desire to see them thrive in life. Real honesty also requires courage, because being honest with ourselves and with others is vulnerable.

An Active Decision
In my married life, I’ve found that when I just “let it be,” choosing a passive stance over an active one, humility and honesty never thrive. Instead, I fill the lack of communication with a negative, prideful explanation for our struggles. When this happens, not only are my husband and I not communicating honestly with each other, but I communicate for him—and I’m often wrong. Choosing growth means choosing honest over easy every single time.

Outside of a family or marriage, my single friends are working hard to figure out what it looks like to be in healthy friendships. And my friends are also discovering that when either themselves or their friends lean toward passivity, the friendship wanes.

Everyone wants healthy relationships. But the real question is: Are you willing to do what it takes to thrive in friendship, working relationships, in marriage? Whatever relationship you are in, the choice to change and grow is in your hands.

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/relationships/%E2%80%9Cit%E2%80%9D-factor-every-relationship-needs

I think the question of whether we really want to personally grow within a relationship is a very penetrating one to ask. It certainly makes me stop and assess the internal situation of my own heart. I am engaged and a little over two months away from marriage. I've gone through personal counseling and just recently finished premarital counseling with my fiance only a few days ago. We discussed many topics about marriage this last month and a half, including communication, finances, sex, emotional "deposits" and "withdrawals" to name a few. And I think amidst all these conversations about married life, one could say that a desire to grow - to be challenged to become more like Jesus - is at the heart of the matter. Consider communication, for example. A desire to communicate better is really a desire to have each person understand the thoughts, feelings, concerns, perspective, and heart of the other. And I believe that's one aspect of spiritual growth and maturity. As a disciple "grows up" in Christ, they become more and more interested in the needs and cares of other people. They become more patient and are willing to listen to the ideas, passions, griefs and hardships of others. And when both people in a relationship are on this same path to maturity, something rather strange and wonderful happens. They find themselves listening to each other, putting the needs of the other before their own, and they discover that their communication troubles have waned quite a bit. When Jesus is placed at the center and there is a firm commitment to be stretched for His name's sake,  then there is very little stopping a couple from enjoying the healthy, godly relationship God desires them to have. 

This "desire to grow" is certainly something that I have been struggling with lately. I definitely want to grow closer to Jesus and obey the commands that he gives me. I know that he wishes to do work on my tendency to reject authority and challenge. And in many ways he has already done a whole lot. But I know that he is not done in that area, which makes me both uncomfortable and a little scared. It makes me feel this way because I know that there is much more pain to be endured. It is part of his sanctification and purification of me. There are still habits, mindsets, selfish motives, prejudices, pride and other sinful aspects left that need to be cleared out. I can tell that he still wants me to open up and be vulnerable with people so that they can speak into my life, admonish me, encourage me and simply let me know how they think I am doing outwardly. I lack these kinds of trusted voices, but I am going to place my faith in God to bring them near and let me know who they are. 

I really like how the author defines and discusses humility and honesty. Humility actually takes confidence - confidence to believe you are worth loving even when you are flawed, and courage to believe that God can change even the most stubborn personality traits. As I have come to learn more and more about what true humility is, I have felt comforted by Jesus when before I felt mostly insecure and self-pity. It is liberating to know that the seemingly paradoxical truth that God loves his flawed creation. God loves me despite my sin and failed efforts to change myself. I recognize even more how it is only He who can change my defective nature and most stubborn personality flaws. And this is great news because I have too many that it would overwhelm me if I was solely responsible for their eradication. Take just one example, my tongue. James describes it with these words: "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." Holy crap, that is harsh! I need the humility to see this in myself and the confidence to lay it at the feet of Jesus, knowing that He can and will change me if I desperately and genuinely call upon his name. 

Honesty isn’t about cold-hearted critique. It’s about loving someone—not out of selfish motive or self-protection, but out of a genuine desire to see them thrive in life. This way of putting it is almost a critique of how I go about my honesty most of the time. And I've heard God tell me so. He wishes to see me speak truth in love, not simply speak truth. I'm making changes, slowly as it may seem, I am. My prayer to God is for him to replace my heart of stone with one of flesh, both for my own sake and for the sake of those I speak truth to. I ask God for a doubt-free mind, a gentle tone and a softened heart. I remember praying these very words the night Mara, Natalia and myself met up to see Kandace the Monday night before my trip to Central America. He is answering my prayer, I know it. Just going to work and facing the incitements there all day is a test to my tongue and proclivity to give punishment rather than mercy. Jesus has helped me in the workplace, though. His Spirit is working on my spirit, and giving me the strength I need in moments of weakness. It may sound juvenile, but withholding that cutting remark or sarcastic jab back, really is a step of growth for me. There are obviously times when I fail again, like just yesterday when an 18-year-old kid "tried" me (in the lingo of my students). The irritated me resurfaces, with her harsh tone and desire to punish. "I will not be disrespected like that" she'll say. The advice of his teacher to me was surprisingly on point when he said, "Just write him up and forget about it," because my mind goes to resentment and lingering judgment, which is clearly unhealthy and not very Christ-like. I can tell that Jesus is asking me to be more loving in thought and deed, and to have his heart - a genuine desire to see people thrive in life - rather than a heart that condemns when they do wrong. It reminds me of how God restrains his wrath when he finds a man who is righteous and faithful. I should give second chances because He gave us a second chance to escape death and condemnation. For the multitude of kids who are disobedient and a thorn in my side, I must be mindful of the few who make my job worthwhile and who should not be lumped together with the rest. My attitude should be shaped by Jesus and maintained for the benefit of these kids. The ones who test me should not cause me to falter because my roots are connected so securely to my God that they cannot come undone. Those moments of stress are also opportunities for me to rely on Jesus. He is strong when I am weak. God is calling me to true humility and true honesty. 

It's not the love that sustains the promise, but the promise that sustains the love...
Where some guys propose on a knee, Jesus proposed on a cross...
Read Ephesians 5 - Wife, honor your husband. Husbands, give up your life...
So die to self, put your flesh on a life sentence. Cuz you don't fall out of love as much as you fall out of repentance.

Insightful words, especially the last verse

"The use of the word church itself seems problematic to me. The church is not a place that you go for a while and it is not something people skip either. It is an identity and a lifestyle."

I think that's one of the best definitions of church I've come across in a long time.

"It isn’t so much that the Church has a mission as it is that the Mission has a Church. The Church then is that community that is pursuing God and doing Mission together."

http://jon-dengler.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-not-to-speak-about-church.html

You remember me before I learned to run
At the kissing tree before I learned my guns
We were seventeen, seventeen years young
I am still running, I am still running

I had no idea the pain would be this strong
I had no idea the fight would last this long
In my darkest fears rights become the wrongs
I am still running, I am still running
I am still running, I am still running

Build me a home inside your scars
Build me a home inside your song
Build me a home inside your open arms
The only place I ever will belong

I am still running, I am still running
I am still running, I am still running

Build me a home inside your scars
Build me a home inside your song
Build me a home inside your open arms
The only place I ever will belong
The only place I ever will belong
Inside your open arms
The only place I ever will belong

This part of the song always reminds me of Jesus. And afer hearing the sermon about his experience in his hometown of Nazareth, where his probable longing for home was not only unsatisfying, but likely quite devastating to him, I am so grateful for his offer of home (belonging) to us nonetheless. He never experienced this lasting sense of security and peace amongst a group of people on earth who intimitely knew and "got" him... what we could each call our christian "community". The Underground is rich in these small groups of committed individuals who truly know each other and have undoubtedly forged relationships through times of great trial and joy. The disciples should have been those people for Jesus, but they were clueless and in the end would desert their Master. It is not just a shame, but a tragedy that Jesus went through his ministry constantly pouring himself out on behalf of the poor, lost and needy devoid of support by anyone. Of course he was still intimitely connected to the Father and Spirit, but there is also something powerful and life-giving about a community that is there for you to listen and if nothing else to say, "I understand". His disciples could not even stay up one hour, the time of his most distress, to pray for him llike he asked. Even I have a handful of people I know who would do that if I requested it. But our Savior did not have this. How is that possible? How does that not break our heart?

Humanity failed God. Humans have an incredible capacity to disappoint him over and over again. But that doesn't hinder him from extending love to us anyway. Jesus didn't need human community, but it would have been such an encouragement to him, don't you think? One way that he shows us his great love for us is by giving us the chance to say, "Build me a home inside your scars," as he died on the cross for us and has the scars to prove it. "Build me a home inside your song," the artful lyrics that were his sermons and the song of worship that was his perfect life. "Build me a home inside your open arms," the place where we all as estranged sons and daughters longed to be... and where we as adopted children can now rest in the wonderful embrace of our Father. We owe it all to the Lamb, who willingly sacrificed more than we can imagine, and whose Kingdom, which even now is being built, is "the only place I (we) ever will belong."

Mark 6:1-6

Longing for home, inconsolable secret. Weight of Glory.
Like remembering something that has never happened to us - that is this deep longing in us
The scent of a flower we have not found, news from a country we have not yet visited
It is like this moment in Nazareth for Jesus
Hunger doesn't prove we have food, but does prove that come from a people that was made to eat, supposed to replenish ourselves through eating
What about our hunger for "home" this place of belonging? Does not mean we have it or will find it in this life. But does prove it exists and that we were made for it
We all know what it feels like to be homeless in our soul. It unites us as a people
Tampa/Underground is like this sense of home for some people; Jesus never had this. That amazes and moves me deeply about this part of Jesus' humanity. It puts so much in perspective and makes me love and admire my Savior all the more
Glory - people long for this. 1) fame - to be known 2) honor - to be seen as gift & celebrated 3) approval of someone as they are 4) praise - to be acknowledged for how we have done well
Bible teaches we will be glorified in His presence
It is not a wrong desire, but a good and holy desire
We look for it in the wrong place, fame and praise from each other in this life rather than God saying "I know you"
Specific pleasure of the inferior (we are less than God) We try to make ourselves equal to everyone that we don't experience the pleasure of our superior telling us we have done well
This kind of home does not make you prideful but humble. Small but significant
Nazareth is self-loathing, condemning themselves (Jesus & his abilities could not come from there. Nothing good can come from there, that's what they believe about themselves) We also believe lies others say about us
They try to insult Jesus, but just end up revealing their flawed thoughts about God and themselves. Low regard for themselves and the ordinary. Nobody believes that a prophet of God could come from there. We overestimate our sinfulness; creates a world in which you hear no one speak to you with God's voice. No one is good enough to challenge you. Prophet's message is always change and repentance. Can't hear it from people closest to us
Jesus' love - he chooses them first, wants them to follow Him first and they can't believe it (The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to preach good news to the poor)
God will always station a prophet in our lives, He wants to speak to us; we should treasure the voice of God
God even uses non-Christians, biblical and historical. He does not use perfect people, they do not exist
We've been so closed that we stop hearing and the prophets stop saying because fear of rejection. Eerie silence results. Greatest truth teller is stationed right next to us (ie: spouses)
God uses sinners in each others lives. Especially those in our inner circle
Surrounded by remarkable people, are you listening? Depositories of God inside them (in our families, house churches)
We will someday be glorious creatures that if you saw them now you'd be tempted to worship them
or be horrified by the other possibility - immortal horrors destined for hell
You have never talked to a mere mortal
Nature is mortal and we shall outlive her
One day we will stand before the presence of God and we won't break apart (like Isaiah being undone) and we will be examined. We won't just survive, but will pass because He sees his Son Jesus
He will know, honor, approve and praise each of us and we will dance unashamed and not scorned
Life is like middle school
One day in heaven, self-consciousness will leave us and we will be clothed in the righteousness of Jesus
"At present, we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door... we cannot mingle with the splendors we see... but someday it will not always be so. Next to the blessed sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses, and if he or she is your Christian neighbor they are holy in the same way this is holy because in him is also Christ truly hidden."
The glorifier and the glorified. Ordinary bread but in it Christ is hidden. So it is with you.
Let us make homes for people. Know, affirm and glorify some people. Breathe in them and be a prophet.

One of my favorite sermons

Going from one side to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Tension between two coastlines, two worlds. Gentiles and Jewish side. Jesus has come to reconcile.
In the middle of the sea, He is most peaceful, restful, sleeping
Jairus's daughter is dying, Bleeding woman is healed. Latter woman's need seems to be more important to Jesus so He stops what he is doing (going to a dying young girl, pressing need there) to address hers. And because of his action, the young girl does die. Cynical person would be upset and outraged
man vs woman, clean vs unclean, synagogue ruler vs outcast from synagogue, honor vs shame, rich vs poor, entourage vs alone, comes as an equal vs reaching for beggar's portion, face-to-face vs from behind, loved by community vs rejected by community
Who should come first?
God in becoming man is now limited, he cannot do everything or be everywhere now
Shows us how to be human and finite, how to prioritize our lives
Jesus had to make a choice here and he chooses the bleeding woman. So counter-cultural and shocking
Camara and homeless woman during interview for IV cohort program
Pre-existing bias revealed when needs of two groups come into conflict.
Jesus loved the rich and powerful (healed, responded to their needs), but they do not come before the poor. They come second. Jesus loves both girls, but there is a preference.
Do our lives reflect this kind of preference?
Shatters every social convention we know. Not to be trifled with, but redefining to its core.
Jesus is not in a hurry, but we often are. He is not self-important, but we are.
Divinity students and needy person on the way; only 40% of them actually stopped & did not matter if they were talking about career opportunities or Good Samaritan passage. 10% stopped to help when they were told they were already late. Discard our ethics, less Christian then. Stopping to say "Are you ok? or letting someone closeby know counted. 9/10 did nothing b/c thought they were in a hurry. Like somehow integrity is a luxury which we lose when we are in a hurry.
We are comfortable with a big ego and a small God. We are uncomfortable with a big God and a small ego.
Ironically, the greatest man who ever lived was less self-important than we are. Had a bigger view of God than we do. He had time for this woman. Refuses to accept the hurried view even
Jesus was often busy, but never hurried.
Do you take time for the outcast in your life? Make this the litmus test for your spirituality. Slowed down and take care of the person with the least prominence. If we measured our communities like this, how would we look?
Juxtiposition: Jesus sees two daughters; not a rich man's daughter and a worthless woman. First one under the provision of father for 12 years and only knows sickness now. And even now has a father going to plead for her healing. Bleeding woman (12 years) is fatherless, under care of uncaring men, no one to plead her case. Her life was defined by men who were supposed to care causing her only more suffering and poverty.
There are two daughters in this passage loved by a Father.
Jesus prefers the one who has no one to care for them.
"The last shall be first, and the least shall be greatest in my kingdom."
Jesus asked who touched him and woman is gripped with fear; she assumes another man is coming after her.
Filled with regret, exposure, shame, embarrassment - like text message sent to wrong person
But Jesus doesn't leave her in that state. Jesus sees that her suffering is so much deeper than her illness. Wants to heal her whole person. She is last, he wants to make her first. She has been last for 12 years and in danger of believing she belongs there. Jesus wants to break this lie.
Her suffering is total - mind, body, soul. He cannot leave her there. God favors the weak, broken, poor
The degree to which you see yourself as broken, in need, with a poverty of spirit is the degree to which you will experience Jesus and his grace in your life.
We prioritize the poor, the needy, the margins. They are central, not peripheral. Though we care for all people, the weakest and most vulnerable are the church's priority.
Those from broken backgrounds, families - You have not been abandoned by God. He knows your name, You are His. Especially His.
Jesus still goes to the dying daughter (middle class, raised Christian, stable home, us with an entitlement problem) and fulfills his commitment to her father. It is good for us to be second for a change, it's God loving us. You can wait on your sister. Like with the prodigal son. It is right for us to celebrate and for you to watch
Accomplishes something along the way, destroys the social code that placed needs of girl above poverty and shame of the woman. He sees more than we see. On his way, he is going to readjust the system that allows the woman to be left alone for 12 years. Refuses to play by its rules. Flips the world upside down. Prefers the poor, but does not forget the rich. Good news for Westerners.
If Jairus had heart of God, he would have rejoiced at the healing of this woman before his daughter. Different economy of the Kingdom
We need to step into the middle of the sea with Jesus, living between the two worlds. "If this is your heart, then it will also be my heart." Choose the weaker, needier person. Step into that third way of Jesus
Little girl - represents Israel and older brother in prodigal story. Jesus lets her die, just like the system, so that He can resurrect a new one. Death of temple, law, ceremonial system. Replace with his Spirit. Rise again with Him. Prominence does not count. People are equalized by their need and by touching Jesus. No more rules or hierarchy. "You are all mine." Let Jesus re-orient your view of the world. Imagine if a whole church did this. Pissing off entitled people and welcoming in the poor and outcast. Ought to look strange to onlookers. Beg the question from them, "Who are they?"

Preaching, Teaching & Storytelling Presentations

I'm glad I went to this final class, where multiple people got up and gave it their best shot at preaching a meaningful message. I must say, Underground peeps CAN PREACH. Definitely enjoyed the night, and learned so much more than I would merely listening to a lecture on the topic of preaching. Way to put the principles and teaching of Brian into practice. Makes me wonder if I could ever really do that... for now, though, I think I'll stay behind my writing of words on a page... Even though sermons and spoken words are powerful, I don't agree that they are superior or innately better than any other form of communication. Just as men and women complement each other and equally reveal a unique part of God's nature, so too do the gifts of the spoken and written Word.

The Green House

I drove passed this house in Ybor yesterday on my way to pick up Gabi, and the beauty of it made me stop and stare. It is absolutely gorgeous, and if I had the money, I would totally buy this short sale home. The best part about it is the color - green!

http://www.getmoreoffers.com/property/MyFloridaRegional/T2490408.htm

On Morgan Freeman and “Just stop talking about it.”

A good response and take on the racism problem in america

http://blog.mattstauffer.org/75/on-morgan-freeman-and-just-stop-talking-about-it/

Back to Work

Coming back to work today after only one week of working and then one week of paid time off (for spring break) was not as bad as I anticipated. It was actually quite enjoyable and low-key. Probably because many students from each class were not quite done with their spring break and decided not to show up.

While helping a student with his biology questions, I found it interesting that the review sheet nicely summed up the evolution of species and then gave a one liner at the end about how humans, too, underwent this same process with ancestor species serving as evidence in the fossil record. It made me stop and think about the large jump in logic and reasoning it is to lay out a whole mechanism for animals of various kinds, and then just throw in at the end that humanity followed in essentially the exact same way. You'd hardly catch the assertion unless carefully read and pondered. Such a shame that this lie continues to be assumed as truth and mindlessly taught to students. Education can be so limited, lacking critical thinking or the call to actually examine the facts. Because there are no such human ancestors in the fossil record that prove intermediate stages of evolution in man. But it's stated there, as if it were.

It was also cool to get to talk with the student about different subjects, college, jobs and career goals. One of his questions struck me, "Why do you want to work here?" And it's a good one to ask, especially seeing how in flux the teacher and educational support body is at this school. Nothing seems stable or certain. Just last week we found out a beloved security officer is no longer going to be here because he's been offered a job teaching. It's a difficult place to work I can imagine, and the changing of personnel doesn't go unnoticed by the students. I told him I believe it is a good thing what they have here, giving kids another shot at getting their high school diploma and graduating. Sure, there are the behavioral problems that never cease, but in spite of that, there is great potential to see them succeed and to be content with having played even a small part in making that happen.

Spoken Word

The power of Satan in our lives can be stronger than we think. He, along with our own sinful nature, will attempt to deceive us, tempt us, blind us and bind us. But we must take caution and be active in fighting his lies with the Truth of Jesus Christ. I've learned this lesson myself, thankfully, through the guidance of a counselor I recently ended sessions with. One of the first things that we discussed were my ungodly beliefs (lies that satan had me believing) and ways to combat these with the truth that is found in God's Word. This spoken word piece is especially moving to me because of its powerful declaration that satan does not control or possess us any longer. We are God's possession and through Christ we have been won by his blood. Christ finished this redemptive work for us on the cross. It is now our choice to believe, embrace, live out and cling to the truth of what he has done. We are His. I am His. Satan lost another one.

Jimmy Needham/Trip Lee Concert

version of a song that they performed tonight for Grace Amazing tour

Mark 3

Who is your God? (inner life, worship)
Connected to that, who are you? (self-awareness, identity)
Who is your crowd? (mission, calling)
Who is your twelve? (community, belonging, counsel, chemistry)
Who is your neighbor? (both community and mission)

Jesus withdrew from those who did not want him (religious people/anti-community - scribes, Pharisees, chief priests and Herodians) and ascended a mountainside with those he wanted (the twelve he called). Creating a new community, new twelve tribes, based on the pouring out of his Spirit. Contrast to Moses on the mountainside. Jesus is greater than Moses. He calls us to himself in order to send us out to others. To be the lights in the darkness. To be in relationship with Jesus means we will face paradox. We will live in tension.