"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." - Jeremiah 1:5 Before Jeremiah knew God, God knew Jeremiah. . . . We are known before we know. This realization has a practical result: no longer do we run here and there, panicked and anxious, searching for the answers to life. Our lives are not puzzles to be figured out. Rather, we come to God, who knows us and reveals to us the truth of our lives. The fundamental mistake is to begin … [Read more...] about Living Mid-Story (Lent 2019)
Quotes
This is not our final destination. . . .
While we should enjoy God's good creation, and while we should make the most of our time here, this is not our final destination. The new heavens and the new earth are our destination, where we will live with God forever in face-to-face and heart-to-heart encounter with God through Jesus in the Spirit. Jesus' first followers' hopes were set fully and firmly on his promises of enduring presence in their lives through the Spirit, and then later in face-to-face encounter with Jesus in the Father's house. Certainly, the … [Read more...] about This is not our final destination. . . .
Living in relationships with immigrants, refugees, and other low-income people . . .
Living in relationships with immigrants, refugees, and other low-income people has forced us to grapple with the question of what it means for us, as followers of Christ, to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. It has also awakened us to the ethically complex questions of immigration and refugee policy—who do we let in, what do we do with those who came in even though our government did not allow them in, and what effect will our policies have on those already here and struggling to get by? Of course, our attempts … [Read more...] about Living in relationships with immigrants, refugees, and other low-income people . . .
Restless is our heart . . .
. . . restless is our heart until it comes to rest in thee . . . —Augustine, Confessions.[1] … [Read more...] about Restless is our heart . . .
Three Questions for Lectio Vocatio
When John Van Sloten, whose work was introduced in Summer Book Suggestion: Every Job a Parable, meets with groups to try to discern God's signature moves in their jobs, he begins with three questions. I encourage you to take a few minutes this week to give them prayerful consideration. Over the course of the coming month, share and discuss them with a small group of colleagues. … [Read more...] about Three Questions for Lectio Vocatio