People.
“I came to a new understanding why Jesus passed up the religious establishment of his day, the economically secure, the socially prestigious, and sought out the poor, the outcast, the sinner, the broken, the sick, the lonely. He felt, as we so often do not feel, their sorrow. He was acquainted, as we too seldom are, with their grief. On Calvary he died of a broken heart. But that heart was broken long before Black Friday, by the desolation of…
A Cry for Mercy
There isn’t much I have to say. Actually, I feel that is the way it should be most of the time. During my time alone with God this morning, I read this prayer by Henri Nouwen from his A Cry for Mercy. I’ll let his thoughts and heart desire speak for me today… O Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner. I am impressed by my own spiritual insights. I probably know more…
A Cry for Mercy
O Lord, who else or what else can I desire but you? You are my Lord, Lord of my heart, mind and soul. You know me through and through. In and through you everything that is finds its origin and goal. You embrace all that exists and care for it with divine love and compassion. Why, then, do I keep expecting happiness and satisfaction outside of you? Why do I keep relating to you as one of my many relationships,…
Reaching Out
As my role begins the process of changing, it has led me to do some extensive and intensive prayer and study in God’s Word, as well as research in areas that I feel the need to press into more deeply. Of course for all of us that claim to follow Christ, we are both equally bound and terrified by the word evangelism. No other word is seemingly so compelling and repulsive at the same time. It falls into that category…
Richness for the Good?
For the majority of my time in ministry I’ve mainly worked with families and students who are abundantly blessed. In fact, I coined a phrase “silver-spoon ministry” in efforts to describe what it was like to minister to students of privilege – students that regularly received a brand new car for their 16th birthday, usually much nicer than the one I was driving. Silver-spoon ministry has it’s challenges for sure… and then one day, I started to look deeper into…
We want A king… not THE KING!
So I realize I haven’t been as active in the blogging world as of late. It probably has more to do with the addition to the family, ministry responsibilities and other things that would make a pretty long list, but I’ll spare you. And I don’t ever write feeling I have something to say that others need to read, as much as I write because I need to read! This serves as my online journal I guess. Anyhow, I was…
Time
Four letters that make up the word ‘time’. A pretty small word with pretty big implications. I guess the word time has hit me this morning due to circumstances. I woke up with no real schedule today, no giant to-do list, having some goals for today and in a different city. I’m writing this sitting in a Starbucks in Vestavia Hills, Alabama after taking a cool journey down memory lane last night with a good friend of mine here in…
The Journey
God has called me to follow Him a journey this New Year. Not that I haven’t always been on a journey with Him, but I guess to travel down a new path. I’ve been sensing the calling and restless for a little while now, but in my true, typical nature… trying to out-think and maneuver things on my own. But God even this morning confirmed that He wants me to go. I don’t know much beyond that, but am excited…
The Pursuit
Everyone wants to be a hero… to make their life count… to do something with their life. I’m no different. I tend to dwell on this theme of significance, as does this generation that I’m tasked to minister to. There is something God-given and God-inspired at our very core that desires to matter. Sadly we search for significance by pursing pleasures in this world, gathering ‘toys’, seeking prestige, positioning for power and the list goes on and on. We miss…