iCrucified » Prayer

Word, Prayer, and Didache

jeff — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:31:37 +0000

Morning Meds [2010MAY10]

“You will not hate any person, but some you will reprove, and concerning others you will pray, and some you will love more than your soul.” (Didache 2:7)

Lord, You opened for us the path to eternal life. Grant that we, born again of water and Spirit, may joyfully serve You in newness of life and faithfully walk in Your holy ways. Amen.

He is Faithful and True; His name is King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:11,16)

Word, Prayer, and Didache is a post from: iCrucified

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Post tags: Didache, Meditations, Prayer, Spiritual Disciplines

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Christmastide: The Passionate Commitment

jeff — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:59:11 +0000

Christmastide Reflections: The Passionate Commitment…

Isaiah 9:2-7

⁴ You will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders… ⁶ For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace… ⁷ His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The *passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen.

*Passionate Commitment is a translation for the New Living Translation. In other versions it is translated as “zeal.” Looking up the definition of zeal in several online dictionaries was enlightening to me. The following reflects the sum of my findings:

Zeal: Fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence; ardor

Synonyms: intensity, passion

I love that… passionate commitment; zeal; enthusiastic diligence, intensity…passion. This is the description of our God, the Creator-Savior-Redeemer, Jesus. The Rescuer who has come to save, reconcile, and restore us. He does this with passionate commitment. He determined that HE WOULD MAKE THIS HAPPEN with enthusiastic diligence and ardor (intense devotion, eagerness, and/or enthusiasm; burning heat). I love this!!! He would see (and did see) that the burden of sin, the yoke of slavery to the broken flesh, would be lifted! His peace and our reconciliation would never end! Our redeemed and restored relationship would extend ETERNALLY! Why? Because HE WAS-IS Passionately Committed to His creation and His children. Thank God! Immanuel. God is with us!

“Each day proclaim the good news that He saves…” (Psalm 96:2b)

At His birth the world changed. The pregnancy of Hope and the conviction of divine possibility were joined. God is with us…Immanuel. The physical birth of Jesus is exponentially larger than a baby in a manger. Christmas marks the coming of a whole new world. As modern day Christians we know that Christmas is the precursor of the cross. Christmas and the cross are truly a single event. With the fulfillment of God’s promise for deliverance come in Jesus, humanity was invited to coexist with deity for eternity… Immanuel… God with us, God among us, and God in us: Redemption, Reconciliation, and ultimate Restoration. Hallelujah! He Has Come. Immanuel.

“God makes the first move, one of sheer grace; the next move is theirs (ours)…” –Bobby Gross

“Christmas is meant to take us to the level of spiritual maturity where we are capable of seeing in a manger the meaning of an empty tomb.” –Joan Chittister

Isaiah’s prophecy describes the character, conscience, and countenance of Jesus…”The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace…” This is the Image by which we were created (Genesis 1:27) and it is the Image to which we are being transformed (Romans 8:29). Christ himself, has prayed (John 17:22-23) that we (the sons and daughters of God) would be instruments and reflections of His Glory. The image we should radiate and reflect is the same description as depicted by the prophet Isaiah; wisdom, power, love (agape), peace (shalom). As I reflect upon these truths and meditate upon all that it holds for us as “awakened” children of God, I am stricken with a somber dose of reality… I think about the quote from Bobby Gross (above) speaking about the lowly shepherds to whom God announced through His angels the arrival of Messiah Jesus. God did make the first move and the shepherds responded with joyful obedience. I wonder about those who do not respond to God’s move… Ironically, the arrival of Jesus in the flesh of humanity not only signaled life-eternal, but brought with it death as well (Matthew 2:13-18). So, to this end, I ponder… the fulfillment of Promise and Life sealed darkness and death for many. Sadly, I think it does still for those who decide to ignore “God’s first move.” I am reminded of an observation made by the ancient church father, Jerome; “The Lord is born on earth, and he does not have even a cell in which to be born, for there was no room for him in the inn. The entire human race had a place, and the Lord about to be born on earth had none. He found no room among people…” O, Dear God, please…please may this not be the case about Your people today. My prayer today is for us who know you and for those who do not…

Almighty and everlasting God, you have revealed the incarnation of your Son by the bright shining of a star, which the wise men saw, and offered costly gifts in adoration; let the star of your justice always shine in our hearts, that we may give as our treasure all that we are and all that we posses, to your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

From before time was, Your plan was to manifest Your image in all you create and now You have provided us the way and the means to this completion through rebirth and re-creation. May we be as the shepherds and respond boldly to Your move; Your invitation to grace and shalom. I pray, O Lord, for the blindness and arrogance of my brothers and sisters…that their hearts might not be hardened, but they would be melted to joyful submission and receive this great gift of salvation from Immanuel… You, who are, God With Us. It is your passionate commitment and merciful magnificence that brings men to repentance… I pray that darkness is dispelled and death destroyed for the sake of those who still do not know or refuse you… may they greet you with adoration and joy, responding to Your “first move” and passionate commitment.

Christ is born: glorify Him. Christ comes from heaven: go out to meet Him. Christ descends to earth: let us be raised on high.

– prayer written from my own words, the words of Gregory of Nazianzus and the Gelasian Sacramentary

Christmastide: The Passionate Commitment is a post from: iCrucified

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Post tags: Advent, Ancient Christianity, Bobby Gross, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Discipleship, Gregory of Nazianzus, Jesus Christ, Joan Chittister, kingdom of God, Louisiana, Meditation, Meditations, Spiritual Formation, Spirituality, The Gelasian Sacramentary, The Liturgical Year

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Prayer for Living Water

jeff — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:17:06 +0000

Proper 26

Merciful God, good Lord, I wish that you would unite me to that fountain, that there I may drink of the living spring of the water of life with those others who thirst after you. There in that heavenly region may I ever dwell, delighted with abundant sweetness, and say, “How sweet is the fountain of living water which never fails, the water welling up eternal life.” O God, you are yourself that fountain ever and again to be desired ever and ever and again to be consumed. Lord Christ, always give us this water to be for us the “source of the living water which wells up to eternal Life.” Columbanus

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Be You Imitators

jeff — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:20:47 +0000

“Be You Imitators…” (Ephesians 5:1)

Our ultimate goal is to be like Jesus; it is also the highest desire of our Lord. Nothing should beset us from striving to make this our greatest call. The following passages support the call to become “like Christ”:

Phil. 2:5
1 Jn 2:6
2 Co 3:18
Romans 8:29
Eph 4:13
2 Co 5:17
Eph 5:1

An excerpt from the great preacher Chas. Spurgeon gives insight to this passage from Eph 5:1 –

“Be you imitators”—that is, do not only meditate upon God and think that you have done enough, but go on to copy what you study. Meditation is a happy, holy, profitable engagement. It will instruct you, strengthen you, comfort you, inspire your heart and make your soul steadfast. But you may not stop at meditation—you must go on to imitation of the Character of God! Let your spiritual life not only bud and blossom in devout thought, but let it bring forth fruit in holy action. Be not satisfied with feeding the soul by meditation, but rise up from the banquet and use the strength which you have gained! Sitting at the feet of Jesus must be succeeded by following in the footsteps of Jesus!

Neither does the text say to us, “Be you admirers of God.” This we ought to be and shall be if we are true Christians. The pure in heart, who, alone, can truly see God, are filled with a reverent admiration of Him. With the angels, every gracious heart exclaims, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts.” “There is none holy as the Lord” (Sam. 2:2). When the best of men are compared with the Lord, their holiness is not to be mentioned. “Who is like unto You, O God, glorious in holiness?” But we cannot rest satisfied with rendering such admiration—we must prove that we really admire by closely imitating. The world’s proverb is that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” I shall alter it and adapt it to a higher use. “Imitation of God is the sincerest form of admiring Him!” Neither can we believe that you know God and are at all charmed with His holiness unless you endeavor, as He shall help you, to imitate Him as dear children.(...)
Read the rest of Be You Imitators (418 words)

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Post tags: Apostle Paul, Charles Spurgeon, disciple, Eph 5:1, Jesus, romans 8:29

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Prayer for the day [02AUG2009]

jeff — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 12:00:05 +0000

O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love. By Your hand may the power of God preserve us. May the wisdom of God instruct us and the way of God direct us. May the hand of God protect us and the host of God guard us against the snares of evil and the temptations of the world.

Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey Him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!

Let us not cling to fleeting things, which slip away and depart, but to those which are enduring and immovable. May we all attain them through the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always, for ever and ever. For the Word of the LORD holds true, and we can trust everything He does. [Amen] Prayer compilation: John Chrysostom, St. Patrick, Psalm 32, 33, 59

Prayer for the day [02AUG2009] is a post from: iCrucified

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The Jesus Way Conference – part 2

jeff — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:24:26 +0000

The Jesus Way Conference – part 2

Recovering the lost content of discipleship… (Midday report)

This morning started with worship in prayer -morning prayers.

Focus: “Worship in the biblical sources and in liturgical history is not something a person experiences, it is something we do, regardless of how we feel about it, or whether we feel anything about it at all. The experience develops out of the worship, not the other way around. Authentic worship means being present to the living God who penetrates the whole of human life” Eugene Peterson -The Jesus Way

“My life is listening, God’s is a speaking.” Thomas Merton -Thoughts in Solitude

We began our worship with breath prayer from Psalm 36:8 and then continued with a responsive prayer and singing of Psalm 95 along with “Come, Worship the Lord.”

This was the first time that I experienced the collective praying of the morning office with 2500 plus people. I have to say it was very powerful and moving. I have been using the Daily Office and the Common Book of Prayer as part of my individual-personal disciplines for a couple years now, but praying together like I participated in this morning with the larger community was really great. There is something supernaturally connecting with the body of Christ when we come together unified in our worship of God.

Take, O take me as I am;

Summon out what I shall be;

Set your seal upon my heart,

And live in me. [Amen]

The first general session and message today was, “Worship: Elijah and The Jesus Way.” Our speaker was Emilie Griffin. One word; “Wow.” No, make that two words; “Simply Awesome.” What an incredible privilege to hear this woman speak. Here are some of the shared thoughts on worship from Emilie Griffin:

Quoting Jesus, she shares; “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). Great place to start when considering worship…don’t you think? She went on to quote Eugene Peterson from The Jesus Way; “Authentic worship means being present to the living God who penetrates the whole of human life.” Then she unleashed this barrage which is still rocking my heart…

We should travel the path of Elijah with singleness of focus; embracing what God has given us.
The hallmark trait of Elijah was his undivided heart; this is a heart of worship…undivided.
We should be completely surrendered to HIM (Jesus-God).
We cannot control the experience of God. We should not cling to the experience of God , but we should cling to God Himself. (She brought to our memory the Transfiguration and the disciples’ desire to build shelters to mark the experience. She also highlighted remembrance and reclaiming are very different in their definition)
We cannot package God, but we can depend on Him for everything.
Elijah constantly accepted what was given him by God…(solitude, silence, submission, surrender, guidance, and transforming grace)
If we do not have desert spaces in our lives, we would do good to make desert spaces for ourselves. We need the desolate spaces of solitude to hear the still, small voice.
We should be able to embrace the hardships that come to us…as God gives them to us or allows them to come to us. Deliverance is always imminent.

This is just a thumbnail of what was our morning. Wow! Thank you Lord for inviting me here.

I am just returning from my first individual workshop of the day (my second will be in about a half hour from now. I don’t have a lot of time to share about this, but it was “Creating a Personal Rule of Life: Lessons from St. Benedict.” I am VERY glad I chose this session and attended it. I will be spending much time with my notes, following up with the presenter (Stephen Macchia), and working to craft a personal Rule of Life for myself as well as the community that I serve.

I will share more this evening…until then, LIVE THE KINGDOM!

The Jesus Way Conference – part 2 is a post from: iCrucified

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Post tags: Chris Webb, Elijah, Emilie Griffin, Eugene Peterson, Renovare', Richard Foster, Rule for Life, St. Benedict, The Jesus Way

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More on Actions…

jeff — Sun, 24 May 2009 10:34:53 +0000

Excursion, Confession, & Transformation

jeff — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 13:56:17 +0000

I’ve flip-flopped several times about whether to post the latest experiment of my faith journey. I finally decided that I would post a portion of my journal since I have made it a practice of sharing how God continues to shape me as I endeavor to follow Jesus and be transformed into His likeness. This may become an ongoing post revisiting my experiences as I try to understand some of the practices and disciplines of my (our) faith. As you will read in the accompanying excerpt, there are a number of spiritual development practices that I struggle with…most specifically for this particular season of my life, the disciplines I feel God pressing me to examine, understand, and appropriate are: (in no particular order) Sabbath, Fasting, and Prayer (praying without ceasing). I sincerely hope that my confession and journal excerpt is not taken out of context or misunderstood; if there are questions or comments that would be better served with additional explanation and/or conversation, please feel free to comment or send me an email. My journal notes follow: (...)
Read the rest of Excursion, Confession, & Transformation (1,425 words)

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Post tags: A Deeper Walk, Ancient Christianity, Christianity, disciple, Fasting, God, Jeff Borden, Jesus, Prayer, Sabbath, Shaping Me, Spiritual Discipline, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation

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Amazing Grace and Utter Awe

jeff — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:49:01 +0000

I just gotta say it…

I stand in awesome amazement at the glorious and wonderous amazing grace of my God. I survey the landscape of my life and my eyes begin to well with tears at the mystery that is a God so vast and omnipotent yet close and intimate. It is the dichotomy of the ages a paradox that reconciles itself in the person of Jesus Christ. Words escape me and actions are far too inadequate to express my gratitude for a grace that exceeds my worth…it is, incomprehensible to me yet I am able to experience this wonderful gift and His life-giving Presence in every moment and with every breath of my existence. I am in awe. I am speechless. My heart cries out in a language of love beyond my ability to convey, “Thank You, O God! Praise You, My King! I Lay My Life Down For You and For the Sake of Your Kingdom. Use Me as You See Fit; For Your Glory! I Will Be Your Instrument now and forever to serve You and worship You for now and eternity. Amen”

Thank You, Jesus. Thank You Jesus. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Amazing Grace and Utter Awe is a post from: iCrucified

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Prayer for the day…

jeff — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:20:25 +0000

Dear God, Savior Jesus, help me (help us – Your church) to love the people missing from Your table. Give us the strength to press beyond our personal comfort and preference to become instruments of transformation and vehicles for movement to people who do not know You or have rejected You. Might we be given supernatural sight and hearing so we might constantly be reminded of how You see and hear this world. Help us, O Lord, to seek Your strength as we engage in the work for Your Kingdom; may it be so…Your Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven. Amen -

1 Corinthians 9:19-27 ¹⁹ Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. ²⁰ When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. ²¹ When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. ²² When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. ²³ I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings. ²⁴ Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! ²⁵ All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. ²⁶ So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. ²⁷ I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

Prayer for the day… is a post from: iCrucified

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