Incarnational
[22APRIL2012] Eastertide Devotional Series
April 22, 2012 | 
Author [22APRIL2012] Eastertide Devotional Series
I will be posting this devotional series as part of my Eastertide reflections for the next three weeks (see this link for other installments in the series). Each week of this devotional series focuses on a specific theme (week one: brokenness, week two: repentance, and week three: renewal). I hope you’ll enjoy the series and I invite you to comment here on the blog or email me direct; I would love to hear your thoughts.
Renewal: Week 3 | Day 1
Scripture Reading: Romans 12:1-21, Titus 3:4-6
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind”
Today begins the final week of our three-week Eastertide Devotional Series. We have spent our last two weeks with daily reflections focused on the themes of brokenness (week one) and repentance (week two) and now we transition our thoughts this week to consider the active role of renewal in the lives of Christian disciples.
It seems fitting then, to me, that we begin our new theme with a passage of Scripture we have become familiar with over the past several weeks from our most recent teachings in our Sunday worship gatherings. In this passage, believers are encouraged to “not be conformed to the pattern of the world, but to be transformed by the renewal of their minds.” What exactly does the Apostle Paul mean when uses the words “renewal of your mind?”
Renewal ::: Greek (noun) Anakainosis – a renewal; (found in Romans 12:2, “the renewal of your mind”) i.e., the adjustment of the moral and spiritual vision and thinking to the mind of God, which is designed to have a transforming effect upon the life. Also, in Titus 3:5, where “the renewing of the Holy Spirit” is not a fresh bestowment of the Spirit, but a revival of His power, developing the Christian life; this passage stresses the continual operation of the indwelling Spirit of God; the Romans passage stresses the willing response on the part of the believer. (From Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words; McDonald Publishing Co.)
The word pictures and meanings given to us from the Vine’s Expository Dictionary provide us with a great jumping off point for this week’s devotional readings. Let us consider together these ideas associated with renewal as we prepare our hearts for examination and readiness to respond to God’s Holy Spirit.
Spiritual Renewal is:
- adjustment of the moral and spiritual vision and thinking to the mind of God
- designed to have a transforming effect upon the life of the believer
- a revival of God’s Holy Spirit power developing the Christian life
- the willing response on the part of the believer
- the continual operation of the indwelling Spirit of God
Do you consider your current and active life of discipleship in the terms as listed above? Are you being renewed daily in your heart, mind, soul and strength to the will and way of God? What areas of your life might the Spirit be revealing to you that are in need of renewal?
Our Prayer: Lord Jesus, I am prone to forget that my renewal is an ongoing process. My nature wants to think, “I’ve got it or I get it” and move on. I get tired and discouraged when I look at the real me and confess that renewal can be a scary proposition. But I know it is right and I know it is good, so I surrender myself to You and ask that You reveal the areas of my life that need renewal. Help me, O Lord, to work through the process of being conformed into Your image through the renewal of me.
[21APRIL2012] Eastertide Devotional Series
[21APRIL2012] Eastertide Devotional Series
I will be posting this devotional series as part of my Eastertide reflections for the next three weeks (see this link for other installments in the series). Each week of this devotional series focuses on a specific theme (week one: brokenness, week two: repentance, and week three: renewal). I hope you’ll enjoy the series and I invite you to comment here on the blog or email me direct; I would love to hear your thoughts.
Repentance: Week 2 | Day 7
Scripture Reading: Luke 14:25-35 (see also: Matthew 10:16-40, Luke 9:57-62, John 15:18-25)
“If you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple…But don’t begin until you count the cost”
I included a few bonus passages of Scripture this morning because I think that sometimes we overlook a critical aspect of the process that is repentance. I know I did and Jesus’ words to us reveal a seemingly inarguable position that he also believed this point was critical… so much so that he told would-be followers, “don’t begin until you count the cost.” The very idea of what may be implied in these words puts a lump in my throat.
As we have examined some of the elements rolled into this word “repentance,” we’ve realized that it doesn’t just mean “feeling bad about the things I do.” Repentance means to change your mind about your life’s direction, making a turn toward that new and better destination, and then moving continually along the path always moving closer to the ultimate destination with eyes, heart, and hope fixed on arriving at the goal. But Jesus also says; “Don’t begin until you count the cost.” Why does he say this?
The reason Jesus makes this point is that staying the course of repentance and remaining a faithful disciple of Jesus is not easy. The path of repentance will take us on a journey through trials and temptations, desolations and consolations of the soul, extreme mountain-top experiences with the presence of God and tearfully lonely times when it seems as though God is far from us… We will lose things and people we love, ideas and beliefs will be broken, and our false idols crushed… And, this might just be the beginning of what lies along the road of repentance. Yes, there are glorious days that await us and we will experience some of them along the way, but the point is this: “Don’t begin until you count the cost.” Jesus desires disciples that are all in and willing to complete the journey.
The result of a disciple who has fully counted the cost and then decided to trust and follow Jesus is this: confidence in the face of adversity, joy even in seasons of grief, gentle calmness of soul even when chaos surrounds, discernment, knowledge, and wisdom…yes, the very mind of Christ in a world that reeks of uncertainty. He has given us everything we need to live a godly life; even to sharing in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:2-4). How do we do this; what is our part? Our part is to trust, obey, die to self and follow. It isn’t easy, but it is simple…and it will always, always begins with a repentant heart.
Have you ever really counted the cost of your journey with Jesus? Do you have unrealized expectations about your Christian journey? Are your expectations unrealistic? Are your expectations consistent with the teachings of Jesus? Have you considered giving up on your faith because it was harder than you realized? How do you feel or what do you think about the current state of your relationship with God?
Our Prayer: O Holy and Eternal Father, I admit that I might have unreal expectations sometimes with the dailyness of my faith. While I know there will be trials, sometimes they seem harder than I can bear and other times they simply do not make sense to me what their purpose may be. I know You said, “Take comfort” and “rejoice in times of suffering…” but I find it hard to do this. I pray You to help me in my growing pains; help me to overcome as you overcome. Help me to confidently put on your cloak of righteousness and walk with the heart of a submissive servant, anxious to do Your will and grow in Your grace. May it be so in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
[20APRIL2012] Eastertide Devotional Series
[20APRIL2012] Eastertide Devotional Series
I will be posting this devotional series as part of my Eastertide reflections for the next three weeks (see this link for other installments in the series). Each week of this devotional series focuses on a specific theme (week one: brokenness, week two: repentance, and week three: renewal). I hope you’ll enjoy the series and I invite you to comment here on the blog or email me direct; I would love to hear your thoughts.
Repentance: Week 2 | Day 6
Scripture Reading: Matthew 3:1-12, Galatians 5:22-23 (see also John 15:1-8)
“You brood of snakes… Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath?”
This is certainly one of the “ouchie” statements we read from Scripture. At first glance, I quickly wipe the sweat from my brow and thank God that John is talking to those wicked Pharisees and Sadducees… and not directing his words to me. Hmmm… or is he directing his words toward me after all? It’s easy to make villains of the Pharisees and Sadducees, they seem to be the bad boys of the New Testament. Even Jesus denounced them more harshly than any other group of people. However, there is something about John the Baptist’s words in this passage of text that prompts me to look a little more closely.
When he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.
Let’s forget about the Pharisees and Sadducees for a moment. Ask yourself what your motivation for coming to Jesus is? Is it to simply save yourself? “Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath?” I think this is an interesting question to ask myself. It’s easy to think that because I’ve said a prayer asking for forgiveness and joined a church that “I’m safe.” John’s words make me rethink this position… he as much as says “that means nothing” if my repentance doesn’t reveal itself in fruit that proves I have turned toward God. And, what is the fruit of repentance?
I’m sure fruits of repentance manifest themselves tangibly in a number of ways, but I think the journey of transformation that repentance leads us on is very closely related to being re-imaged in the image and character of Christ. Subsequently, I think we get a good picture of what this fruit might involve from the Apostle’s description in Galatians 5:22-23; “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
The question then, I should ask, is this: “Is my motivation for coming to Jesus to save my own skin aka ‘flee the coming wrath?’” Or, is my motivation to be fully reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and allow Him to remake my image into His likeness and fruit? As I finish typing this another saying of Jesus comes to my memory; “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” (Matt. 16:25). If I honestly examine my life, do I see the evidence of godly fruit such as a more loving nature, exhibiting joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?
Our Prayer Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner. I pray today, O Lord, that I have not grown complacent and satisfied thinking I have arrived or I am safe because of the words I speak or the church I attend. I pray you would have your way in my life, help me to completely surrender my life to you, so I might bear the kind of fruit that truly reflects your character and nature. I want to be your true disciple, one who bears much fruit and brings much glory to You, my God and King. Amen.
Lent | Holy Week 2012: Day 41—Reflection
[02APRIL2012] Lent | Holy Week 2012: Day 41—Reflection and Meditation
“There are very few people who realize what God would make of them if they abandoned themselves into his hands, and let themselves be formed 
by his grace.” -St. Ignatius of Loyola
Jesus said, This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Holy Week is unlike any other week in the Church’s year. It begins with the illusory triumph of Palm Sunday, when Jesus is hailed as a celebrity in his own city of Jerusalem. It leads through the betrayal of Judas (remembered as Spy Wednesday) and the farewells of Thursday (called Maundy Thursday), the humiliations, tortures and death on Good Friday, to the victory over death on Resurrection Morning. Nearly every human life will include some of these experiences. This week we can identify with the Lord each step of the way from the Mount of Olives to Calvary. When it comes to the resurrection, the imagination boggles, yet it is the centre of our faith. Lord, teach me to love my face and body, my temple of the Holy Spirit. It will grow old and die with me, but that is not the end. My body is sacred, and Easter opens a window for it and me onto a mysterious but endless vista. (From Sacred Space, a Prayer Book of the Irish Jesuits).
“Instead of spreading our own garments, let us spread our hearts before him.” -Methodius
The promise of our Savior has been given to us from the beginning of time… of which He also created. His plan and His promise have been as ancient as He is. His plan and promise are timeless and eternal—without fault and without fail. It is for this reason He says; “I Am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols. Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.”
I continue to be amazed at the incredible revelation shared in the passage of Scripture that is John 12:23-28. The great expression of Jesus’ glory will be his death and resurrection. Then, he asks those who will follow him to “follow him” and to be where he is. I think most persons reading this text fail to grasp the full meaning of what Jesus is asking his followers to do. He asks them to die to their self… to put aside their perceived divine right (see also Philippians 2:5-11), and to live a life of humble surrender to the larger and eternal plan of God. No matter how much we claim to get this message, many of us professing followers fail to act upon our knowledge with obedience to God’s plan and the way of Jesus. Not me. I will not despise my God. I will follow Christ and my flesh be damned. He died so my spirit might be set free and I might know who I was truly created to be… my destiny lies before me and awaits me—all because Jesus showed me the way. “Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am.”
I will follow.
In the silence of my innermost being, in the fragments of my yearned-for wholeness, I hear the whispers of God’s presence. I feel God’s nearness as we walk together and I let myself be embraced and consumed by His full and unfailing love. Thank you, Messiah Jesus, for the completed work of redeeming me and reconciling me to yourself. I continue to surrender myself to you with wonder and anticipation of my full restoration. I offer my praises to you for bringing me out of slavery to sin into freedom of new life by your death and resurrection. Though I have been unfaithful, you wait for me with strong and gentle care. Thank you for your gentle patience and please listen, as I pray: Lord, save me, your child and save us, your people. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be—world without end. Amen.
Posted in Becoming the Word, Gospel of John, Incarnational, Lent, Lent 2012, Liturgical Year, Meditations, Shaping Me, The Liturgical Year | 
Tags: disciple, Holy Week, Jesus, Lent, Lent 2012, Spiritual Formation, The Liturgical Year | 
No Comments »
Lent 2012: Day 34—Reflection
[26MAR2012] Lent 2012: Day 34—Reflection and Meditation
O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
♦ Psalms 118
“On this day the LORD has acted; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24
My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.
He looks on his servant in her lowliness; henceforth all ages will call me blessed.
The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy his name!
His mercy is from age to age, on those who fear him.
He puts forth his arm in strength and scatters the proud-hearted.
He casts the mighty from their thrones and raises the lowly.
He fills the starving with good things, sends the rich away empty.
He protects Israel, his servant, remembering his mercy,
the mercy promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his sons for ever.
Posted in Becoming the Word, Gospel of Luke, Incarnational, Lent, Lent 2012, Liturgical Year, Meditations, The Liturgical Year | Tags: Gospel of Luke, Lent, Lent 2012, Magnificat, Mary's Song | No Comments »
Lent 2012: Day 13—Reflection
[05MAR2012] Lent 2012: Day 13—Reflection and Meditation
“God had decreed that in the fullness of time he would restore all things in Christ”
♦ Readings – Isaiah 53:1-9 ♦ 1 Peter 4:1-6
♦ Gospel - Mark 9:2-10
“Lord God, for forty days Jesus prayed before preaching the word that gives life. Accept our fast and prayers, and listen as we say: Lord, save your people.”
I consider two very stark and very different views of Jesus today. The first view comes to me from Isaiah 53:1-9 and depicts a view of Jesus that is very lowly—
2 There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. 3 He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
The second view of Jesus comes from Mark’s Gospel (Mark 9:2-10) and reads very differently than Isaiah’s portrayal of the Messiah—
2 As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.”
I like Mark’s portrayal of Jesus far more than I do Isaiah’s. I think most people do. I believe that many people, myself included, often imagine Jesus as a handsome, fit, charismatic, and wildly popular fellow… maybe we add super-intelligent, all-powerful, omniscient, and other godly attributes to the mix too. After all, Jesus was/is God too. I don’t think I’m the only one who wrestles with the paradox presented to us in the person of Jesus, who is God and man. I think my problem is that I subconsciously will more often think of Jesus as God than I do of him being man. This is where I think the problem of my characterization of Jesus becomes detrimental. If I think of him with more God-like qualities focusing on his perfection and divinity, I push him outside of the possibility of becoming a real-world role model for me. I will invariably think, “I can’t follow Jesus fully; he’s God…and I certainly cannot be like God.” The end result is me setting my standard for following Jesus lower than what God has intended for me.
I think I should spend more time focusing on Isaiah’s portrait of the Christ. Here I will not only come face-to-face with the humanity of Jesus, but I will have a more accurate understanding of who he was as he walked the earth opposing my contemporary idealization of Jesus. Isaiah’s characterization also reveals a more accurate view of who I am in relation to Christ. Considering what I know about myself, it is likely I would have been one who despised and rejected Jesus too. As much as I hate to admit that about myself, reading the account from Isaiah keeps me grounded with an examination of my own heart.
Both views are important for me regardless of my preference. I need to remember the human side—the common and even unattractive side of Jesus. I also need to be reminded of his “divine” side. Most of all about his divine nature is the understanding that while on earth, it was fueled by the Holy Spirit and the prayerful relationship Jesus had with God the Father…both of which are available to me and why my personal bar is always to have Jesus as my model as I learn to walk as he walked.
God be in my head and in my understanding. God be in mine eyes and in my looking. God be in my mouth and in my speaking. God be in my heart and in my thinking. God be in my end and in my departing. -Sarum Primer, 1527
O LORD, I give my life to you. I trust in you my God! Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. -Psalm 25:1-5
Posted in Becoming the Word, Incarnational, Lent, Lent 2012, Liturgical Year, Meditations, Psalms, Spiritual Formation, Spirituality, The Liturgical Year | Tags: Disicple, Gospel of Mark, Isaiah, Jesus, Lent, Lent 2012, The Liturgical Year | No Comments »
Easter is Coming – What Do We Hunger and Thirst For?
Easter is Coming – What Do We Hunger and Thirst For?
The season of Lent to Easter is an active reminder to me of what my soul hungers and thirsts for, unbroken or untainted union and fellowship with the Godhead. As I reflect upon the death and resurrection of my Lord, I mourn over the brokenness of my own spirit. There is joy in my life, to be sure; however, my union with God through Christ is still impure and still wanting. I see the world around me in disarray. The changing cycles of the seasons: spring to summer—autumn to winter are reminders of the circle of life to death that I believe may have been unheard of before the Fall of Man. I am also reminded of the Revelation writing of John; “Nothing accursed will be found there any more… And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:3, 5) when I am awakened each morning and I witness the dawn sun chasing away the darkness of night to remember this too is a sign the world (and I) are still broken. These thoughts remind me of how deep the brokenness of man truly is. Resurrection is the hope for the end all brokenness and this is my hunger.
I am joyful for the gift of God’s Holy Spirit indwelling; my mind has been renewed, my heart changed, and my sins forgiven. All these things are true, but the memories of my past still haunt me and my sins, while forgiven, still remain as scars that remind me of not only how far I once was from God, but how far I still am from him. I rejoice at my reconciliation with Messiah Jesus, but my rejoicing remains bittersweet. I wonder how it might have been for Adam, before his fellowship with the Godhead was broken. According to the Genesis account, Adam would have had no memories of sin… no knowledge of good and evil. The concept of corruption was nonexistent. Adam’s fellowship with God was untainted; allowing for unquestioned trust, love that was pure, and sacred union with the Trinity free from shadows of the false selves. I thirst for this union.
I realize the significance of Jesus’ atoning work for mankind; I receive the fruit of this work in my own life through the merciful grace of God. Daily are the wonders of this renewing force in the outworking of my life; even still there remains the tension between what is and what is yet to be. I hunger for resurrection. I thirst for untainted union with God. As Jesus prayed for us—for me—I long to be in glorious communion with Him as it was always meant to be even before time existed.
20 ”My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23 NIV)
I long for the Kingdom of God in full because I know when this comes, the memories of all sin will be forever erased and my union with Jesus finally whole and untainted. For now, I will continue to live between the clay and the glory…some days closer to the dirt from which I was made and some days closer to the glory that gave me life. Perhaps this is part of what Jesus meant when he pronounced blessing on those who are “poor in spirit” and those who are “pure in heart” that we recognize the liminality of our existence while we wait…realizing our brokenness, even though reconciled, and willing one thing: to be absolute and complete in our holy unity with You, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning and so shall it ever be; world without end. Amen.
Posted in iCrucified, Incarnational, Lent, Lent 2012, Liturgical Year, Spiritual Formation, Spirituality, The Liturgical Year | Tags: Easter, Fast, John 17, Lent, Lent 2012, Theosis, Union with God | 1 Comment »
Book Review: Walking as Jesus Walked
Book Review: Walking as Jesus Walked
By: Dann Spader
Published By: Moody Publishers ISBN: 9780802447098
A few weeks back I received an offer to participate in an evaluation of a new study on the life and teaching of Jesus. The devotional study is titled, Walking as Jesus Walked: Making Disciples the Way Jesus Did; it is authored by Dann Spader and published by Moody Publishers. Our family is always open to new study and devotional material, so I thought this would be a great way to start the New Year and enter the season of Epiphany with a study on the discipleship ministry of Jesus.
We’ve had almost two full weeks of engagement with Walking as Jesus Walked and I believe I can say on behalf of our three-person group, all of us are enjoying it. I base my group assessment on the amount of lively dialogue we have been having most mornings as we discuss the questions and ponder the Scripture passages we read with each study lesson.
Form and Function:
The study is crafted to meet the needs of a diverse demographic. It can be used as an individual devotional study with the workbook serving as an interactive journal or it can be used for any number and styles of group study. Also, I think the questions and format of the lessons are written in such a way that they are understandable to a broad age range, easily from high school age youth to any adult. And, I wouldn’t hesitate to say I think the study could be used for elementary and middle schoolers with some minor tweaking of the discussion questions.
The workbook study is arranged in daily lessons designed to span a period of 10-weeks. The author and support team have invested much in providing a number of helpful resources for the Walking as Jesus Walked study. A website has been created that hosts, or links to, online and downloadable help tools; there are free videos available introducing each of the 10-week lesson topics and a free leader’s guide has been provided that can also be downloaded or used online.
As mentioned earlier, my family is enjoying this study and we are challenged by the questions and ensuing discussions we’ve had. I look forward to the coming weeks as we continue to engage the life of Christ and how we might practically live out “walking as Jesus walked.”
Personal Opinions:
Aesthetically, I love the layout of the book. It is very “open” and text is not jumbled or arranged in big blocks. I think this might be appealing to folks who don’t typically read a lot. I suppose what I mean to say is the “reading” sections aren’t intimidating and it doesn’t take a great deal of time to engage them. There are sections that are fairly heavy with Scripture references and instructions to “look them up” and “copy them in the space provided.” This isn’t pervasive throughout the book, but there are quite a few of these exercises in the beginning lessons as the foundations of the study are laid during the first couple weeks. Also, considering the layout, there is plenty room to write in the workbook with lined spaces as well as very generous margins. Speaking of margins, there are occasional quotations added to the margins that serve as additional inspiration, encouragement, and challenge. Some of the persons quoted are John Calvin, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther, Corrie ten Boom, A.W. Tozer, and Watchman Nee just to name a few.
One thing I would offer in the way of warning, not necessarily critique, is this; Spader states in the introductory remarks that the each lesson should take only 10-15 minutes. This might be subjective, but it definitely has not been the experience of our family. We allocate 20-30 minutes each morning for our devotional lessons around the breakfast table and it takes every bit of that time to get the lesson completed. Several mornings we have been rushed to complete the lesson and even had to cut our discussions short. Again, this is not meant as a criticism, but a point of awareness. I think, especially if the study is done in a group setting, 45 minutes to an hour would be more suitable and spacious for discussion and conversation. It is, after all, in the course of dialogue (internal and external) where we process the thoughts and ideas that bring change to our lives and ultimately the transformation helping us to “walk as Jesus walked.”
I’m grateful to have been invited to review this study as it is already proving itself valuable with the conversations our family has around the breakfast table. I am hopeful I might have the opportunity to see the lessons and workbook used in a different setting as I plan to bring it before my small group as an option for our use together. In summary, I consider the content, layout, interactive elements, and support material very well thought out and assembled. I would recommend it for any group, class, or individual study. My ranking is five out of five stars.
Links and Resources:
- Chapter One Preview – Free Download (.pdf)
Jesus must be our model for ministry. Sounds obvious, right? Or is it? Jesus, in all His humanity (and all His divinity) shows us the best possible way to live. Through the way He lived, He modeled the priorities of how to multiply “much fruit.” The proof being His disciples. Following Jesus’ example, His disciples then changed the course of history.
How then can we follow Jesus’ example? We must study His life. How did Jesus pray? In what types of relationships did He invest? Where were His priorities? Can my priorities be His priorities? Can I walk like He walked? What we do with Jesus MATTERS. Global ministry trainer Dann Spader practically and helpfully walks us through 10 weeks of exciting, ministry-altering study to really begin to walk as Jesus walked.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Moody Publishers to read and post a review on my site. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Posted in A Deeper Walk, Books, Disciple, Incarnational, Jesus, Spiritual Formation | Tags: Bible Study, Dann Spader, Discipleship, Jesus, Moody Publishers, Spiritual Formation, Walking as Jesus Walked | No Comments »
Book Review: A Public Faith
Book Review: A Public Faith
By: Miroslav Volf
Publisher: Brazos Press ISBN: 9781587432989
A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good
I’ve been meaning to review this book for quite some time now, but it took longer to read it than I thought it would. At just over one hundred fifty pages (not counting the notes section), it is not that long of a read. The point of it taking me longer to read than anticipated was my feeling “over my head” quite often. There are over two-hundred references noted in the book and most of them unknown or unread by me. It was necessary for me to put the book down on more than a few occasions to reflect and research on what I had read. I must say it was worth my time and worth every minute of my effort. I appreciate the challenge the book was for me to read and I appreciate the challenge to me personally with the call to exercise and integrate my faith in ways and in places I might not have been so eager to enter previous to reading Volf’s thesis in A Public Faith.
Volf relates the sum of the premise for this volume in his introduction stating; “My contention in this book is that there is no single way in which Christian faith relates and ought to relate to culture as a whole. The relation between faith and culture is too complex for that. Faith stands in opposition to some elements of culture and is detached from others. In some aspects faith is identical with elements of culture, and it seeks to transform in diverse ways yet many more. Moreover, faith’s stance toward culture changes over time as culture changes. How, then, is the stance of faith toward culture defined? It is—or it ought to be—defined by the center of the faith itself, by its relation to Christ as the divine Word incarnate in the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” It is with this contention that Volf seeks to explore three questions he poses within the pages of A Public Faith. The questions follow:
- In what ways does the Christian faith malfunction in the contemporary world, and how should we counter these malfunctions (chapter1-3)?
- What should be the main concern of Christ’s followers when it comes to living well in the world today (chapter 4)?
- How should Christ’s followers go about realizing their vision of living well in today’s world in relation to other faiths and together with diverse people with whom they live under the roof of a single state (chapters 5-7)?
Personally, I found chapter one, Malfunctions of Faith, fascinating. Volf frames this piece in a framework he calls “ascent and return” malfunctions and bases the discussion on the prophetic illustrations of Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. To quote Volf’s definition of these points, he describes ascent malfunctions as “the result from breakdowns in the prophet’s encounter with the divine and reception of the message.” He goes on to say, “Every ascent malfunction is at the same time a return malfunction.” If my paraphrase is correct, the return malfunction further compromises the message or word of God by transforming it in their own name or in the name of some alien god… or god of their own making. This chapter is full of brilliant thinking I had previously been unexposed to; for instance, he describes the concept of idolatric substitution as one of the ascent malfunctions using the golden calf story from the Exodus narrative. It is the introduction to some of these (for me) new concepts using stories I understand or am familiar with that was helpful in preparing me for the next chapters of the book. I will say again, this first chapter was fascinating to me.
Chapter two continue with greater detail and explanation describing practical malfunctions of faith. Specifically, chapter two addresses the malfunction of idleness as it regards faith. Volf shares three main reasons for faith’s idling: (1) for some people, the faith they embrace demands too much, so they pick and choose, as in a cafeteria, filling up their tray with sweets but leaving aside the broccoli and fish. (2) Believers find themselves constrained by large and small systems in which they live and work; to thrive, or even to survive, they feel that they must obey the logic of those systems, not the demands of faith they embrace. (3) Concerning the faith itself, the faith either is not applied to new circumstances or does not seem relevant to contemporary issues. Volf goes on to provide counters to idleness with suggestions on how we might understand and practice an active faith through blessing, deliverance, guidance, and meaning.
I must admit I got a little bit bogged down in chapters three and four having to stop several times, put the book down, and really think through what I was reading. I was relieved when Volf neared the end of chapter four with this summary recap of part one of the book:
Most malfunctions of faith are rooted in a failure to love the God of love or a failure to love the neighbor. Ascent malfunctions happen when we don’t love God as we should. We either love our interests, purposes, and projects, and then employ language about God to realize them (we may call this “functional reduction”), or we love the wrong God (we may call this “idolatric substitution”). Return malfunctions happen when we love neither our neighbor nor ourselves properly—when faith either merely energizes or heals us but does not shape our lives so that we live them to our own and our neighbors’ benefit, or when we impose our faith on our neighbors irrespective of their wishes.
The challenge facing Christians is ultimately very simple: love God and neighbor rightly so that we may both avoid malfunctions of faith and relate God positively to human flourishing. And yet, the challenge is also complex and difficult… (p.73)
Amen. Complex and difficult indeed.
Chapters five and six are two more extraordinary discourses on very practical applications of living the Christian faith in a pluralistic society. Chapter five, Identity and Difference, addresses the identity of the Christian within the context of a society or community. The context being realized as having an identity that is different from the mainstream of the community…remaining unique, being seen as different, but not being separate… able to contribute without being completely absorbed: This is my paraphrase. Volf summarizes his thoughts as follows; “To become a Christian means to divert without leaving. To live as a Christian means to keep inserting a difference into a given culture without ever stepping outside that culture to do so.”
Chapter six is titled Sharing Wisdom and also ranks as one of my favorite chapters of the book. Volf’s ideas about sharing wisdom was affirming and convicting at the same time for me. The past few years has taught me much in the vein of what is shared in this chapter. I continue to be stretched in my faith and my learning to be Christ-like with teaching like I have found in this chapter. I think anyone reading this book will be stretched similarly if they can maintain an openness to hear what is shared in it.
I think this is an important book; timely in nature, sobering and challenging in its message, and hopeful with its suggestions for correction. I pray it falls into right hands, leaders who are humble, intelligent, vocal, and confident about what God is doing in the world. I’ll close my review with a final quote from Volf on “sharing wisdom.”
Sharing religious wisdom makes sense only if that wisdom is allowed to counter the multiple manifestations of self-absorption by givers and receivers alike and to connect them with what ultimately matters—God, whom we should love with all our being, and neighbors, whom we should love as ourselves. (p.117)
A great book; it may not appeal to a broad demographic, but for those who are willing to endure the challenges it presents, there is “much gold to be mined.”
A few recommended reviews:
- Christian Book Academics includes some great video shorts of Volf sharing about A Public Faith
- Posted by Ryan Bell on the Huffington Post
- Political Theology dot com
Posted in Books, Incarnational, Spirituality | Tags: A Public Faith, Book Review, Book Reviews, Books, Brazos Press, Christianity, Jesus, Media, Miroslav Volf, Spirituality | 1 Comment »
Starting Fresh… In the Last Days
[01JAN2012] Starting Fresh… In the Last Days
I don’t like New Year Resolutions. It’s nothing personal, but the temporary nature of them and the reality that I’ve hardly met anyone that has actually kept one or more resolutions is cause enough to make me not take them seriously. My dislike is intensified even more when New Year Resolutions are married to developing Christian faith or engaging in spiritual disciplines. I know the majority of people who do the “resolution” thing make them with the best of intentions, so I’m not slamming on people that make resolutions… I’m slamming on a culture that creates an environment where “change resolutions” are necessary. And, I’m slamming on a culture that makes it almost impossible for a person to keep the resolutions they make.
I think the attitude that is needed is not to make a resolution or two…or three… or whatever, but resolve to live differently entirely. The word and the attitude is “metanoia” (Greek, from metanoiein to change one’s mind, repent). The idea metanoia conveys in the English is a transformative change of heart; especially a spiritual conversion. This represents a substantial shift in thinking from making a “New Year Resolution.” Unfortunately, a resolution (anymore) is reduced to “I’ll give it a shot” mentality; whereas, metanoia represents a change of heart and mind.
Speaking honestly, no matter your choice or frame of mind… whether you choose to make a “resolution” or if you choose a real change in the way you focus your life (metanoia), you will be faced with serious challenges. Culture, friends, and spiritual powers and principalities are working against you. Enlisting a faithful friend of like mindedness will be valuable; having the support of a God-centered faithful community will be even more valuable.
We live in difficult times. A few days into this New Year and the days will have returned to their dizzying pace—life moving at warp speed. The noises of life will be screaming for your attention with every step you take; without a full on change of heart and mind, resolutions don’t stand a chance. I think Thomas Merton puts our plight in perspective.
We live in the time of no room, which is the time of the end. The time when everyone is obsessed with the lack of time, lack of space, with saving time, conquering space, projecting into time and space the anguish produced within them by the technological furies of size, volume, quantity, speed, number, price, power and acceleration.
The primordial blessing, “increase and multiply,” has suddenly become a hemorrhage of terror. We are numbered in billions, and massed together, marshaled, numbered, marched here and there, taxed, drilled, armed, worked to the point of insensibility, dazed by information, drugged by entertainment, surfeited with everything, nauseated with the human race and with ourselves, nauseated with life.
As the end approaches, there is no room for nature. The cities crowd it off the face of the earth.
As the end approaches, there is no room for quiet. There is no room for solitude. There is no room for thought. There is no room for attention, for the awareness of our state.
In the time of the ultimate end, there is no room for man.
Those that lament the fact that there is no room for God must also be called to account for this. Have they perhaps added to the general crush by preaching a solid marble God that makes man alien to himself, a God that settles himself grimly like an implacable object in the inner heart of man and drives man out of himself in despair?
The time of the end is the time of demons who occupy the heart (pretending to be gods) so that man himself finds no room for himself in himself. He finds no space to rest in his own heart, not because it is full, but because it is void. If only he knew that the void itself, when hovered over by the Spirit, is an abyss of creativity…yet he cannot believe it. There is no room for belief. -Thomas Merton
1 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
Slow down. Stop. Be Still. Be Quiet. Make a change that will be lasting.
Posted in Disciple, Incarnational, Liturgical Year, Meditations, Spiritual Formation, Spirituality, The Liturgical Year | Tags: 2 Timothy 3:1-5, Change of Heart, Metanoia, New Year, Repent, Thomas Merton | No Comments »
