Tall Monastic Guy

summer break

from blogging that is...

Angie, JP, and I just returned from our usual mid-summer trip to Indiana to visit the folks. Lots to catch up on now- fund raising push, lots of Missio and Adullam related stuff to get done, so blogging will likely take a bit of a back seat for a few more days. Lots o' thoughts swirling around but man, I need some time for prayer and reflection before trying to make sense of any of them...

The Inner Debate

The Inner Debate  a prayer by Henri Nouwen from The Dance of Life

O Lord Jesus, your words to your Father were born out of your silence. Lead me into this silence, so that my words may be spoken in your name and thus be fruitful. It is so hard to be silent, silent with my mouth, but even more, silent with my heart. There is so much talking going on within me. It seems that I am always involved in inner debates with myself, my friends, my enemies, my supporters, my opponents, my colleagues, and my rivals. But this inner debate reveals how far my heart is from you. If I were simply to rest at your feet and realize that I belong to you and you alone, I would easily stop arguing with all the real and imagined people around me. These arguments show my insecurity, my fear, my apprehensions. You, O Lord, will give me all the attention I need if I would simply stop talking and start listening to you. I know that in the silence of my heart you will speak to me and show me your love. Give me, O Lord, that silence. Let me be patient and grow slowly into this silence in which I can be with you. Amen

...more image of God stuff

“I’ve been in and out of all kinds of things—like self deprecation, self-interests, ego trips, alcohol, and other addictions. I’ve failed many times to avoid those kind of temptations. But that’s not what the devil was really interested in. What he was trying to do is make me feel apart from God. Now I know that what Satan would like most to take from us is our true knowledge of who we are—which is children of God.” -Rich Mullins

Last Sunday at Adullam’s gathering I talked 1 John chapter 3 of which I centered on the question, “What is your image of God?” John mentions the word, children, 15 times in the 5 chapters of 1 John and most often it’s used when addressing us the reader as “Dear, children.”

What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are.  (1 John 3:1, The Message)

Your image of God?

What is your image of God? I'm reading 1 John chapter 3 this week and it says God is the kind of Father who lavishes his love on us. Like the annoying parent who is constantly updating the Twitter or Facebook status about what the kids are doing and how much of a kick he/she gets out of them . John seems to say that if we could truly see God like this, it would change some things.  

(Def. "lavish": 1. expending or bestowing profusely. 2. a. expended or produced in abundance. b. marked by excess.)

"It is very important that our inner room has pictures on its walls, pictures that allow those who enter our lives to have something to look at that tells them where they are and where they are invited to go. Without prayer and contemplation, the walls of our inner room will remain barren, and few will be inspired."
-Henri Nouwen, Here and Now

Laughing with

Caught this over at Mike Todd's and was just too fascinated not to re-post it. I've copied the lyrics underneath the video.