the midnight office

BRETHREN, take care lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

The deceitfulness of sin is a powerful thing - what a great verse from the writer of Hebrews.

I like the emphasis on "exhorting each other every day." Too often we don't dig into one anothers real junk by asking the questions which bring light into dark places and allow truth in love to be spoken. According to Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, that is how we will grow up into Christ. Let us make a commitment to challenge one another to say no to sin and yes to Christ day in and day out that we might more and more be transformed, live within the blessings of obedience, and reflect God to the world.

Global Warming as a Moral Issue

This is a portion of a letter composed by Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family and other voices from the conservative corner of the evangelical movement, addressed to the National Association of Evangelicals.

More importantly, we have observed that Cizik (NAE Vice PResident of Government Relations) and others are using the global warming controversy to shift the emphasis away from the great moral issues of our time, notably the sanctity of human life, the integrity of marriage and the teaching of sexual abstinence and morality to our children. In their place has come a preoccupation with climate concerns that extend beyond the NAE’s mandate and its own statement of purpose.

The line that bothers me within this paragraph is "are using the global warming controversy to shift the emphasis away from the great moral issues of our time,"
Now, I understand that issues relating to abortion, marriage, and sexuality are all important. However, if the preservation of our earth isn't an important moral issue, I'm not sure what is. The Earth and its resources sustain life, and from the beginning (see Genesis 1), care for the earth has been a primary mandate for mankind.

Whether global warming is a reality or not is hotly debated, but care for the earth should always be a moral issue that we have a pulse on. We should at the least, be actively particpating in the conversation. If Christians aren't a prophetic voice in this area we miss caring for the very earth God created for our enjoyment and his glory. Oh yeah, he looked down on it and and called his creation good.

I wonder if this kind of thinking stems from a thin eschatology that supposes we will all be wisked away to another place high in the sky? Christians realize that Jesus will be returning to earth right? And that for a season he is going to rule here? Personally, I'd like to present him with an earth that has been cared well for.

the exhilarating beauty of vulnerability

tonight was a brilliant portrayal of the power of community.
our life group is taking what I feel is a healthy approach to the 40 Days and not just regurgitating the sermon, but applying it immediately.

Thus, tonight we opened by reading Nehemiah 4, and discussing what areas of our walls were in need of repair and where we could use others to stand guard with us. Sharing honestly about what areas of our lives feel exposed to the elements was powerful. So many ventured into the dangerous waters of vulnerability, and it deepened the group immensely in just an hour. Then, each couple shared an area of their wall that is broken in their relationship and how they could use their friends in the group to stand with their marriage/engagement.

The brilliant thing Nehemiah does when the people are tired and worried about attack is to not only station others with them, but is to point again to the greatness of God. So after sharing where we felt exposed and in need, we meditated on Psalm 145, listening to the passage read in both male and female voices. It was so powerful to have the greatness of God rise above the text and move from my mind into my heart and begin to shape my will.

Following our meditations we prayed for each other, and it was good.

as i lay me down to sleep

With the rivers of your tears, you have made the barren desert fertile. Through sighs of sorrow from deep within you, your labors have borne fruit a hundred-fold.

excerpts from a Greek Orthodox prayer to Saint Prokopios, the Confessor of Decapolis.
I want to allow sorrow deep into my heart that they may shape my life in such a manner that I bear fruit. this prayer reminds me of Nouwen.

initial musings

a few notes from lent thus far...

i woke up this morning after dreaming about sportscenter and analyzing the events which happened in the highlights. I clearly needed to fast from sports.

Hebrews 10 speaks of holding to the hope we profess....I want to talk hope with people more often, to dream about what God will do both in this age and the next.

I'm glad Pavi is at Heritage. I'm hoping he'll be a catalyst for some real change. His arrival is one of the things that makes me sad about leaving staff. I feel like I could learn a lot from him. I'll see what I can milk out of 3 months. that sounds a little selfish. I'm learning how selfish I am these days. that leads to today's devotional.

Warren's line, "real love is making your problem, my problem," is easy for me to think about when it comes to inner city ministry. However, it is not so easy when it comes to Hannah. I expect her to be like me and often invalidate any of her problems because I don't feel they are legitimate. I don't understand why she feels the way she does, so I leave her in the dust by demanding she change (feel differently about a situation). Boy am I a jerk.

God, help me to take the time to get behind Hannah's feelings and come to understand what drives her, and when I don't understand to gracefully allow her to navigate her way through situations uniquely.

Jesus the Liar

If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his Word has no place in our lives. 1 John 1:10

I don't know that I've ever considered the idea that I am framing Jesus as a liar when I disregard confession and claim a false holiness. This is a challenging verse. I don't think I want to be in the camp that calls Jesus a liar. I've always focused more on verse 9 which is his promise to purify us should we confess, not this verse.

In light of that last verse read these words from David.

Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.


Cool Connection. David acknowledges his weakness, the truthfulness of God, and the rightness of God's Word.

Joining with the Saints

Today, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of lent. This beautiful, simple season of restraint which allows further room for the voice of God is a favorite of mine. Each of the past 2 years has launched a significant movement in my life.

During my reading in 2005 God pushed me towards establishing a Sabbath.

If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day,if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable,and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. "The mouth of the LORD has spoken

Last year during my trip to London and Rome with Chris I felt God pushing me towards urban ministry and sensed that it was time to wind down my commitment to Heritage. I also recognized that I loved Hannah and was going to marry her. Who knows what this year will bring.

During lent I like to make adjustments in 3 areas.

1. I abstain from something that could potentially master me to hand over lordship of that area to Jesus. This year it is alcohol.

2. I cut something out of my life to create space for extended times or prayer, meditation, and and reading the scripture. This year it is any sports. No sports on tv, the internet, or the radio. Total abstinence.

3. I fill the new space I have with a new habit. This year I will be reviving the habit of reciting the Jesus prayer and the Lords prayer 100 times. each morning when I wake and at night before I sleep. Repitition has a powerful impact on helping me stay humble and expectant. I'll also be reading the Divine Hours as often as possible.

Challenging - Encouraging - Healthy Passage of the Day

Reading this passage today was powerful on many fronts - one it lays out a practical Christian ethic, it really simplifies the big focuses we should have.

Care for each other and the stranger -fight injustice - live purely - honor your commitments - live simply and contentedly - trust in God's presence - find faithful men and women to emulate - stay focused on Grace, not the rabbit trails of religiosity - follow in Jesus' sacrificial footsteps - put our hope in the eternal promise of a recreated earth - let Jesus' message and deeds always be on the tip of our tongue - look for ways to bless people - be responsive to leadership - pray

-- Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
"Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you. "So we say with confidence,
"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?"

Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them. We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.

The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Pray for us. --

Hebrews 13

Psalm 23:1-3 [the message]

God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.