Posts Tagged ‘power’

mustard seed kingdom

mark 4:30-32 30 “and he said, “with what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? it is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” everything in this world is done to the max. $500,000,000 movies, 110 story buildings, double-decker planes, mega-churches, etc. Jesus came announcing something totally different. Jesus gave us a way out of the empire. he gave us a way to escape the onslaught of massive production and hype. the lowest of the low are exalted in this mustard seed kingdom. everyone who is seemingly meaningless and insignificant will be called great and… [Read More]

legislate this

John 8:2-11 (esv) - ”Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard… [Read More]

Let the horse do the work

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.. ~Matt 11:28   “I want you to take your hands off the reigns and trot over the bars without holding on.” The instructor said. “You want me to do what?” I looked down at her perplexed from atop a beautiful, large horse. I hadn’t ridden on a horse in over 20 years and I had only been on this one for about 15 minutes. “You’re leaning forward with your shoulders, using your own power to keep you up.” She replied. “You need to sit back more and allow the horse to do the work.” I’m a sports guy, I’ve played them my entire life. The instructor went on to explain that in sports you are trained to lead with your shoulder and in horseback riding it’s the complete opposite. There’s this large, powerful horse… [Read More]

the God of peace

“peace by way of war is like purity by way of fornication.” – derek webb “nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. it is a sword that heals.” – martin luther king jr. “eye for an eye leaves everyone blind.” – gandhi “do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – paul the apostle “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who abuse you.” – Jesus Related Posts:religion and evil: a random rantJesus CreedWhy I love BuddhaSuffering for ChristLausanne Movement – Worship

Get off your butt

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ~2 Corinthians 12:9 Any one who’s ever been in a relationship long enough or who is married has seen this scenario. You both are exhausted, you can barely keep your eyes open. Maybe you’re lounging on the couch or falling asleep in bed. And then men, you hear “Honey, could you get me a glass of water?” Perhaps if your relationship is young you jump up and grab that glass of water or whatever she asked for. But the day comes later on when you’ve been together so long that the voice in your head wants to tell her “Your legs aren’t broken, I’m tired.” See, the Bible tells us to die to self(1 Peter 2:24) but inevitable our selfish nature creeps back in. When we started out as new Christians with our baby relationship we… [Read More]

resurrection

hola friends and bloggers, i was watching cnn last night, and what do you know, shane claiborne was on. he was talking about how he and his friends have been combatting the healthcare crisis in america. it was a brief, but very interesting spot on “the situation room” (which i had never seen before last night). while the story about how they are tackling the issue of healthcare reform was interesting, i was most struck by one comment that he made to the reporter who was following him around. while walking through what used to be a crack house he said that he and his community “practice resurrection.” that’s just cool to me. it made me realize that we are all in the resurrection business. we are in a constant state of dying to this world and to ourselves and being made alive in Christ, and we have been given… [Read More]

if Jesus is not who he says he was

i will stand up for my own rights i will fight for what i deserve happiness and self-fulfillment will be my main pursuits i will despise neighbor and enemy alike if they infringe upon my ability to seek happiness i will destroy my brother for personal gain i will die for the material i will love and honor myself above all else if Jesus is not who he says he was… i will seek wealth i will seek power i will seek strength i will repay evil for evil. -dave- Related Posts:Jesus CreedLausanne Movement – Worshipreligion and evil: a random rantold and newour f word

why does God allow satan to live?

this little excerpt is taken from John Piper’s blog (you can read the rest here): Why does God allow Satan to live? …before I answer it, let’s make sure that we agree that it is true that God could take Satan out anytime he chose. Because I think there are some who would say, “He really can’t, because of some rights (or authority, independence, free will, etc.) that Satan has.” But the reason I know God can take Satan out without turning me into an automaton or breaking any rules is because he is going to take him out. He is going to throw him in the lake of fire. And the question is, “Why didn’t he do it yesterday? If he had done it yesterday I wouldn’t be tempted the way I am today. The Bible says, ‘Lead me not into temptation.’ Well, the best way not to be… [Read More]

Frozen Fear

For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline. – 2 Timothy 1:7 God’s up there right now with a great sense of humor just chuckling away. At least that’s how I feel in my life. I’m never used in the ways I envision or things I think would be best. And there’s a flaw in that last sentence…”I”. Isn’t it true of all of us that the situations we’re placed in stretch us just a bit outside our comfort zone if we are doing what He asks? Each time making us more and more well rounded. I struggle with this one a lot simply because I’m not a very outspoken person. If I know you and I’m comfortable with you my personality blossom’s but throughout my life I’ve been a shy, laid back personality, content in my own… [Read More]

I met someone

I will lead the blind along ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. – Isaiah 42:16 Coming back from lunch, I parked in my familiar spot and reclined my chair. David Crowder was playing through my ipod as I day dreamed for the last 20 minutes of lunch. I like to zone out during lunch, take my mind off of things and just relax. I stare at a computer screen for 8hrs a day so breathing in some fresh air and closing my eyes does wonders to break up the day. Moments later I caught a silhouette in my side mirror, followed it through my rear view mirror, and then suddenly through the passenger side mirror… She was walking up to my door! She caught me off guard, with a… [Read More]