But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. ~John 16:13 Today was arguably one of the worst days of my life. I saw a side of humanity I had only experienced second hand. Something I had seen in movies and heard from friends of friends but never one on one. I saw a family shattered today and it broke me. Last Wednesday my brother was to have back surgery. A major mountain to climb for any person or family, exacerbated by the fact it had been two years in the making(a story for another day). Tuesday of that week came and the call came to unpack his bag. The surgery had been pushed a week to the following Tuesday. Even the best laid plans are but a breath to the Lord. He had bigger plans. Chris was disappointed but took it all in… [Read More]
Posts Tagged ‘truth’
hearing and doing
April 6th, 2010 
dave matthew 7:24-27 – “everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. and everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against the house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” over the month of january i read the sermon on the mount every day. it was a great discipline for me, and i learned many things about the gospel. one thing that continually stuck out to me was the way… [Read More]
Posted in Radical Christianity 
Tags: Christ, discipline, gospel, grace, Jesus, Matthew, pray, sermon, truth 
No Comments »all sins being equal
April 1st, 2010 dave over the past few years it has become blatantly obvious to me that homosexuality is considered (by most religions) to be one of the greater sins of humanity. many who express this viewpoint often hide behind the ‘no sin is greater than another’ statement, but in truth, homosexuality often takes the cake in thought and practice. with that in mind, i began to think about other sins that are tolerated and even glorified in our culture. some of you already know where i am going with this, so i might as well just say it…what about violence? murder? despising our enemies? revenge? these are all sins (according to the sermon on the mount and numerous other new testament passages) that are looked upon favorably in this nation of ours. it is very clear through the teachings of Christ and his disciples that a heart bent on revenge and violence is… [Read More]
Posted in American Christianity, Non-Violent Resistance Tags: bible, Christ, God, heart, homosexuality, kingdom, peace, revenge, scripture, sermon, sin, truth No Comments »possessed by truth
March 30th, 2010 dave here is an excerpt from an article jon foreman wrote on the huffington post about being possessed by truth. it’s amazing, as usual: “My thoughts drift to religion. These are the truths that people live by and hold dear. In many ways, these are the truths that inspire our best and worst moments. The truths that motivate Mother Theresa and start religious wars. How can this be? How can fresh water and salt water come from the same hose? Perhaps it has to do with this concept of possession. If I view the truth as my possession to keep safe, I might feel the need to protect my faith. But if I am possessed by the truth, perhaps this protection is no longer needed. Maybe I am set free from the need to defend the truth, rather the truth defends me. The idea of defending an all-powerful deity feels a… [Read More]
We make it far to easy
March 7th, 2010 Dana Fisher Now they sin more and more; ~Hosea 13:2 Over the past couple of weeks I have been working in Boston for a company near the Garden. While I do feel blessed to have a job in this economy, I also hate getting up that early to do something I don’t feel benefits the kingdom of God in any respect. Early Thursday morning, after rolling out of bed at 5am I began my trek to the train station in the center of town. There was a fresh coat of snow on the ground and it continued to fall from the sky. I threw on my jacket and pulled my hat down over my head. As is generally the case when I’m alone with my thoughts, I had an epiphany. About halfway to the train station I realized I had been following earlier footsteps in the snow. Some were freshly stomped, as… [Read More]
mustard seed kingdom
February 11th, 2010 dave 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]
Posted in Radical Christianity Tags: church, death, God, Jesus, kingdom, kingdom of God, life, love, Mark, messiah, money, mustard seed, peace, power, truth No Comments »reality
January 31st, 2010 dave which ‘reality’ do you live in? option 1. there is the reality of the world that we live in each and every day. this is the natural world. a world where justice is a consumer product, where war is always at our doorstep and where peace is only found in fairy tales. option 2. there is the reality we create for ourselves. a world that answers only to our own circumstances. in this world nothing outside of our own sphere of influence can truly affect us. option 3. there is the reality of the world that Jesus taught us about. a world yet to come, but one hoped for and seen in moments and glimpses. a world where the meek are kings and queens. a world where the impoverished and starved are wealthy and well fed. do we hold onto this coming reality, seeking to advance its truth here and now, or do… [Read More]
Let the horse do the work
October 28th, 2009 Dana Fisher 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]
Confrontation for Growth
September 28th, 2009 Dana Fisher Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ~Matthew 10:34 Confrontation is always a hard pill to swallow for all the people involved. It’s always awkward and almost always involves some one calling someone else out on an issue of sin in their lives. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:4, “How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?” We all have our issues but when is the time to tell that brother or sister that what they are doing needs to stop? For anyone who knows me, they understand that there is no in between with me. I’m rough around the edges and don’t shy away from situations I feel warrant a voice. Never-the-less it… [Read More]
resurrection
August 13th, 2009 dave 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]
Posted in American Christianity, Radical Christianity Tags: America, Christ, church, Community, life, power, resurrection, sin, truth No Comments »
