God in the dying

I often wonder, "Where is God in places like Rwanda, Sudan, Concentration camps, the slums? Why is he not there?" Then I remember that God resides in His temple... which now is me and I understand why God may not seem to be there. . . because here I sit.

goodness to the world

Jesus, when dealing with evil in people's lives would focus on calling them toward something rather than away from something. Instead of blatantly pointing out obvious errors (sins) he would rather show them how life could be. This was how he brought out the goodness in each person and in turn brought goodness to the world. That is another reason why so many people were initially attracted to him.

politics, peacemaking and war

first of all, I'm sorry for those whose hopes i let down on the title and the potential for wonderful alliteration.

now...
perhaps the two sides of the coin are not always all the options. maybe we get caught up on thinking we know what is right and what is wrong and we miss out on the liberating, life giving, and better (screwed the alliteration again:) way...the third way. I am starting to see how Jesus and his teachings often presented this third way. A way to not vehemently oppose or support such radical, what seems 'black and white' issues that faced the people in that day. The third way was often the way to expose the evil while still allowing room for the evil to turn. A most difficult way which seems to be rooted in a deep love and respect for humanity, all humanity.

wonder?!

perhaps the greatest power next to love. for wonder prompts worship. and we were created for worship.

Stuff your eyes with wonder ... live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. -- Ray Bradbury

Some 'Christians' 'goal' in life is to persuade people to believe in Christ. That wasn't Jesus' aim and should not be ours. Our purpose should be to bring 'Shalom' (peace, restoration, wholeness) because of Christ to people. AND it is only through Christ that Shalom can come.

stillness

There are time in my life when 'life' seems to make the most sense. It seems that everything is clear, I think clearly, can make the wisest decisions and my purpose and meaning is crystal clear. Those moments are usually late at night before I go to sleep, during long car rides by myself and after times of worship. The one thing that all three of these have in common is stillness. I am consciously aware that I am in God's presence and I am still. I have discovered that there is something deep to stillness, something intimate. Be still and know that he is God. I have found that to be true. It is in those moments that I truly know, down to my core, and when you know that He is God, life makes sense. It is difficult to describe, but stillness will do a better description than I could ever do.

Simple Clay Pots

We are described as clay pots, simple, maybe even oddly shaped or cracked clay pots. And in those clay pots is placed the most valuable treasure in all the world. It isn't placed in a well guarded vault, or in some tightly locked chest and buried under a thousand feet of dirt. And on top of that, this treasure is also the power of God. . . . . . . . the power of God. . . . . .the Power of God! IN CLAY POTS! It seems ridiculous. Absurd. Ludicrous. But that is the way for others to experience this treasure.

My mind is blown once again.

Sacredness of the Kiss

Last night I sat down to study and on the Television were some Will Farrel SNL skits. In one skit him and Chris Kattan kiss, (a rather long and messy one). My random brain began to think about 'a kiss' and what it means. It seems that our culture is beginning to lose the sacredness of a kiss. While the skit was purely for laugh I realized that to a lot of westerners, a kiss is now just a kiss, almost like a brown paper bag is just a brown paper bag. When I lived in Central Asia, men and women that were friends greeted each other with a kiss. It is a sign of affection, and as awkward as it sounds, there was a specialness that the kiss brought. It showed trust and endearment. I feel that when we just give the kiss away, like our culture has saturated us with, it loses most meaning and might as well be a handshake. There will be meaning in my kiss.

All that to say, I like kissing and I'm probably not going to kiss you.......unless. . . .

LoVe?

The war in Iraq has me wrestling with my faith and my response. The Christians in Iraq are saying they do not want America fighting and bombing them. They say they live by another law, the law of blessed are the peacemakers, blessed are those who love their brother and their enemy. How can bombs and guns be the agent of justice that God has chosen. Didn't Jesus baffle all of us by conquering with the utmost sacrifice of love. Yet in life, are there things that we must stand up for and fight for. If a man comes to your door to kill you and your family, what action should be taken? Even if I stop fighting, others will continue to. Does that mean I must fight? Where is love? How does love fit into this? I no longer see my loyalty to my country of utmost importance. (Continue reading before you scream treason). I value the life of an Iraqi man as much as I value an American man. My brother is Rashid in Central Asia, Bill down the street, and Wong in the east. They are my family, because of spiritual ties. And my family is my first loyalty. My country is composed of my neighbors, and who is my neighbor.

My favorite quote

Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world, when in fact it is the only thing that ever has.

~I forget so we'll just call them anonymous

"You guys are all into that born again thing, which is great. We do need to be born again, since Jesus said that to a guy named Nicodemus. But if you tell me I have to be born again to enter the kingdom of God, I can tell you that you have to sell everything you have and give it to the poor, because Jesus said that to one guy too..." ---Rich Mullins

Feeling important....?

If we were to transport our most powerful telescope to our nearest neighboring star, Alpha Centauri, and look back this way. We wouldn't even be able to see earth, not even a speck.--Philip Keller

Reminds me that God is god and I am man, and there is a big difference.