Good Advice

Do what you can, not what you can’t

Begin where you are, not where you want to be

Take small attainable steps that will lead to success, not big impossible steps that lead to failure

Wisdom, Anger, and Words

“A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even tempered.” – Proverbs 17:27. Our goal should be this.

True Discipleship

“The call to be an apostle is a paradoxical occurrence, lying always beyond his personal self-identity” – Kierkegaard.

Acts and Counterculture

Jaroslave Pelikan’s comments on Acts 16:25-34 in his commentary on Acts from Brazos Press – “Running throughout the narrative of the book of Acts is a polemic against the use of violence and coercion – in this case, the violence that  the jailer wanted to perpetuate on himself” (188).

Pelikan gives us a much needed reminder of one of the very important meta-narratives in Scripture.

Discipleship

“Discipleship without Jesus Christ is choosing one’s own path. It could be an ideal path or a martyr’s path, but it is without promise. Jesus will reject it” – Bonhoeffer, Discipleship (59).

Trapped

I am constantly reminded of how much we are a victim and prisoner of our circumstances or context. It seems that our ability to transcend our context is essential to understanding both God and humanity. At the same time, fully embracing our context is necessary to understand from where we begin our transcendence.

Leadership and Change

Transforming leaders are receptive to others. We cannot hope to bring about effective change unless we are willing to be changed. This is a profoundly Biblical idea. But it is also a risky one go pursue – Richard Mouw, Uncommon Decency (124)

Coersion for behavior

“It is a dangerous thing for Christians to exercise coercion where even God has refused to force people to do the right thing” – Richard Mouw, Uncommon Decency (101).

Dying to Yourself

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he (Jesus) said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? Mark 8:34-37

What does it mean when Christ calls us to “lose our lives” or “give up our lives” for His sake or the Kingdom’s sake? Maybe it means that in our inclinations, our desires, our reactions – all that seems so natural, but don’t match up with Philippians 2 or Galatians 5 – those need to be destroyed and replaced with Jesus.  So where we have anger, even when we are wronged – that needs to be replaced.  Where we have smugness, even when we are right – that needs to be replaced.  Where we have anxiety – that needs to be replaced.  where we have fear – that needs to be replaced.  Where there is achievement that takes the place of and sacrifices community – that needs to be replaced.  Where there is success at the cost of friendship – this needs to be replaced.  Where there is broken fellowship born out of jealousy – that needs to be replaced.

Our most base reactions and their causes have to go only to be filled up  with the Spirit of Jesus.

What we regard as natural needs to be replaced by the supernatural.  Surgery needs to be done, radical surgery.

Problems

We need to develop the skill of seeing our problems in light of Jesus and not Jesus in light of our problems. One temporary and one is eternal – eternal always sets the tone for temporary.