Apprentice 2 Jesus

The imperfection of Advent

I grew up without the concept of Advent in another Christian tradition. When I was pastoring and learned a bit more about it, we would walk through Advent in small ways. When I came into the Anglican Church, I have learned so much more.

The way of the Father

The Kingdom of God is about flourishing. It is the abundant goodness of the Father flowing to humanity. We are to live like the Father.

Thanksgiving Day Prayer

Most merciful Father, we humbly thank you for all the gifts so freely bestowed upon us: for life and health and safety, for strength to work and leisure to rest, for all that is beautiful in creation and in human life; but above all we thank you for our spiritual mercies in Christ Jesus our Lord; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. AMEN.

Worth your time

Some reading for the week:

I had the feeling I was missing something over the last few years when it came to sports. I love reading sports pages, sports reporting sites, etc. In the past few years so many times I would click on an article thinking I was getting analysis for an upcoming game and it turned out to be betting lines for games. College games. Pro games. Corn hole games. Whatever.

Accumulating knowledge or using knowledge?

Renovare Ministries was started by a group led by Richard Foster several decades ago. The focus was to turn the Church back to the joy of spiritual formation and help the Church walk in transformation. This week’s email letter was thought-provoking as I wrote a post about trying to tackle Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics. My desire is to slow down when I’m used to building a list of books I want to read and then trying to “beat” that number every year.

The last third project of love and insanity

I love to read. I put goals on Goodreads and then blow past it because I hit streaks where I just want to consume books. I love reading new work and work from the past I’m introduced to, and occasionally re-read past books, like Merton’s Seven Story Mountain or Willard’s The Divine Conspiracy.

Rise and Fall of Mars Hill — Self-Examen?

The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast was originally a 12 episode podcast that became wildly popular. I thought it had ended, but then found out there were “bonus” episodes so I listened to them. I thought those were finished, then found out yet another episode just came out and it purports to be the end. (HERE)

To be a saint

We carry too much false humility in our lives. Or, if we truly wish to “achieve” we aim high at material goals or career ideals. But in our spiritual lives? We shroud ourselves in false humility or we don’t understand the true human potential and think we just want to survive this life and hope to see Jesus some day (as a Christian).

Elections — the small windows of victory

Alabama still has the nation’s longest constitution. The change will be that now it will be minus racist language.

There are small victories. On Election Day, the state ballot measure passed to change the wording in the nation’s longest state constitution to remove racist language. The state constitution has been in place since 1901.

To which I say…

WELCOME TO 1964, ALABAMA!

More HERE.

Elections

It’s probably been 20 years or more since I voted in a place where my vote had any significance at all. I’ve lived in very blue areas and very red areas. It doesn’t matter which “side” I might “be one” (which is not even a question in my life any more), I was in a place that even if I voted in that direction, the percentage was so overwhelming in “my” direction one more vote was just piling on!