Psalm 23
“Our lives are lived in the company of both the Shepherd and the shadow.” — Eugene Peterson
Continue reading “Dwelling with the Shepherd even in the Shadows”Category: Spiritual Formation
The congruent life
“The Christian life is the lifelong practice of attending to the details of congruence — congruence between ends and means, congruence between what we do and the way we do it, congruence between what is written in Scripture and our living out what is written, congruence between a ship and its prow, congruence between preaching and living, congruence between the sermon and what is lived in both preacher and congregation, the congruence of the Word made flesh in Jesus with what is lived in our flesh.” — Eugene Peterson, As Kingfishers Catch Fire
The Kingdom like no other
THIS is how we should live in true power if we are followers of Christ:
Continue reading “The Kingdom like no other”True beauty
“I cannot worry much about your sins and miseries when I have so many of my own. I can only love you all, poor fellow travelers, fellow sufferers. I do not want to add one least straw to the burden you already carry. My prayer from day to day is that God will so enlarge my heart that I will see you all, and live with you all, in love.” — Dorothy Day (from The Reckless Way of Love: Notes on Following Jesus)
To remain… to abide… to bear fruit
I have been in the habit of reading through a daily lectionary reading the past several months. It is a joyous journey that keeps me faithfully reading the broad scope of the biblical story.
But then there are passages that sweep into my spirit with a fresh wind and I am held there for a bit of time. It messes up my “schedule”, but I get less worried about that over time. I love the story. And I love the “camping out.” Both are necessary for my life.
Continue reading “To remain… to abide… to bear fruit”Vices… when seeking good goes bad
All the vices are distorted or excessive attachments to good things. Wrath is ostensibly born of concern for justice and honor, greed regards sufficient possessions, gluttony is about food, vainglory seeks the approval of others. Vice happens when our pursuit of these good things gets twisted, that is, when we try to make them fill gaps and needs in our hearts that only God can fill, and when we define happiness in terms of them, rather than appreciating them as (finite) blessings from God. — Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung, Glittering Vices: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and Their Remedies
What angers Jesus?
Glittering Vices by Rebecca DeYoung is worth your time. I am working my way through this book with the Renovare Book Club. DeYoung has us wrestle with the issues of life that can truly trip us up. One of the vices is anger. How do we deal with anger in our lives?
Continue reading “What angers Jesus?”