When God Closes a Door.- Dr. Charles Swindoll
Monday, September 30, 2013
Prayer Dimensions
By Johann Christoph Arnold
Audio length: 11:23
Download Audio (10.4MB)
More than ever before, people are alone. If not physically separated from others, they are certainly more isolated emotionally. This is one of the great curses of our time: people are lonely and disconnected, depression is rampant, more marriages than ever are dysfunctional, and a pervasive sense of aimlessness marks many lives. Why are we here on earth? I believe that the answer to this question can only be discovered when we begin to find each other—and, more than that, to find God.
Each of us needs to find God, since our “vertical” relationship with him is always a strong determinant of our “horizontal” human relationships. But what does it mean to find God?
Sometimes it seems that the word “prayer” carries too much religious baggage with it; it is worn out from too much handling by too many people. It has become a duty that people feel they must fulfill, and therefore even a burden to rebel against. Personally, I do not see prayer as a duty, but an opportunity to come before God and tell him my worries, my needs, my happiness, or my gratitude. In this sense, prayer is simply conversing with God—something anyone can do.
Prayer may be a rite that involves a written verse, a prayer book, a certain place and time of day, or even a specific position of the body. Or it may have no form at all, but simply be a posture of the heart.
For most of us, silence and solitude are the most natural starting points for finding God and communicating with him, since both entail laying aside external distractions and emptying our minds and hearts of trivial concerns. It is as if God has come into the room to talk with us, and we must first look up from whatever we are doing to acknowledge him before the conversation can begin. For others of us, the act of becoming silent before God is not only a preparation for prayer, it is prayer. Such conversation is like the unspoken dialogue between a couple, or any other two people who know each other so well that they can communicate without words.
Naturally a true conversation has both sound and silence, give and take, talking and listening. Yet it is clear that God does not desire self-centered prattling: he knows what we need even before we ask. And if we do not become inwardly quiet, how will we ever be able to hear anything but our own voice? Nor does he require long, wordy petitions. If our hearts are truly turned to him, a glance upward or a heartfelt sigh, a moment of silence or a joyous song, a tearful plea or anguished weeping will do just as well. Each of these can be just as much a prayer as any number of carefully chosen words. Indeed, they may be more.
There are many ways to pray. One woman I know told me that she envisioned herself in prayer “like a baby bird in a nest with my head stretched way up and my oversized mouth open and hungry to receive whatever my father would drop into it. Not questioning, not doubting, not worrying, just receiving and totally appreciative.”
Vemkatechwaram Thyaharaj, a friend from India, says:
I pray silently. All the same, though brought up as a Hindu Brahmin, I do not pray to an abstract being, but to the biblical Creator of the universe and of man—to God the Father. He is not distant from his creation, for Christ brought him down, close to man. It is to him I pray… Very often I resort to lonely places for prayer. In such times I experience the divine, unseen touch that imparts power and life to my body and soul. True, it is always an effort to get out of bed early, before dawn. But this has been my practice, to sit during the early morning in the presence of God when I meditate and pray. During such times my heart is filled with peace and unexplainable joy.
Vemkatechwaram touches on an important aspect of genuine prayer: insofar as it is a conversation, it is not a vague state of being, but something that moves or takes place between two or more people, even if without words.
According to the early church father Tertullian, praying is also more than directing emotions or feelings toward God. It means experiencing his reality as a power.
Prayer has power to transform the weak, to restore the sick, to free the demon-possessed, to open prison doors, and to untie the bonds that bind the innocent. Furthermore, it washes away faults and repels temptations. It extinguishes persecutions. It consoles the low in spirit, and cheers those in good spirits. It escorts travelers, calms waves, and makes robbers stand aghast. It feeds the poor and governs the rich. It raises those who have fallen, stops others from falling, and strengthens those who are standing.
Tertullian also refers to prayer as the “fortress of faith” and the “shield and weapon against the foe.” And Paul, in his Letter to the Ephesians, admonishes his fellow Christians to put on the “whole armor of God” and thereby enlist the aid of the Creator himself in times of trial.1
Valid as these metaphors may be, it is good to remember that even if God’s power can protect, shield, and comfort us, it is also a power before which we must sometimes quake. Especially after we have failed or done wrong, the act of coming to God in prayer and bringing our weaknesses to him means placing ourselves under his clear light, and seeing the wretchedness of our true state.
Our God is a consuming fire, and my filth crackles as he seizes hold of me; he is all light and my darkness shrivels under his blaze. It is this naked blaze of God that makes prayer so terrible. For most of the time, we can persuade ourselves we are good enough, as good as the next man, perhaps even better, who knows? Then we come to prayer—real prayer, unprotected prayer—and there is nothing left in us, no ground on which to stand.—Sr. Wendy Beckett
Given Sister Wendy’s recognition of the contrast between the Almighty and a puny human being, one might fairly ask, “Does God really answer me, or does my praying just get me used to the discomfort of my situation?” Indeed, there are skeptics who feel that prayer is simply a forum for working through our feelings, and those who say, “All I want is God’s will, and he can give that without my prayers.”
I have no simple answers to these riddles, but that doesn’t mean there are no answers. As I see it, it is a matter of relationships. If I claim God as my father, I need to be able to talk to him when I am in trouble. And before that, I need to be actively involved in my relationship with him—at least enough to know where I can find him.
Having given us free will, God does not force himself on any of us. He needs us to ask him to work in our lives before he intervenes. We must want his presence, be desperate for the inner food he can provide. Like the figures found on the walls of Roman catacombs, we must lift our eyes and arms to God, not merely waiting for him, but reaching upward to find him and to receive whatever he will give us.
In this sense, praying is much more than talking with God. Prayer gives us the opportunity to discern God’s will by coming into direct contact with him. It enables us to ask God for whatever we need, including judgment, mercy, and the grace to change our lives. It is even, as Henri Nouwen has written, “a revolutionary matter, because once you begin, you put your entire life in the balance.”
The one overwhelming message that stands at the center of the New Testament is love in action. And we have examples among his followers who, despite human failings, spread the gospel of love. The apostle Paul, who had earlier persecuted the Christians, became one of Christianity’s most powerful figures. In his prayers he rarely asks God for those things we most often pray for: safety, physical healing, material blessings. He is more concerned with strength of character, wisdom and discernment, love and sacrifice, personal knowledge of God and spiritual power, courage in spreading the gospel, endurance, and salvation. And unlike many modern Christians, his prayers are not selfish wishes uttered merely on behalf of himself or those dear to him. They are said for the whole earth.
Thousands of pages have been written about the Lord’s Prayer. I believe much of its power lies in its brevity and simplicity. When we have acted in haste or offended the Spirit of love, we need to ask for forgiveness. In hours of temptation, we need to ask to be led safely, and we need to be provided for and protected day by day. Above and beyond that, we need the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts and change us from our very foundations. For this to happen we must ask, “Thy will be done.” And we must mean it.
Johann Christoph Arnold is a noted speaker and writer on the topics of marriage and family, education and conflict resolution. He is a senior pastor at the Bruderhof Communities and also serves as chaplain for the local sheriff's department. His books have been translated into more than 20 languages. © Copyright 2011 by The Plough Publishing House. Used with permission.
Published on Anchor September 2013. Read by Jon Marc.
1 Ephesians 6:11.
Audio length: 11:23
Download Audio (10.4MB)
More than ever before, people are alone. If not physically separated from others, they are certainly more isolated emotionally. This is one of the great curses of our time: people are lonely and disconnected, depression is rampant, more marriages than ever are dysfunctional, and a pervasive sense of aimlessness marks many lives. Why are we here on earth? I believe that the answer to this question can only be discovered when we begin to find each other—and, more than that, to find God.
Each of us needs to find God, since our “vertical” relationship with him is always a strong determinant of our “horizontal” human relationships. But what does it mean to find God?
Sometimes it seems that the word “prayer” carries too much religious baggage with it; it is worn out from too much handling by too many people. It has become a duty that people feel they must fulfill, and therefore even a burden to rebel against. Personally, I do not see prayer as a duty, but an opportunity to come before God and tell him my worries, my needs, my happiness, or my gratitude. In this sense, prayer is simply conversing with God—something anyone can do.
Prayer may be a rite that involves a written verse, a prayer book, a certain place and time of day, or even a specific position of the body. Or it may have no form at all, but simply be a posture of the heart.
For most of us, silence and solitude are the most natural starting points for finding God and communicating with him, since both entail laying aside external distractions and emptying our minds and hearts of trivial concerns. It is as if God has come into the room to talk with us, and we must first look up from whatever we are doing to acknowledge him before the conversation can begin. For others of us, the act of becoming silent before God is not only a preparation for prayer, it is prayer. Such conversation is like the unspoken dialogue between a couple, or any other two people who know each other so well that they can communicate without words.
Naturally a true conversation has both sound and silence, give and take, talking and listening. Yet it is clear that God does not desire self-centered prattling: he knows what we need even before we ask. And if we do not become inwardly quiet, how will we ever be able to hear anything but our own voice? Nor does he require long, wordy petitions. If our hearts are truly turned to him, a glance upward or a heartfelt sigh, a moment of silence or a joyous song, a tearful plea or anguished weeping will do just as well. Each of these can be just as much a prayer as any number of carefully chosen words. Indeed, they may be more.
There are many ways to pray. One woman I know told me that she envisioned herself in prayer “like a baby bird in a nest with my head stretched way up and my oversized mouth open and hungry to receive whatever my father would drop into it. Not questioning, not doubting, not worrying, just receiving and totally appreciative.”
Vemkatechwaram Thyaharaj, a friend from India, says:
I pray silently. All the same, though brought up as a Hindu Brahmin, I do not pray to an abstract being, but to the biblical Creator of the universe and of man—to God the Father. He is not distant from his creation, for Christ brought him down, close to man. It is to him I pray… Very often I resort to lonely places for prayer. In such times I experience the divine, unseen touch that imparts power and life to my body and soul. True, it is always an effort to get out of bed early, before dawn. But this has been my practice, to sit during the early morning in the presence of God when I meditate and pray. During such times my heart is filled with peace and unexplainable joy.
Vemkatechwaram touches on an important aspect of genuine prayer: insofar as it is a conversation, it is not a vague state of being, but something that moves or takes place between two or more people, even if without words.
According to the early church father Tertullian, praying is also more than directing emotions or feelings toward God. It means experiencing his reality as a power.
Prayer has power to transform the weak, to restore the sick, to free the demon-possessed, to open prison doors, and to untie the bonds that bind the innocent. Furthermore, it washes away faults and repels temptations. It extinguishes persecutions. It consoles the low in spirit, and cheers those in good spirits. It escorts travelers, calms waves, and makes robbers stand aghast. It feeds the poor and governs the rich. It raises those who have fallen, stops others from falling, and strengthens those who are standing.
Tertullian also refers to prayer as the “fortress of faith” and the “shield and weapon against the foe.” And Paul, in his Letter to the Ephesians, admonishes his fellow Christians to put on the “whole armor of God” and thereby enlist the aid of the Creator himself in times of trial.1
Valid as these metaphors may be, it is good to remember that even if God’s power can protect, shield, and comfort us, it is also a power before which we must sometimes quake. Especially after we have failed or done wrong, the act of coming to God in prayer and bringing our weaknesses to him means placing ourselves under his clear light, and seeing the wretchedness of our true state.
Our God is a consuming fire, and my filth crackles as he seizes hold of me; he is all light and my darkness shrivels under his blaze. It is this naked blaze of God that makes prayer so terrible. For most of the time, we can persuade ourselves we are good enough, as good as the next man, perhaps even better, who knows? Then we come to prayer—real prayer, unprotected prayer—and there is nothing left in us, no ground on which to stand.—Sr. Wendy Beckett
Given Sister Wendy’s recognition of the contrast between the Almighty and a puny human being, one might fairly ask, “Does God really answer me, or does my praying just get me used to the discomfort of my situation?” Indeed, there are skeptics who feel that prayer is simply a forum for working through our feelings, and those who say, “All I want is God’s will, and he can give that without my prayers.”
I have no simple answers to these riddles, but that doesn’t mean there are no answers. As I see it, it is a matter of relationships. If I claim God as my father, I need to be able to talk to him when I am in trouble. And before that, I need to be actively involved in my relationship with him—at least enough to know where I can find him.
Having given us free will, God does not force himself on any of us. He needs us to ask him to work in our lives before he intervenes. We must want his presence, be desperate for the inner food he can provide. Like the figures found on the walls of Roman catacombs, we must lift our eyes and arms to God, not merely waiting for him, but reaching upward to find him and to receive whatever he will give us.
In this sense, praying is much more than talking with God. Prayer gives us the opportunity to discern God’s will by coming into direct contact with him. It enables us to ask God for whatever we need, including judgment, mercy, and the grace to change our lives. It is even, as Henri Nouwen has written, “a revolutionary matter, because once you begin, you put your entire life in the balance.”
The one overwhelming message that stands at the center of the New Testament is love in action. And we have examples among his followers who, despite human failings, spread the gospel of love. The apostle Paul, who had earlier persecuted the Christians, became one of Christianity’s most powerful figures. In his prayers he rarely asks God for those things we most often pray for: safety, physical healing, material blessings. He is more concerned with strength of character, wisdom and discernment, love and sacrifice, personal knowledge of God and spiritual power, courage in spreading the gospel, endurance, and salvation. And unlike many modern Christians, his prayers are not selfish wishes uttered merely on behalf of himself or those dear to him. They are said for the whole earth.
Thousands of pages have been written about the Lord’s Prayer. I believe much of its power lies in its brevity and simplicity. When we have acted in haste or offended the Spirit of love, we need to ask for forgiveness. In hours of temptation, we need to ask to be led safely, and we need to be provided for and protected day by day. Above and beyond that, we need the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts and change us from our very foundations. For this to happen we must ask, “Thy will be done.” And we must mean it.
Johann Christoph Arnold is a noted speaker and writer on the topics of marriage and family, education and conflict resolution. He is a senior pastor at the Bruderhof Communities and also serves as chaplain for the local sheriff's department. His books have been translated into more than 20 languages. © Copyright 2011 by The Plough Publishing House. Used with permission.
Published on Anchor September 2013. Read by Jon Marc.
1 Ephesians 6:11.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
The Secret to Making Daily Progress
A compilation
Audio length: 7:36
Download Audio (6.9MB)
The best way to ensure that you’re making progress is to make an effort each day to take a step forward. Take a step in the right direction in some area you're working on. Refuse to vegetate or settle down. Stay stirred up by launching out into some new venture. Try something new, learn something new, do something new.
Every day can be filled with excitement and challenges; all you have to do is seek them out. And you seek them out by not being satisfied with the way things used to be. Find a new and better way to do something. Be aggressive in your spiritual life. If you find yourself getting bored or stagnant or feeling as if you're in a rut, then it's time to break out. Look around you: Is there someone you haven't talked to in a long time? Is there something new I’d like to show you in My Word? There’s always something you can do to step up and grow.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
*
The signs of life are principally manifested by motion, action: There must be change, movement. Just so, to stay alive spiritually, we must have movement. …
It is said that Alexander the Great died weeping that there were no more worlds to conquer. The irony was that he had hardly begun to take over the world! He wasn’t even aware that more than half of the world was out there! He had only conquered a little bit of the world—from Greece to India. But because he had conquered the entire world that was known to him, or at least the parts he considered valuable, he believed there was no more to conquer.
The minute you think you have something and sit down to enjoy it, that’s when you’re apt to lose it. That’s why many a great civilization, empire, nation, religious movement, or business has vanished from the face of the earth. They stopped advancing, progressing, and moving. They had all they wanted and thought they had arrived, so they sat down to enjoy it, and whoosh! God blew upon it and it came to naught.
When you stop moving, you die. Try it. Go to bed and never get up again. How long do you think you will live if you lie there and never eat or drink or move or get rid of waste matter? You might last a few days. Some people have lasted a couple of weeks. But if you stop drinking, eating, cleansing, and moving, you’re soon dead! And that is what is spiritually wrong with some people. They have stopped drinking the water of life; they have stopped eating their spiritual food, the Word of God; they have stopped eliminating their daily besetting sins, and therefore they have died on the vine!
There is no in-between! We cannot stop! It’s like breathing: We don’t dare stop or we’re dead. We have to keep doing more every day and progressing. We need to sit down at the end of the day and keep books with our soul. We need to weigh up the accounts and say, “Now what did I do today that I won’t have to do tomorrow? What progress, what accomplishment, what more have I done than the usual things I always have to do each day?”
There is a saying, “All things change, but Jesus never.” God Himself never changes, but He does change some of His tactics and messages and methods, depending on what suits His purpose and the situation. Paul said, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”1 If we as Christians are not going to constantly keep changing our tactics and methods and modes of operation, just as God does, according to what He knows will work and what won’t with each new day and new situation and new people, then we’re going to become has-beens. If we’re not flexible, pliable, able to stretch or shrink or bulge or bend to accommodate the Lord’s new wine—whatever new thing He has for us—then we’re going to burst and lose even what we’ve got, and He won’t be able to give us any more.2
But as long as we love Jesus and lost souls, as long as we seek Him and desire to do His will, as long as we go to His Word daily for fresh vision and inspiration, we have nothing to worry about. He will continually renew us in body, mind, and spirit,3 and we’ll do more than stay alive. We’ll really go places and accomplish a lot for the Lord!—David Brandt Berg4
*
If you tend to switch into a mode of monotony when you're dealing with an aspect of your life, it could indicate that you’re getting in a rut. It could be your work, the way you handle your e-mail, your relationship with Me, the way you spend your time with your children, how you say good night to your husband or wife, or how you spend your time off.
It’s fine to have certain activities that you do often, or to have a certain routine of how you do things, whether in your work or with your family. But the danger is when you become resistant to changing those things or doing things differently because you've "always done it this way," or because changing takes time and effort and it's much easier to go on without that.
Maybe some things that you do fairly often are fine to continue to do as you have been; maybe I've shown you that those things should still be done as you've been doing them. But you can also ask Me if there is anything else you should be doing, or if there are any alterations you can make to improve that task or ensure that it's getting done more efficiently or better. Be open to doing things differently and changing even simple things if it will keep you progressing and moving forward.
Maybe the time you spend with your family is fun and inspiring, and you feel that you connect with your children and your spouse in a good and positive spirit. But have you asked Me lately if I have any other counsel or fun ideas to give you for that time?
It can be challenging to be on the lookout for better ways of operating. It takes effort—not just physical effort but spiritual effort—to seek Me for counsel, to put aside your plans and opinions and be open to My will. It takes effort. But that's the point. Ruts don't require effort; My way does.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
Published on Anchor September 2013. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso.
1 1 Corinthians 9:22.
2 Luke 5:37–38.
3 Romans 12:1–2.
4 Greater Victories (Aurora Production, 2002).
Audio length: 7:36
Download Audio (6.9MB)
The best way to ensure that you’re making progress is to make an effort each day to take a step forward. Take a step in the right direction in some area you're working on. Refuse to vegetate or settle down. Stay stirred up by launching out into some new venture. Try something new, learn something new, do something new.
Every day can be filled with excitement and challenges; all you have to do is seek them out. And you seek them out by not being satisfied with the way things used to be. Find a new and better way to do something. Be aggressive in your spiritual life. If you find yourself getting bored or stagnant or feeling as if you're in a rut, then it's time to break out. Look around you: Is there someone you haven't talked to in a long time? Is there something new I’d like to show you in My Word? There’s always something you can do to step up and grow.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
*
The signs of life are principally manifested by motion, action: There must be change, movement. Just so, to stay alive spiritually, we must have movement. …
It is said that Alexander the Great died weeping that there were no more worlds to conquer. The irony was that he had hardly begun to take over the world! He wasn’t even aware that more than half of the world was out there! He had only conquered a little bit of the world—from Greece to India. But because he had conquered the entire world that was known to him, or at least the parts he considered valuable, he believed there was no more to conquer.
The minute you think you have something and sit down to enjoy it, that’s when you’re apt to lose it. That’s why many a great civilization, empire, nation, religious movement, or business has vanished from the face of the earth. They stopped advancing, progressing, and moving. They had all they wanted and thought they had arrived, so they sat down to enjoy it, and whoosh! God blew upon it and it came to naught.
When you stop moving, you die. Try it. Go to bed and never get up again. How long do you think you will live if you lie there and never eat or drink or move or get rid of waste matter? You might last a few days. Some people have lasted a couple of weeks. But if you stop drinking, eating, cleansing, and moving, you’re soon dead! And that is what is spiritually wrong with some people. They have stopped drinking the water of life; they have stopped eating their spiritual food, the Word of God; they have stopped eliminating their daily besetting sins, and therefore they have died on the vine!
There is no in-between! We cannot stop! It’s like breathing: We don’t dare stop or we’re dead. We have to keep doing more every day and progressing. We need to sit down at the end of the day and keep books with our soul. We need to weigh up the accounts and say, “Now what did I do today that I won’t have to do tomorrow? What progress, what accomplishment, what more have I done than the usual things I always have to do each day?”
There is a saying, “All things change, but Jesus never.” God Himself never changes, but He does change some of His tactics and messages and methods, depending on what suits His purpose and the situation. Paul said, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”1 If we as Christians are not going to constantly keep changing our tactics and methods and modes of operation, just as God does, according to what He knows will work and what won’t with each new day and new situation and new people, then we’re going to become has-beens. If we’re not flexible, pliable, able to stretch or shrink or bulge or bend to accommodate the Lord’s new wine—whatever new thing He has for us—then we’re going to burst and lose even what we’ve got, and He won’t be able to give us any more.2
But as long as we love Jesus and lost souls, as long as we seek Him and desire to do His will, as long as we go to His Word daily for fresh vision and inspiration, we have nothing to worry about. He will continually renew us in body, mind, and spirit,3 and we’ll do more than stay alive. We’ll really go places and accomplish a lot for the Lord!—David Brandt Berg4
*
If you tend to switch into a mode of monotony when you're dealing with an aspect of your life, it could indicate that you’re getting in a rut. It could be your work, the way you handle your e-mail, your relationship with Me, the way you spend your time with your children, how you say good night to your husband or wife, or how you spend your time off.
It’s fine to have certain activities that you do often, or to have a certain routine of how you do things, whether in your work or with your family. But the danger is when you become resistant to changing those things or doing things differently because you've "always done it this way," or because changing takes time and effort and it's much easier to go on without that.
Maybe some things that you do fairly often are fine to continue to do as you have been; maybe I've shown you that those things should still be done as you've been doing them. But you can also ask Me if there is anything else you should be doing, or if there are any alterations you can make to improve that task or ensure that it's getting done more efficiently or better. Be open to doing things differently and changing even simple things if it will keep you progressing and moving forward.
Maybe the time you spend with your family is fun and inspiring, and you feel that you connect with your children and your spouse in a good and positive spirit. But have you asked Me lately if I have any other counsel or fun ideas to give you for that time?
It can be challenging to be on the lookout for better ways of operating. It takes effort—not just physical effort but spiritual effort—to seek Me for counsel, to put aside your plans and opinions and be open to My will. It takes effort. But that's the point. Ruts don't require effort; My way does.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
Published on Anchor September 2013. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso.
1 1 Corinthians 9:22.
2 Luke 5:37–38.
3 Romans 12:1–2.
4 Greater Victories (Aurora Production, 2002).
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo
Paperback
by Dalton Trumbo (Author)
http://www.amazon.com/Johnny-Got-His-Dalton-Trumbo/dp/0806528478/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380142230&sr=1-1&keywords=johnny+got+his+gun+dalton+trumbo
Amazon editor say:
This was no ordinary war. This was a war to make the world safe for democracy. And if democracy was made safe, then nothing else mattered—not the millions of dead bodies, nor the thousands of ruined lives…. This is no ordinary novel. This is a novel that never takes the easy way out: it is shocking, violent, terrifying, horrible, uncompromising, brutal, remorseless, and gruesome...but so is war.Johnny Got His Gun holds a place as one of the classic antiwar novels. First published in 1939, Dalton Trumbo's story of a young American soldier terribly maimed in World War I—he "survives" armless, legless, and faceless, but with his mind intact—was an immediate bestseller. This fiercely moving novel was a rallying point for many Americans who came of age during World War II, and it became perhaps the most popular novel of protest during the Vietnam era.
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Unplugged by Anna Spring
By: Anne Spring
Book Category:
Christian Missions,
Christian Life - Inspirational
Language: English
ISBN-13: 9781938526596
Pages: 146
Dimensions: 5.25 in × 8 in × 0.313 in
Weight: 0.354 lb
How a life became a mission ...
Raised during the hippie era, Anne Spring had an inborn desire to be free to experience life and the wonders of what she perceived to be God’s creation as she saw fit, free from the shackles of a 9 to 5 job just to survive.
She saw Jesus for what He was: a long-haired hippie in sandals who rebelled against the system of His day while loving the outcasts and the sinners.
But was it possible in this modern day and age to serve and follow Jesus, while remaining unplugged from the bonds of conformity?
Using Him as her role model, Anne Spring has been following Jesus’ example for 40 years, helping the needy, raising and home-schooling three children in the process. Unplugged from the Norm proves that it is possible to live a life like Jesus commanded, outside the established system, and that He actually likes it when we do. He has promised to supply everything we need, according to His riches, as we go.
Unplugged from the Norm is a non-fictional account of Anne Spring’s life, travels, service for the Lord, and His miracle supply over the past four decades across five continents.
Pursuing God’s Spirit
By Peter Amsterdam
His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.[1]
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.[2]
Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”[3]
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.[4]
And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.[5]
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.[6]
The Family International’s second core value is:
Pursuing God’s Spirit. We desire to know and understand the truth of God’s Word, the essence of His divine nature. We value the foundational principles of the written Word, hearing from God, and following His guidance.
God’s Spirit within us empowers, changes, transforms, reforms, inspires, and moves us to do God’s will, whether it’s to love others, to witness, to teach, to preach, to speak, to create, among other things. The Holy Spirit is the living presence of God who dwells within us, and it is the Holy Spirit’s transformative influence that guides our conscience and empowers us to live according to God’s truth.
The key word in pursuing God’s Spirit is the word pursue. That word has definitions which include to try hard to achieve or obtain something over a period of time, to work at, to strive to gain or accomplish; to practice systematically.
As is brought out in these definitions, pursuing God’s Spirit requires action. If you are pursuing a master’s degree, it means you are putting work and time into your field of study. If you’re pursuing a career in a particular sport, you spend a lot of time practicing and working out so that your body is strong and fit for the rigors of the competition.
God’s Spirit speaks to us through His words, first through the Bible and then through other means, whether the writings or words of others, or through prophecy, revelation, etc. The Word prepares the ground of our hearts for the work of the Holy Spirit and opens our hearts, minds, and spirits to the influence of the Spirit. It is then our responsibility to follow God’s leadings in our lives.
We desire to hear the Lord’s voice and to be led by Him. We want to allow His laws of love to guide our lives. We are compelled to follow the moral code God has placed in our hearts, so that our actions are driven by love and integrity. We want the Lord’s Spirit to guide us into wisdom, truth, and love toward Him and others.
As with other things, how a person responds to the conviction of the Spirit in his or her life is a matter of personal choice and faith, but it is important to be open and adaptable to the movement of the Spirit in your heart and life.
A key element in letting God guide us, in finding His leading, and following Him is to be grounded in His Word.
We believe that drawing near to God by seeking to know and understand the truth of His Word is a high priority for all of Christ’s followers. The Bible is God revealing Himself to humankind, which is a marvelous thing, don’t you think? It’s through understanding the Word of God that we discover God’s plan for us. The next step is living that truth in our daily lives, to the best of our ability, by God’s grace.
In order to live that truth, we need to understand that truth. To understand it we need to pursue it, which means, as was said earlier, to work at it, to spend some time at it.
When Jesus was asked which was the most important of God’s commandments, He said to love God with your heart, soul, mind, and strength. He specifically mentioned the mind.[7]Desiring to know and understand God’s Word requires using your mind. It requires taking time to not just read, but to learn, to study, to grow in understanding. As we understand who He is through comprehending His divine nature, it increases our love for Him, our awe of His power, love, and wisdom. Knowing Him better draws us closer to Him.
The Bible is God’s personal word to each of us. In it you can find God’s counsel and answers as you seek His guidance in your life. As you ask Him for answers, for guidance and direction, for solutions, search the Scriptures, and let Him speak to you through His Word and through the leading of His Spirit.
Our faith in God and our understanding of Him grows stronger the more we read and study His Word. Faith is built by faithful study of God's Word and through applying its teachings to our everyday lives.
If you read the Bible you will find a constant and continual greater and greater revelation of more and more truth, fitting more and more missing pieces into the great and puzzling picture of God's complete and perfected and final overall design![8]
Cecil B. DeMille (1881–1959), who produced the well-known movie “The Ten Commandments,” said: "After more than 60 years of almost daily reading of the Bible, I never fail to find it always new and marvelously in tune with the changing needs of every day."
George Mueller (1805–1898) said: "The vigor of our spiritual life will be in exact proportion to the place held by the Bible in our life and thoughts."
What is the life-giving flow that gives life from God?—It's the Word! It's His Word that gives us life, food, nourishment, strength and spiritual health. Jesus Himself said, "The Words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit and they are Life!"[9] … There's nothing more powerful than God’s Word! The Word is the secret of power, victory, overcoming, fruitfulness, fire, life, warmth, light and leadership!—The secret of everything good is the Word of God![10]
I like to read a variety of books, especially history and historical fiction. But over the last years, as I’ve focused more on studying the Bible, the more passionate I grow aboutstudying the Bible. In the past I was content with reading God’s Word without deeper study. It fed my spirit as I did, but I’ve found that as I put more time and effort into studying Scripture, learning what it tells us about God and trying to more deeply understand what it teaches, that I am profoundly moved and changed by it. I’m grateful to be living in a time when so much information is available online and in print. It’s still work to study, but it’s so much easier than it was in the past. My goal is to pass on what I’ve learned to you through my posts on Directors’ Corner.
Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832), the poet and novelist, said, "The most learned, acute, and diligent student cannot, in the longest life, obtain an entire knowledge of the Bible. The more deeply he works the mine, the richer and more abundant he finds the ore."
Of course, the Bible isn’t the only book in the world one should read, but it is a book that should be read, meditated upon, studied, and absorbed over and over again. After all, it’s the book that reveals what God has told us about Himself. It contains His words to us, His answers to the life we live as well as information regarding the life to come. It teaches us how to interact with Him, how to become more like Him. And above all, it tells us how to enter into a relationship with Him, to receive Him into our life, to become connected with Him.
Reading, believing, and absorbing God’s Word profoundly changes us.
As D. L. Moody (1837–1899) said, “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.”
Charles Colson (1931–2012) said: "The Bible—banned, burned, beloved—is more widely read, more frequently attacked than any other book in history. Generations of intellectuals have attempted to discredit it, dictators of every age have outlawed it and executed those who read it. Yet soldiers carry it into battle believing it more powerful than their weapons. Fragments of it smuggled into solitary prison cells have transformed ruthless killers into gentle saints."
As you might know, Charles Colson was a Special Counsel to U.S. President Nixon. He served seven months in a federal prison and was the first member of the Nixon administration to be incarcerated for Watergate-related charges. As Colson was facing arrest, his close friend gave him a copy of Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis, which, after reading it, led Colson to become a Christian. His life was changed forever.
I recently read a beautiful testimony of another changed life. It’s the story of a successful businessman who was convinced that he didn’t need Jesus, nor did he believe that the Bible was God’s Word. His son, a born-again Christian, had witnessed to him for years, but to no avail, until a dramatic and tragic event changed everything. His son was hospitalized due to an emergency; he was in critical condition in the intensive care unit. The son told his father, “God is in charge. If God’s purpose in my suffering is to bring you to Christ, then everything I’m going through is worth it.” Needless to say, the father was stunned.
For days the father read to his son from the Bible as he lay in the intensive care unit. It was through that reading of the Bible that for the first time in his life the father began to see what the Bible was really about and who Jesus really was. Seeing his son’s strong faith in Jesus, combined with what he read in the Bible, made him realize that Jesus is real. He surrendered his life to Christ. His son was overjoyed. The son went to be with the Lord shortly thereafter, but the father had peace that passes understanding, knowing that they would meet again and be together forever in heaven.
Our lives are made better when we absorb God’s Word. It takes work to read and study His Word, but as we do we become more strongly connected to God and His Spirit. As we make the effort to spend regular time reading His words, as we discipline ourselves to put in the necessary time and effort, if we’re willing to pursue it, we will dwell richly in Him. Spending time with His words is spending time with Him.
As one author said, we don’t have to read Scripture. We want to read Scripture. We get to read Scripture. It’s our privilege. No one should tell me, “You have to kiss your wife.” No. Iget to kiss her, I want to kiss her. Because I love her.[11] We who are passionate about God, who love Him, who are willing to pursue His Spirit, want to know all we can about Him. We want to hear from Him and follow Him, and one of the primary ways to do so is spending time reading His Word.
We don’t study simply because we want to gain a greater knowledge about God and His divine nature. We do it because we want to know Him better, to love Him more, and to have Him participate in our lives. We desire His guidance, to hear His voice, to follow where He leads.
God speaks to us in a variety of ways, and we can hear Him if we listen. We listen when we meditate on His Word, when we ask Him to show us how to apply what we’ve read in our daily life. We also listen when we get quiet within ourselves and give Him the opportunity to speak to us. This too takes effort, as we open our hearts to His voice, being ready for however He wants to speak to us, whether it be through thoughts that He brings to our minds, through His voice in prophecy, through His written Word, or by speaking to us through other Christians. The key is being open, quieting our spirits, listening, and being attentive.
It’s a privilege that God wants to speak to us individually. And He will if we set time aside to hear from Him—either in prophecy or through His still small voice or the voice of the Word. It’s advantageous to have a notebook handy or some way to write down the message that He gives so that we can remember His instruction or leading.
The Bible reveals to us the general will of God, but not the specific will of God for the individual. God expects that each one of us will seek Him for His guidance and for how to specifically apply His general will in our lives.
A hallmark of TFI’s guiding principles is that we have the liberty to follow God and His fresh guidance day by day. We place great value on being Spirit-led, being guided by the Holy Spirit, and on hearing from God and receiving His personalized instructions for today. As it says in our Statement of Faith: “We believe that God is a living God who continues to speak to His people today and to impart His message through ongoing revelation, prophecy, and words of spiritual direction and counsel.”
God is our life partner. He wants to be active in our lives. He wants to lead us and help us to make good decisions. Following Him is allowing Him to have influence in our lives; it’s consciously asking Him for His guidance and doing what He shows us. It’s having a conversation with Him, speaking with Him as you would those you are closest to, and listening to His still small voice.
God loves us, He’s on our side, and we can trust Him. When we do that, He will not fail us; He will lead us. As we pursue God’s Spirit, as we put in the effort to connect with Him through His Word, through listening to His voice, and as we follow Him, we will live God-centered, God-filled, God-directed lives, full of love, joy, and great satisfaction.
Note: Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[1] Psalm 1:2 NIV.
[2] Psalm 119:105.
[3] John 14:23.
[4] Colossians 3:16.
[5] Acts 2:17–18.
[6] John 4:24.
[7] Mark 12:30.
[8] David Brandt Berg, "New Life, New Love," June 1978, 731:10–12 (adapted).
[9] John 6:63.
[10] Daily Might, March 22 (Aurora Production, 2004).
[11] Tony Merida, "Letting the Word Dwell in You Richly," accessed September 16, 2013.
His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.[1]
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.[2]
Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”[3]
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.[4]
And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.[5]
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.[6]
The Family International’s second core value is:
Pursuing God’s Spirit. We desire to know and understand the truth of God’s Word, the essence of His divine nature. We value the foundational principles of the written Word, hearing from God, and following His guidance.
God’s Spirit within us empowers, changes, transforms, reforms, inspires, and moves us to do God’s will, whether it’s to love others, to witness, to teach, to preach, to speak, to create, among other things. The Holy Spirit is the living presence of God who dwells within us, and it is the Holy Spirit’s transformative influence that guides our conscience and empowers us to live according to God’s truth.
The key word in pursuing God’s Spirit is the word pursue. That word has definitions which include to try hard to achieve or obtain something over a period of time, to work at, to strive to gain or accomplish; to practice systematically.
As is brought out in these definitions, pursuing God’s Spirit requires action. If you are pursuing a master’s degree, it means you are putting work and time into your field of study. If you’re pursuing a career in a particular sport, you spend a lot of time practicing and working out so that your body is strong and fit for the rigors of the competition.
God’s Spirit speaks to us through His words, first through the Bible and then through other means, whether the writings or words of others, or through prophecy, revelation, etc. The Word prepares the ground of our hearts for the work of the Holy Spirit and opens our hearts, minds, and spirits to the influence of the Spirit. It is then our responsibility to follow God’s leadings in our lives.
We desire to hear the Lord’s voice and to be led by Him. We want to allow His laws of love to guide our lives. We are compelled to follow the moral code God has placed in our hearts, so that our actions are driven by love and integrity. We want the Lord’s Spirit to guide us into wisdom, truth, and love toward Him and others.
As with other things, how a person responds to the conviction of the Spirit in his or her life is a matter of personal choice and faith, but it is important to be open and adaptable to the movement of the Spirit in your heart and life.
A key element in letting God guide us, in finding His leading, and following Him is to be grounded in His Word.
We believe that drawing near to God by seeking to know and understand the truth of His Word is a high priority for all of Christ’s followers. The Bible is God revealing Himself to humankind, which is a marvelous thing, don’t you think? It’s through understanding the Word of God that we discover God’s plan for us. The next step is living that truth in our daily lives, to the best of our ability, by God’s grace.
In order to live that truth, we need to understand that truth. To understand it we need to pursue it, which means, as was said earlier, to work at it, to spend some time at it.
When Jesus was asked which was the most important of God’s commandments, He said to love God with your heart, soul, mind, and strength. He specifically mentioned the mind.[7]Desiring to know and understand God’s Word requires using your mind. It requires taking time to not just read, but to learn, to study, to grow in understanding. As we understand who He is through comprehending His divine nature, it increases our love for Him, our awe of His power, love, and wisdom. Knowing Him better draws us closer to Him.
The Bible is God’s personal word to each of us. In it you can find God’s counsel and answers as you seek His guidance in your life. As you ask Him for answers, for guidance and direction, for solutions, search the Scriptures, and let Him speak to you through His Word and through the leading of His Spirit.
Our faith in God and our understanding of Him grows stronger the more we read and study His Word. Faith is built by faithful study of God's Word and through applying its teachings to our everyday lives.
If you read the Bible you will find a constant and continual greater and greater revelation of more and more truth, fitting more and more missing pieces into the great and puzzling picture of God's complete and perfected and final overall design![8]
Cecil B. DeMille (1881–1959), who produced the well-known movie “The Ten Commandments,” said: "After more than 60 years of almost daily reading of the Bible, I never fail to find it always new and marvelously in tune with the changing needs of every day."
George Mueller (1805–1898) said: "The vigor of our spiritual life will be in exact proportion to the place held by the Bible in our life and thoughts."
What is the life-giving flow that gives life from God?—It's the Word! It's His Word that gives us life, food, nourishment, strength and spiritual health. Jesus Himself said, "The Words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit and they are Life!"[9] … There's nothing more powerful than God’s Word! The Word is the secret of power, victory, overcoming, fruitfulness, fire, life, warmth, light and leadership!—The secret of everything good is the Word of God![10]
I like to read a variety of books, especially history and historical fiction. But over the last years, as I’ve focused more on studying the Bible, the more passionate I grow aboutstudying the Bible. In the past I was content with reading God’s Word without deeper study. It fed my spirit as I did, but I’ve found that as I put more time and effort into studying Scripture, learning what it tells us about God and trying to more deeply understand what it teaches, that I am profoundly moved and changed by it. I’m grateful to be living in a time when so much information is available online and in print. It’s still work to study, but it’s so much easier than it was in the past. My goal is to pass on what I’ve learned to you through my posts on Directors’ Corner.
Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832), the poet and novelist, said, "The most learned, acute, and diligent student cannot, in the longest life, obtain an entire knowledge of the Bible. The more deeply he works the mine, the richer and more abundant he finds the ore."
Of course, the Bible isn’t the only book in the world one should read, but it is a book that should be read, meditated upon, studied, and absorbed over and over again. After all, it’s the book that reveals what God has told us about Himself. It contains His words to us, His answers to the life we live as well as information regarding the life to come. It teaches us how to interact with Him, how to become more like Him. And above all, it tells us how to enter into a relationship with Him, to receive Him into our life, to become connected with Him.
Reading, believing, and absorbing God’s Word profoundly changes us.
As D. L. Moody (1837–1899) said, “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.”
Charles Colson (1931–2012) said: "The Bible—banned, burned, beloved—is more widely read, more frequently attacked than any other book in history. Generations of intellectuals have attempted to discredit it, dictators of every age have outlawed it and executed those who read it. Yet soldiers carry it into battle believing it more powerful than their weapons. Fragments of it smuggled into solitary prison cells have transformed ruthless killers into gentle saints."
As you might know, Charles Colson was a Special Counsel to U.S. President Nixon. He served seven months in a federal prison and was the first member of the Nixon administration to be incarcerated for Watergate-related charges. As Colson was facing arrest, his close friend gave him a copy of Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis, which, after reading it, led Colson to become a Christian. His life was changed forever.
I recently read a beautiful testimony of another changed life. It’s the story of a successful businessman who was convinced that he didn’t need Jesus, nor did he believe that the Bible was God’s Word. His son, a born-again Christian, had witnessed to him for years, but to no avail, until a dramatic and tragic event changed everything. His son was hospitalized due to an emergency; he was in critical condition in the intensive care unit. The son told his father, “God is in charge. If God’s purpose in my suffering is to bring you to Christ, then everything I’m going through is worth it.” Needless to say, the father was stunned.
For days the father read to his son from the Bible as he lay in the intensive care unit. It was through that reading of the Bible that for the first time in his life the father began to see what the Bible was really about and who Jesus really was. Seeing his son’s strong faith in Jesus, combined with what he read in the Bible, made him realize that Jesus is real. He surrendered his life to Christ. His son was overjoyed. The son went to be with the Lord shortly thereafter, but the father had peace that passes understanding, knowing that they would meet again and be together forever in heaven.
Our lives are made better when we absorb God’s Word. It takes work to read and study His Word, but as we do we become more strongly connected to God and His Spirit. As we make the effort to spend regular time reading His words, as we discipline ourselves to put in the necessary time and effort, if we’re willing to pursue it, we will dwell richly in Him. Spending time with His words is spending time with Him.
As one author said, we don’t have to read Scripture. We want to read Scripture. We get to read Scripture. It’s our privilege. No one should tell me, “You have to kiss your wife.” No. Iget to kiss her, I want to kiss her. Because I love her.[11] We who are passionate about God, who love Him, who are willing to pursue His Spirit, want to know all we can about Him. We want to hear from Him and follow Him, and one of the primary ways to do so is spending time reading His Word.
We don’t study simply because we want to gain a greater knowledge about God and His divine nature. We do it because we want to know Him better, to love Him more, and to have Him participate in our lives. We desire His guidance, to hear His voice, to follow where He leads.
God speaks to us in a variety of ways, and we can hear Him if we listen. We listen when we meditate on His Word, when we ask Him to show us how to apply what we’ve read in our daily life. We also listen when we get quiet within ourselves and give Him the opportunity to speak to us. This too takes effort, as we open our hearts to His voice, being ready for however He wants to speak to us, whether it be through thoughts that He brings to our minds, through His voice in prophecy, through His written Word, or by speaking to us through other Christians. The key is being open, quieting our spirits, listening, and being attentive.
It’s a privilege that God wants to speak to us individually. And He will if we set time aside to hear from Him—either in prophecy or through His still small voice or the voice of the Word. It’s advantageous to have a notebook handy or some way to write down the message that He gives so that we can remember His instruction or leading.
The Bible reveals to us the general will of God, but not the specific will of God for the individual. God expects that each one of us will seek Him for His guidance and for how to specifically apply His general will in our lives.
A hallmark of TFI’s guiding principles is that we have the liberty to follow God and His fresh guidance day by day. We place great value on being Spirit-led, being guided by the Holy Spirit, and on hearing from God and receiving His personalized instructions for today. As it says in our Statement of Faith: “We believe that God is a living God who continues to speak to His people today and to impart His message through ongoing revelation, prophecy, and words of spiritual direction and counsel.”
God is our life partner. He wants to be active in our lives. He wants to lead us and help us to make good decisions. Following Him is allowing Him to have influence in our lives; it’s consciously asking Him for His guidance and doing what He shows us. It’s having a conversation with Him, speaking with Him as you would those you are closest to, and listening to His still small voice.
God loves us, He’s on our side, and we can trust Him. When we do that, He will not fail us; He will lead us. As we pursue God’s Spirit, as we put in the effort to connect with Him through His Word, through listening to His voice, and as we follow Him, we will live God-centered, God-filled, God-directed lives, full of love, joy, and great satisfaction.
Note: Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[1] Psalm 1:2 NIV.
[2] Psalm 119:105.
[3] John 14:23.
[4] Colossians 3:16.
[5] Acts 2:17–18.
[6] John 4:24.
[7] Mark 12:30.
[8] David Brandt Berg, "New Life, New Love," June 1978, 731:10–12 (adapted).
[9] John 6:63.
[10] Daily Might, March 22 (Aurora Production, 2004).
[11] Tony Merida, "Letting the Word Dwell in You Richly," accessed September 16, 2013.
What War Would Jesus Start?
By Greg Morin, Porcupine Musings, September 23, 2013
For a supposedly Christian nation that was presumably founded upon Christian values, the United States has a rather bellicose history that is entirely incongruous with the Christian message of loving your enemy and turning the other cheek. As easy as it was for most of us to have been caught up in the patriotic fervor of striking back at the stronghold of the 9/11 hijackers, that response was fundamentally un-Christian. Not only does Jesus say that one must turn the other cheek but that one must likewise love those that are engaging in the cheek slapping. That’s a pretty difficult message for anyone to accept. But if you are a Christian it is pretty unambiguous. Even if the message is honored at the individual level it must likewise be honored at the collective level. It is a rather large feat of cognitive dissonance to believe one man may not kill another man but that 100 men acting in unison may justifiably kill another 100 men. War is simply the collective actions of individuals. If it is wrong for the individual to kill then it is wrong for the collective to kill. If it is commanded that the individual love his enemy then it is commanded that the collective love their enemy. If you are a Christian and believe the US is justified in going to war against Syria then you need to reexamine your beliefs. You cannot simultaneously believe in the divinity of Jesus and pick and choose which of his commandments you will adhere to.
Now that I’m done chastising the pro-war Christians don’t think the pro-war non-Christians are getting off so easy. Even if you do not accept the divinity of Jesus, this particular directive of his, of loving your enemy, contains within it an essential lesson that is theologically neutral. What is that message? That in order to break the cycle of violence someone must be the first to actually break that cycle. Someone must step forward and say, “I have been wronged, but I refuse to respond in kind.” The ability to make a conscious decision about our behavior that runs counter to every instinct built into our being is one of the defining characteristics of humanity. “Mind over matter” is what separates us from the instinctually driven animal world. A dog bitten will bite back; he knows no other response. Two dogs caught in this cycle will continue until both are nearly destroyed or one dies. Are we mindless animals unable to rise above our base instincts of an eye for an eye? Or are we intellectually superior to our enemies such that we alone are capable of recognizing the merry-go-round we are on and realize the only way to get off is to simply jump and say “no more.”
So, Jesus’ message of “love your enemies” and “turn the other cheek” is not so much a commandment as it is a key. With this key we have the means to unlock the cycle of violence and finally bring true peace to the world. A peace based on mutual respect and understanding. Such a peace is preferable to the global peace currently being proffered by those running the United American Empire, namely the “peace” that exists between well-armed prison guards and their prisoners.
For a supposedly Christian nation that was presumably founded upon Christian values, the United States has a rather bellicose history that is entirely incongruous with the Christian message of loving your enemy and turning the other cheek. As easy as it was for most of us to have been caught up in the patriotic fervor of striking back at the stronghold of the 9/11 hijackers, that response was fundamentally un-Christian. Not only does Jesus say that one must turn the other cheek but that one must likewise love those that are engaging in the cheek slapping. That’s a pretty difficult message for anyone to accept. But if you are a Christian it is pretty unambiguous. Even if the message is honored at the individual level it must likewise be honored at the collective level. It is a rather large feat of cognitive dissonance to believe one man may not kill another man but that 100 men acting in unison may justifiably kill another 100 men. War is simply the collective actions of individuals. If it is wrong for the individual to kill then it is wrong for the collective to kill. If it is commanded that the individual love his enemy then it is commanded that the collective love their enemy. If you are a Christian and believe the US is justified in going to war against Syria then you need to reexamine your beliefs. You cannot simultaneously believe in the divinity of Jesus and pick and choose which of his commandments you will adhere to.
Now that I’m done chastising the pro-war Christians don’t think the pro-war non-Christians are getting off so easy. Even if you do not accept the divinity of Jesus, this particular directive of his, of loving your enemy, contains within it an essential lesson that is theologically neutral. What is that message? That in order to break the cycle of violence someone must be the first to actually break that cycle. Someone must step forward and say, “I have been wronged, but I refuse to respond in kind.” The ability to make a conscious decision about our behavior that runs counter to every instinct built into our being is one of the defining characteristics of humanity. “Mind over matter” is what separates us from the instinctually driven animal world. A dog bitten will bite back; he knows no other response. Two dogs caught in this cycle will continue until both are nearly destroyed or one dies. Are we mindless animals unable to rise above our base instincts of an eye for an eye? Or are we intellectually superior to our enemies such that we alone are capable of recognizing the merry-go-round we are on and realize the only way to get off is to simply jump and say “no more.”
So, Jesus’ message of “love your enemies” and “turn the other cheek” is not so much a commandment as it is a key. With this key we have the means to unlock the cycle of violence and finally bring true peace to the world. A peace based on mutual respect and understanding. Such a peace is preferable to the global peace currently being proffered by those running the United American Empire, namely the “peace” that exists between well-armed prison guards and their prisoners.
Courage in the Ordinary
Tish Harrison Warren
http://thewell.intervarsity.org/blog/courage-ordinary
Everydayness is my problem. It’s easy to think about what you would do in wartime, or if a hurricane blows through, or if you spent a month in Paris, or if your guy wins the election, or if you won the lottery or bought that thing you really wanted. It’s a lot more difficult to figure out how you’re going to get through today without despair. —Rod Dreher
I was nearly 22 years old and had just returned to my college town from a part of Africa that had missed the last three centuries. As I walked to church in my weathered, worn-in Chaco’s, I bumped into our new associate pastor and introduced myself. He smiled warmly and said, “Oh, you. I’ve heard about you. You’re the radical who wants to give your life away for Jesus.” It was meant as a compliment and I took it as one, but it also felt like a lot of pressure because, in a new way, I was torturously uncertain about what being a radical and living for Jesus was supposed to mean for me. Here I was, back in America, needing a job and health insurance, toying with dating this law student intellectual (who wasn’t all that radical), and unsure about how to be faithful to Jesus in an ordinary life. I’m not sure I even knew if that was possible.
I am from the Shane Claiborne generation and my story is that of many young evangelicals. I grew up relatively wealthy in a relatively wealthy evangelical church. Jesus captured my heart and my imagination when I was a kid. I was the girl wearing WWJD bracelets and praying with her friends before theater rehearsal. It did not take long before I began asking questions about how the gospel impacted racial reconciliation and poverty. I began to yearn for something more than a comfortable Christianity focused on saving souls and being generally respectable Republican Texans.
I entered college restless with questions and spent my twenties reading Marx and St. Francis, being discipled in the work of Rich Mullins, Ron Sider, and Tony Campolo, learning about New Monasticism (though it wasn’t named that yet), and falling in love with Peter Maurin and Dorothy Day. My senior year of college, I invited everyone at our big student evangelical gathering to join me in protesting the School of the Americas.
I spent a little while in two different intentional Christian communities, hanging out with homeless teenagers, and going to a church called “Scum of the Earth” (really). I gave away a bunch of clothes, went barefoot, and wanted to be among the “least of these.” At a gathering of Christian communities, I slept in a cornfield and spent a week using composting toilets, learning to make my own cleaning supplies, and discussing Christian anarchy while listening to mewithoutyou. I went to Christian Community Development Association conferences, headed up a tutoring program for impoverished, immigrant children, and interned at some churches trying to bridge the gap between wealthier evangelicals and the poor. I was certainly not as radical as many Christian radicals — a lot of folks are doing more good than I could ever hope to and, besides, I’ve never had dreadlocks — but I did have some “ordinary radical” street cred.
Now, I’m a thirty-something with two kids living a more or less ordinary life. And what I’m slowly realizing is that, for me, being in the house all day with a baby and a two-year-old is a lot more scary and a lot harder than being in a war-torn African village. What I need courage for is the ordinary, the daily every-dayness of life. Caring for a homeless kid is a lot more thrilling to me than listening well to the people in my home. Giving away clothes and seeking out edgy Christian communities requires less of me than being kind to my husband on an average Wednesday morning or calling my mother back when I don’t feel like it.
Soon after college, one of my best friends who is brilliant and brave and godly had a nervous breakdown. He was passionate about the poor and wanted to change at least a little bit of the world. He was trained as an educator and intentionally went to one of the poorest, most crime-ridden schools in our state and worked every day trying to make a difference in the lives of students who had been failed by nearly everyone and everything — from their parents to the educational system. After his “episode,” he had to go back to his hometown and live a small, ordinary life as he recovered, working as a waiter living in an upper-middle class neighborhood. When he’d landed back home, weary and discouraged, we talked about what had gone wrong. We had gone to a top college where people achieved big things. They wrote books and started non-profits. We were told again and again that we’d be world-changers. We were part of a young, Christian movement that encouraged us to live bold, meaningful lives of discipleship, which baptized this world-changing impetus as the way to really follow after Jesus. We were challenged to impact and serve the world in radical ways, but we never learned how to be an average person living an average life in a beautiful way.
A prominent New Monasticism community house had a sign on the wall that famously read “Everyone wants a revolution. No one wants to do the dishes.” My life is really rich in dirty dishes (and diapers) these days and really short in revolutions. I go to a church full of older people who live pretty normal, middle-class lives in nice, middle-class houses. But I have really come to appreciate this community, to see their lifetimes of sturdy faithfulness to Jesus, their commitment to prayer, and the tangible, beautiful generosity that they show those around them in unnoticed, unimpressive, unmarketable, unrevolutionary ways. And each week, we average sinners and boring saints gather around ordinary bread and wine and Christ himself is there with us.
And here is the embarrassing truth: I still believe in and long for a revolution. I still think I can make a difference beyond just my front door. I still want to live radically for Jesus and be part of him changing the world. I still think mediocrity is dull, and I still fret about settling.
But I’ve come to the point where I’m not sure anymore just what God counts as radical. And I suspect that for me, getting up and doing the dishes when I’m short on sleep and patience is far more costly and necessitates more of a revolution in my heart than some of the more outwardly risky ways I’ve lived in the past. And so this is what I need now: the courage to face an ordinary day — an afternoon with a colicky baby where I’m probably going to snap at my two-year old and get annoyed with my noisy neighbor — without despair, the bravery it takes to believe that a small life is still a meaningful life, and the grace to know that even when I’ve done nothing that is powerful or bold or even interesting that the Lord notices me and is fond of me and that that is enough.
I’ve read a lot of really good discussions lately about the recent emphasis on "radical" Christianity (see one at an InterVarsity blog and one at Christianity Today). This Radical Christian movement is responsible for a lot of good, and I’m grateful that I’ve been irrevocably shaped by it for some fifteen years. When we fearfully cling to the status quo and the comfortable, we must be challenged by the call of a life-altering, comfort-afflicting Jesus. But for those of us — and there are a lot of us — who are drawn to an edgy, sizzling spirituality, we need to embrace radical ordinariness and to be grounded in the challenge of the stable mundaneness of the well-lived Christian life.
In our wedding ceremony, my pastor warned my husband that every so often, I would bound into the room, anxiety etched on my face, certain we’d settled for mediocrity because we weren’t “giving our lives away” living in outer Mongolia. We laughed. All my radical friends laughed. And he was right. We’ve had that conversation many, many times. But I’m starting to learn that, whether in Mongolia or Tennessee, the kind of “giving my life away” that counts starts with how I get up on a gray Tuesday morning. It never sells books. It won’t be remembered. But it’s what makes a life. And who knows? Maybe, at the end of days, a hurried prayer for an enemy, a passing kindness to a neighbor, or budget planning on a boring Thursday will be the revolution stories of God making all things new.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013 - 12:49
Tish Harrison Warren
Tish Harrison Warren is on Graduate & Faculty Ministry staff with InterVarsity at Vanderbilt University. This spring, she and her husband are returning to Austin, Texas (where she grew up) to plant a Graduate & Faculty Ministry chapter at the University of Texas. She is a transitional deacon in the Anglican Church in North America. She and her husband live in East Nashville with their two year old and five week old daughters, Raine and Flannery Day.
http://thewell.intervarsity.org/blog/courage-ordinary
Everydayness is my problem. It’s easy to think about what you would do in wartime, or if a hurricane blows through, or if you spent a month in Paris, or if your guy wins the election, or if you won the lottery or bought that thing you really wanted. It’s a lot more difficult to figure out how you’re going to get through today without despair. —Rod Dreher
I was nearly 22 years old and had just returned to my college town from a part of Africa that had missed the last three centuries. As I walked to church in my weathered, worn-in Chaco’s, I bumped into our new associate pastor and introduced myself. He smiled warmly and said, “Oh, you. I’ve heard about you. You’re the radical who wants to give your life away for Jesus.” It was meant as a compliment and I took it as one, but it also felt like a lot of pressure because, in a new way, I was torturously uncertain about what being a radical and living for Jesus was supposed to mean for me. Here I was, back in America, needing a job and health insurance, toying with dating this law student intellectual (who wasn’t all that radical), and unsure about how to be faithful to Jesus in an ordinary life. I’m not sure I even knew if that was possible.
I am from the Shane Claiborne generation and my story is that of many young evangelicals. I grew up relatively wealthy in a relatively wealthy evangelical church. Jesus captured my heart and my imagination when I was a kid. I was the girl wearing WWJD bracelets and praying with her friends before theater rehearsal. It did not take long before I began asking questions about how the gospel impacted racial reconciliation and poverty. I began to yearn for something more than a comfortable Christianity focused on saving souls and being generally respectable Republican Texans.
I entered college restless with questions and spent my twenties reading Marx and St. Francis, being discipled in the work of Rich Mullins, Ron Sider, and Tony Campolo, learning about New Monasticism (though it wasn’t named that yet), and falling in love with Peter Maurin and Dorothy Day. My senior year of college, I invited everyone at our big student evangelical gathering to join me in protesting the School of the Americas.
I spent a little while in two different intentional Christian communities, hanging out with homeless teenagers, and going to a church called “Scum of the Earth” (really). I gave away a bunch of clothes, went barefoot, and wanted to be among the “least of these.” At a gathering of Christian communities, I slept in a cornfield and spent a week using composting toilets, learning to make my own cleaning supplies, and discussing Christian anarchy while listening to mewithoutyou. I went to Christian Community Development Association conferences, headed up a tutoring program for impoverished, immigrant children, and interned at some churches trying to bridge the gap between wealthier evangelicals and the poor. I was certainly not as radical as many Christian radicals — a lot of folks are doing more good than I could ever hope to and, besides, I’ve never had dreadlocks — but I did have some “ordinary radical” street cred.
Now, I’m a thirty-something with two kids living a more or less ordinary life. And what I’m slowly realizing is that, for me, being in the house all day with a baby and a two-year-old is a lot more scary and a lot harder than being in a war-torn African village. What I need courage for is the ordinary, the daily every-dayness of life. Caring for a homeless kid is a lot more thrilling to me than listening well to the people in my home. Giving away clothes and seeking out edgy Christian communities requires less of me than being kind to my husband on an average Wednesday morning or calling my mother back when I don’t feel like it.
Soon after college, one of my best friends who is brilliant and brave and godly had a nervous breakdown. He was passionate about the poor and wanted to change at least a little bit of the world. He was trained as an educator and intentionally went to one of the poorest, most crime-ridden schools in our state and worked every day trying to make a difference in the lives of students who had been failed by nearly everyone and everything — from their parents to the educational system. After his “episode,” he had to go back to his hometown and live a small, ordinary life as he recovered, working as a waiter living in an upper-middle class neighborhood. When he’d landed back home, weary and discouraged, we talked about what had gone wrong. We had gone to a top college where people achieved big things. They wrote books and started non-profits. We were told again and again that we’d be world-changers. We were part of a young, Christian movement that encouraged us to live bold, meaningful lives of discipleship, which baptized this world-changing impetus as the way to really follow after Jesus. We were challenged to impact and serve the world in radical ways, but we never learned how to be an average person living an average life in a beautiful way.
A prominent New Monasticism community house had a sign on the wall that famously read “Everyone wants a revolution. No one wants to do the dishes.” My life is really rich in dirty dishes (and diapers) these days and really short in revolutions. I go to a church full of older people who live pretty normal, middle-class lives in nice, middle-class houses. But I have really come to appreciate this community, to see their lifetimes of sturdy faithfulness to Jesus, their commitment to prayer, and the tangible, beautiful generosity that they show those around them in unnoticed, unimpressive, unmarketable, unrevolutionary ways. And each week, we average sinners and boring saints gather around ordinary bread and wine and Christ himself is there with us.
And here is the embarrassing truth: I still believe in and long for a revolution. I still think I can make a difference beyond just my front door. I still want to live radically for Jesus and be part of him changing the world. I still think mediocrity is dull, and I still fret about settling.
But I’ve come to the point where I’m not sure anymore just what God counts as radical. And I suspect that for me, getting up and doing the dishes when I’m short on sleep and patience is far more costly and necessitates more of a revolution in my heart than some of the more outwardly risky ways I’ve lived in the past. And so this is what I need now: the courage to face an ordinary day — an afternoon with a colicky baby where I’m probably going to snap at my two-year old and get annoyed with my noisy neighbor — without despair, the bravery it takes to believe that a small life is still a meaningful life, and the grace to know that even when I’ve done nothing that is powerful or bold or even interesting that the Lord notices me and is fond of me and that that is enough.
I’ve read a lot of really good discussions lately about the recent emphasis on "radical" Christianity (see one at an InterVarsity blog and one at Christianity Today). This Radical Christian movement is responsible for a lot of good, and I’m grateful that I’ve been irrevocably shaped by it for some fifteen years. When we fearfully cling to the status quo and the comfortable, we must be challenged by the call of a life-altering, comfort-afflicting Jesus. But for those of us — and there are a lot of us — who are drawn to an edgy, sizzling spirituality, we need to embrace radical ordinariness and to be grounded in the challenge of the stable mundaneness of the well-lived Christian life.
In our wedding ceremony, my pastor warned my husband that every so often, I would bound into the room, anxiety etched on my face, certain we’d settled for mediocrity because we weren’t “giving our lives away” living in outer Mongolia. We laughed. All my radical friends laughed. And he was right. We’ve had that conversation many, many times. But I’m starting to learn that, whether in Mongolia or Tennessee, the kind of “giving my life away” that counts starts with how I get up on a gray Tuesday morning. It never sells books. It won’t be remembered. But it’s what makes a life. And who knows? Maybe, at the end of days, a hurried prayer for an enemy, a passing kindness to a neighbor, or budget planning on a boring Thursday will be the revolution stories of God making all things new.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013 - 12:49
Tish Harrison Warren
Tish Harrison Warren is on Graduate & Faculty Ministry staff with InterVarsity at Vanderbilt University. This spring, she and her husband are returning to Austin, Texas (where she grew up) to plant a Graduate & Faculty Ministry chapter at the University of Texas. She is a transitional deacon in the Anglican Church in North America. She and her husband live in East Nashville with their two year old and five week old daughters, Raine and Flannery Day.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Strength in Gentleness
A compilation
Audio length: 11:55
Download Audio (10.9MB)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.—Galatians 5:22–231
*
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.—James 3:17
*
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?—Micah 6:8
*
But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.—2 Corinthians 8:7
*
Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.—1 Timothy 6:11
*
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. —Colossians 3:12–15
*
If any Christian, even the Christliest, would pray for a new charm, an added grace of character, it may well be for gentleness. This is the crown of all loveliness, the Christliest of all Christly qualities.
The Bible gives us many a glimpse of gentleness as an attribute of God. We think of the Law of Moses as a great collection of dry statutes, referring to ceremonial observances, to forms of worship, and to matters of duty. This is one of the last places where we would look for anything tender. Yet he who goes carefully over the chapters which contain these laws comes upon many a bit of gentleness, like a sweet flower on a cold mountain crag.
We think of Sinai as the seat of law’s sternness. We hear the voice of thundering, and we see the flashing of lightning. Clouds and darkness and all terribleness surround the mountain. The people are kept far away because of the awful holiness of the place. No one thinks of hearing anything gentle at Sinai. Yet scarcely even in the New Testament is there a more wonderful unveiling of the love of the divine heart than we find among the words spoken on that smoking mountain. “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord, a God full of compassion and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy and truth; keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.”
There is another revealing of divine gentleness in the story of Elijah at Horeb. A great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks—but the Lord was not in the wind. After the storm there was an earthquake, with its frightful accompaniments—but the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then a fire swept by—but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire there was heard a soft whisper breathing in the air—a still, small voice, a sound of gentle stillness. And that was God. God is gentle. With all power, power that has made all the universe and holds all things in being, there is no mother in all the world so gentle as God is.
All human hearts hunger for tenderness. We are made for love—not only to love, but to be loved. Harshness pains us. Ungentleness touches our sensitive spirits as frost touches the flowers. It stunts the growth of all lovely things. Gentleness is like a genial summer to our life. Beneath its warm, nourishing influence beautiful things in us grow.
There are many people who have special need for tenderness. We cannot know what secret burdens many of those about us are carrying, what hidden griefs burn like fires in the hearts of those with whom we mingle in our common life. Not all grief wears the outward garb of mourning; sunny faces ofttimes veil heavy hearts. Many people who make no audible appeal for sympathy yet crave tenderness—they certainly need it, though they ask it not—as they bow beneath their burden. There is no weakness in such a yearning. We remember how our Master himself longed for expressions of love when He was passing through His deepest experiences of suffering, and how bitterly He was disappointed when His friends failed Him.
We can never do amiss in showing gentleness. There is no day when it will be untimely; there is no place where it will not find welcome. It will harm no one, and it may save someone from despair.—J. R. Miller2
*
The dictionary has some good definitions [for gentleness]. It says that gentleness is having a mild and kind nature or manner. It’s also having a gracious and honorable manner. It’s kindness, consideration, and a spirit of fairness and compassion. Boy, that sure sounds like Jesus, doesn’t it?—Someone with a kind, gracious, honorable manner, who shows consideration and a spirit of fairness and compassion. That’s really something to strive for, isn’t it? Wouldn’t you like to have that said about you?
It’s certainly like Jesus, and if we’re close to Him and if we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, if we really go for being filled with Him and possessed by Him, then this fruit of gentleness will be there in our lives, and people will feel it and will appreciate it.—Peter Amsterdam3
*
Gentleness is not apathy but is an aggressive expression of how we view people. We see people as so valuable that we deal with them in gentleness, fearing the slightest damage to one for whom Christ died. To be apathetic is to turn people over to mean and destructive elements; to truly love people is cause for us to be aggressively gentle.—Gayle D. Erwin4
*
Both gentleness and meekness are born of power, not weakness. There is a pseudo-gentleness that is effeminate, and there is a pseudo-meekness that is cowardly. But a Christian is to be gentle and meek because those are Godlike virtues. … We should never be afraid, therefore, that the gentleness of the Spirit means weakness of character. It takes strength, God's strength, to be truly gentle.—Jerry Bridges
*
When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time.—Francis de Sales
*
The gentle mind by gentle deeds is known. For a man by nothing is so well betrayed, as by his manners.—Edmund Spenser
*
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.—1 Corinthians 13:4–5
*
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.—John 13:34–35
*
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.—Matthew 11:29
*
He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.—Isaiah 40:11
*
You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.—Psalm 18:35
Published on Anchor September 2013. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso.
Music by Daniel Sozzi.
1 All scriptures in this post are from the English Standard version (ESV).
2 A Gentle Heart (Thomas Y. Crowell & Company, 1896).
3 Originally published February 2009.
4 Spirit Style (Yahshua Publishing, 1994).
Audio length: 11:55
Download Audio (10.9MB)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.—Galatians 5:22–231
*
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.—James 3:17
*
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?—Micah 6:8
*
But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.—2 Corinthians 8:7
*
Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.—1 Timothy 6:11
*
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. —Colossians 3:12–15
*
If any Christian, even the Christliest, would pray for a new charm, an added grace of character, it may well be for gentleness. This is the crown of all loveliness, the Christliest of all Christly qualities.
The Bible gives us many a glimpse of gentleness as an attribute of God. We think of the Law of Moses as a great collection of dry statutes, referring to ceremonial observances, to forms of worship, and to matters of duty. This is one of the last places where we would look for anything tender. Yet he who goes carefully over the chapters which contain these laws comes upon many a bit of gentleness, like a sweet flower on a cold mountain crag.
We think of Sinai as the seat of law’s sternness. We hear the voice of thundering, and we see the flashing of lightning. Clouds and darkness and all terribleness surround the mountain. The people are kept far away because of the awful holiness of the place. No one thinks of hearing anything gentle at Sinai. Yet scarcely even in the New Testament is there a more wonderful unveiling of the love of the divine heart than we find among the words spoken on that smoking mountain. “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord, a God full of compassion and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy and truth; keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.”
There is another revealing of divine gentleness in the story of Elijah at Horeb. A great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks—but the Lord was not in the wind. After the storm there was an earthquake, with its frightful accompaniments—but the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then a fire swept by—but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire there was heard a soft whisper breathing in the air—a still, small voice, a sound of gentle stillness. And that was God. God is gentle. With all power, power that has made all the universe and holds all things in being, there is no mother in all the world so gentle as God is.
All human hearts hunger for tenderness. We are made for love—not only to love, but to be loved. Harshness pains us. Ungentleness touches our sensitive spirits as frost touches the flowers. It stunts the growth of all lovely things. Gentleness is like a genial summer to our life. Beneath its warm, nourishing influence beautiful things in us grow.
There are many people who have special need for tenderness. We cannot know what secret burdens many of those about us are carrying, what hidden griefs burn like fires in the hearts of those with whom we mingle in our common life. Not all grief wears the outward garb of mourning; sunny faces ofttimes veil heavy hearts. Many people who make no audible appeal for sympathy yet crave tenderness—they certainly need it, though they ask it not—as they bow beneath their burden. There is no weakness in such a yearning. We remember how our Master himself longed for expressions of love when He was passing through His deepest experiences of suffering, and how bitterly He was disappointed when His friends failed Him.
We can never do amiss in showing gentleness. There is no day when it will be untimely; there is no place where it will not find welcome. It will harm no one, and it may save someone from despair.—J. R. Miller2
*
The dictionary has some good definitions [for gentleness]. It says that gentleness is having a mild and kind nature or manner. It’s also having a gracious and honorable manner. It’s kindness, consideration, and a spirit of fairness and compassion. Boy, that sure sounds like Jesus, doesn’t it?—Someone with a kind, gracious, honorable manner, who shows consideration and a spirit of fairness and compassion. That’s really something to strive for, isn’t it? Wouldn’t you like to have that said about you?
It’s certainly like Jesus, and if we’re close to Him and if we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, if we really go for being filled with Him and possessed by Him, then this fruit of gentleness will be there in our lives, and people will feel it and will appreciate it.—Peter Amsterdam3
*
Gentleness is not apathy but is an aggressive expression of how we view people. We see people as so valuable that we deal with them in gentleness, fearing the slightest damage to one for whom Christ died. To be apathetic is to turn people over to mean and destructive elements; to truly love people is cause for us to be aggressively gentle.—Gayle D. Erwin4
*
Both gentleness and meekness are born of power, not weakness. There is a pseudo-gentleness that is effeminate, and there is a pseudo-meekness that is cowardly. But a Christian is to be gentle and meek because those are Godlike virtues. … We should never be afraid, therefore, that the gentleness of the Spirit means weakness of character. It takes strength, God's strength, to be truly gentle.—Jerry Bridges
*
When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time.—Francis de Sales
*
The gentle mind by gentle deeds is known. For a man by nothing is so well betrayed, as by his manners.—Edmund Spenser
*
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.—1 Corinthians 13:4–5
*
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.—John 13:34–35
*
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.—Matthew 11:29
*
He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.—Isaiah 40:11
*
You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.—Psalm 18:35
Published on Anchor September 2013. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso.
Music by Daniel Sozzi.
1 All scriptures in this post are from the English Standard version (ESV).
2 A Gentle Heart (Thomas Y. Crowell & Company, 1896).
3 Originally published February 2009.
4 Spirit Style (Yahshua Publishing, 1994).
Cruz ou Coroa?
Steve Hearts
Quem não conhece o chamado de Jesus para tomar a sua cruz e seguir a Ele?[1] Para mim, a cruz sempre foi um sÃmbolo do nosso serviço a Ele. Mas recentemente comecei a ver essa passagem sob outro ângulo, o que, devo dizer, “arregalou os meus olhos”.
Existem diferentes tipos de cruzes. O serviço de Deus sem dúvida é um deles. Mas algumas pessoas, como eu, foram criadas com aparentes deficiências ou incapacidades. Outras sofrem de doenças crônicas ou têm problemas de saúde que lhes parecem incuráveis, apesar de suas orações e da intercessão de outros. Às vezes podemos questionar quando estamos passando por isso, e ficar com sentimento de culpa se não virmos a possibilidade de uma cura milagrosa, mas por outro lado podemos escolher louvar a Deus pela situação e aceitar a Sua vontade, fazendo o possÃvel por avançar o Seu reino na terra.
Esta última opção com certeza exige rendição e submissão, duas virtudes preciosas, mas um grande desafio. Mas com a ajuda do Senhor, essa foi a minha escolha. E nunca me arrependi, pois pouco a pouco passei a entender a minha deficiência visual como uma verdadeira bênção disfarçada, um tesouro valioso envolto em algo não muito atraente para o ser humano. Depois que escolhi ver além da aparente dificuldade e inconveniência, e ver o bom fruto na minha vida e daqueles para quem ministrei, comecei a perceber apenas um tesouro de valor inestimável a serviço de Deus. A situação mudou, ou foi a minha perspectiva que passou por uma transformação total? Não importa, pois eu não me considero mais um “sofredor”.
Você pergunta se acredito que Deus tem o poder e a habilidade para devolver-me a visão? Sem dúvida! Ele não curou cegos não só nos tempos bÃblicos, mas continua curando até hoje. No entanto, Ele deixou claro e confirmou pela boca de várias testemunhas que a minha cegueira seria parte da minha missão neste mundo. Um tempo atrás, refletindo no chamado de Jesus para pegarmos a nossa cruz e O seguirmos, Ele falou claramente comigo: “Cada um carrega uma cruz, e a sua é o dom da deficiência visual.”
Em muitos sentidos, a minha deficiência se transformou em um dom. Eu perdi a conta das vezes em que as pessoas me disseram: “Eu tenho mania de reclamar das minhas dificuldades e inconveniências, mas quando vejo você eu sempre fico com vergonha da minha atitude.” Apesar de ter ouvido isso muitas vezes, não significa que nunca tenha me queixado. Mas quando o faço, o EspÃrito Santo sempre me dá um cutucão e me faz lembrar de todas as ocasiões em que encorajei as pessoas a louvarem a Deus por todas as coisas.
São incontáveis as situações nas quais Deus manifestou o Seu amor e encorajamento por meu intermédio, para a Sua glória. Por que então haveria eu de me preocupar pensando se devo receber a minha visão nesta vida? No final das contas, o que é mais importante, que minhas vontades se realizem ou que se concretize o plano de Deus para a minha vida?
Quando pequeno, eu orei bastante para recuperar a visão. Desde então, muitos já oraram por mim impondo as mãos, em lÃnguas, e até para ser libertado do domÃnio de demônios. Eu não desprezo nem rejeito as orações feitas para eu conseguir enxergar. No entanto, concordo plenamente com a declaração de Joni Eareckson Tada no seu livro A Place of Healing. Ela diz: “Deus Se reserva o direito de curar ou não, de acordo com o que Ele acha melhor.” (Eu definitivamente recomendo a leitura desse livro após este artigo.)
Em 1 Pedro 4:19 lemos: “Por isso mesmo, aqueles que sofrem de acordo com a vontade de Deus devem confiar sua vida ao seu fiel Criador e praticar o bem.”
A minha atitude em relação ao “dom” da deficiência visual que recebi é fortemente apoiado pelas Palavras de Paulo em 2 CorÃntios 12:7–10: “Para impedir que eu me exaltasse por causa da grandeza dessas revelações, foi-me dado um espinho na carne, um mensageiro de Satanás, para me atormentar. Três vezes roguei ao Senhor que o tirasse de mim. Mas ele me disse: "Minha graça é suficiente a você, pois o meu poder se aperfeiçoa na fraqueza". Portanto, eu me gloriarei ainda mais alegremente em minhas fraquezas, para que o poder de Cristo repouse em mim. Por isso, por amor de Cristo, regozijo-me nas fraquezas, nos insultos, nas necessidades, nas perseguições, nas angústias. Pois quando sou fraco é que sou forte.”
Certa vez dei uma pequena palestra sobre esse assunto em uma reunião de jovens. Contei o testemunho de como Deus preservou a minha vida desde o nascimento e falei do meu trabalho missionário em diversos paÃses. Um pastor de jovens na plateia havia se apresentado por meio de uma fervorosa oração para eu conseguir enxergar. Quando terminei a palestra, ele se aproximou e disse que o meu testemunho o fez chorar. “Eu nunca vi alguém com uma atitude tão positiva em relação à sua deficiência”, ele me disse. Outros disseram que se sentiram motivados a fazer mais pelo Senhor. A minha única reação foi de louvor ao Senhor.
Uma outra razão por que achei desnecessário me preocupar se conseguiria enxergar ou não nesta vida, é porque eu sei que na próxima vida com certeza terei a visão perfeita. Em 2 CorÃntios 4:17 Paulo diz: “Pois os nossos sofrimentos leves e momentâneos estão produzindo para nós uma glória eterna que pesa mais do que todos eles.” A vida na terra é temporária. Se Deus achar melhor oque eu continue assim para ser mais útil para Ele, e se Ele pode garantir que terei plena visão na próxima vida, por que haveria eu de reclamar da minha sina?
Conta-se a história de um soldado que sofria de uma doença degenerativa. Por isso, sabendo que não teria muito tempo de vida, ele lutava com todas as suas forças no campo de batalha. Certo dia, ele foi curado, graças aos cuidados de bons médicos. A partir de então, ele começou a ficar longe do campo de batalha na tentativa de se proteger, em vez de arriscar sua vida. Quando ouvi essa história pela primeira vez, eu disse ao Senhor: “Se Você achar por bem manter-me cego para eu poder continuar sendo um soldado útil no Seu exército, assim seja.”
Ao entender a minha deficiência visual como um dom, eu deixe de considerá-la uma cruz que precisava carregar. Ver o fruto que tem dado para a glória de Deus enquanto divulgo a Sua mensagem o máximo possÃvel, mudou a minha perspectiva. Percebi que essa deficiência é uma gloriosa coroa que eu tenho o privilégio de usar. Apesar de saber que ganharei uma coroa na próxima vida, com certeza terei em grande estima a coroa da deficiência visual enquanto estiver de posse dela. Como diz o ditado: “Aquele que carrega a cruz usará a coroa.”
Quem não conhece o chamado de Jesus para tomar a sua cruz e seguir a Ele?[1] Para mim, a cruz sempre foi um sÃmbolo do nosso serviço a Ele. Mas recentemente comecei a ver essa passagem sob outro ângulo, o que, devo dizer, “arregalou os meus olhos”.
Existem diferentes tipos de cruzes. O serviço de Deus sem dúvida é um deles. Mas algumas pessoas, como eu, foram criadas com aparentes deficiências ou incapacidades. Outras sofrem de doenças crônicas ou têm problemas de saúde que lhes parecem incuráveis, apesar de suas orações e da intercessão de outros. Às vezes podemos questionar quando estamos passando por isso, e ficar com sentimento de culpa se não virmos a possibilidade de uma cura milagrosa, mas por outro lado podemos escolher louvar a Deus pela situação e aceitar a Sua vontade, fazendo o possÃvel por avançar o Seu reino na terra.
Esta última opção com certeza exige rendição e submissão, duas virtudes preciosas, mas um grande desafio. Mas com a ajuda do Senhor, essa foi a minha escolha. E nunca me arrependi, pois pouco a pouco passei a entender a minha deficiência visual como uma verdadeira bênção disfarçada, um tesouro valioso envolto em algo não muito atraente para o ser humano. Depois que escolhi ver além da aparente dificuldade e inconveniência, e ver o bom fruto na minha vida e daqueles para quem ministrei, comecei a perceber apenas um tesouro de valor inestimável a serviço de Deus. A situação mudou, ou foi a minha perspectiva que passou por uma transformação total? Não importa, pois eu não me considero mais um “sofredor”.
Você pergunta se acredito que Deus tem o poder e a habilidade para devolver-me a visão? Sem dúvida! Ele não curou cegos não só nos tempos bÃblicos, mas continua curando até hoje. No entanto, Ele deixou claro e confirmou pela boca de várias testemunhas que a minha cegueira seria parte da minha missão neste mundo. Um tempo atrás, refletindo no chamado de Jesus para pegarmos a nossa cruz e O seguirmos, Ele falou claramente comigo: “Cada um carrega uma cruz, e a sua é o dom da deficiência visual.”
Em muitos sentidos, a minha deficiência se transformou em um dom. Eu perdi a conta das vezes em que as pessoas me disseram: “Eu tenho mania de reclamar das minhas dificuldades e inconveniências, mas quando vejo você eu sempre fico com vergonha da minha atitude.” Apesar de ter ouvido isso muitas vezes, não significa que nunca tenha me queixado. Mas quando o faço, o EspÃrito Santo sempre me dá um cutucão e me faz lembrar de todas as ocasiões em que encorajei as pessoas a louvarem a Deus por todas as coisas.
São incontáveis as situações nas quais Deus manifestou o Seu amor e encorajamento por meu intermédio, para a Sua glória. Por que então haveria eu de me preocupar pensando se devo receber a minha visão nesta vida? No final das contas, o que é mais importante, que minhas vontades se realizem ou que se concretize o plano de Deus para a minha vida?
Quando pequeno, eu orei bastante para recuperar a visão. Desde então, muitos já oraram por mim impondo as mãos, em lÃnguas, e até para ser libertado do domÃnio de demônios. Eu não desprezo nem rejeito as orações feitas para eu conseguir enxergar. No entanto, concordo plenamente com a declaração de Joni Eareckson Tada no seu livro A Place of Healing. Ela diz: “Deus Se reserva o direito de curar ou não, de acordo com o que Ele acha melhor.” (Eu definitivamente recomendo a leitura desse livro após este artigo.)
Em 1 Pedro 4:19 lemos: “Por isso mesmo, aqueles que sofrem de acordo com a vontade de Deus devem confiar sua vida ao seu fiel Criador e praticar o bem.”
A minha atitude em relação ao “dom” da deficiência visual que recebi é fortemente apoiado pelas Palavras de Paulo em 2 CorÃntios 12:7–10: “Para impedir que eu me exaltasse por causa da grandeza dessas revelações, foi-me dado um espinho na carne, um mensageiro de Satanás, para me atormentar. Três vezes roguei ao Senhor que o tirasse de mim. Mas ele me disse: "Minha graça é suficiente a você, pois o meu poder se aperfeiçoa na fraqueza". Portanto, eu me gloriarei ainda mais alegremente em minhas fraquezas, para que o poder de Cristo repouse em mim. Por isso, por amor de Cristo, regozijo-me nas fraquezas, nos insultos, nas necessidades, nas perseguições, nas angústias. Pois quando sou fraco é que sou forte.”
Certa vez dei uma pequena palestra sobre esse assunto em uma reunião de jovens. Contei o testemunho de como Deus preservou a minha vida desde o nascimento e falei do meu trabalho missionário em diversos paÃses. Um pastor de jovens na plateia havia se apresentado por meio de uma fervorosa oração para eu conseguir enxergar. Quando terminei a palestra, ele se aproximou e disse que o meu testemunho o fez chorar. “Eu nunca vi alguém com uma atitude tão positiva em relação à sua deficiência”, ele me disse. Outros disseram que se sentiram motivados a fazer mais pelo Senhor. A minha única reação foi de louvor ao Senhor.
Uma outra razão por que achei desnecessário me preocupar se conseguiria enxergar ou não nesta vida, é porque eu sei que na próxima vida com certeza terei a visão perfeita. Em 2 CorÃntios 4:17 Paulo diz: “Pois os nossos sofrimentos leves e momentâneos estão produzindo para nós uma glória eterna que pesa mais do que todos eles.” A vida na terra é temporária. Se Deus achar melhor oque eu continue assim para ser mais útil para Ele, e se Ele pode garantir que terei plena visão na próxima vida, por que haveria eu de reclamar da minha sina?
Conta-se a história de um soldado que sofria de uma doença degenerativa. Por isso, sabendo que não teria muito tempo de vida, ele lutava com todas as suas forças no campo de batalha. Certo dia, ele foi curado, graças aos cuidados de bons médicos. A partir de então, ele começou a ficar longe do campo de batalha na tentativa de se proteger, em vez de arriscar sua vida. Quando ouvi essa história pela primeira vez, eu disse ao Senhor: “Se Você achar por bem manter-me cego para eu poder continuar sendo um soldado útil no Seu exército, assim seja.”
Ao entender a minha deficiência visual como um dom, eu deixe de considerá-la uma cruz que precisava carregar. Ver o fruto que tem dado para a glória de Deus enquanto divulgo a Sua mensagem o máximo possÃvel, mudou a minha perspectiva. Percebi que essa deficiência é uma gloriosa coroa que eu tenho o privilégio de usar. Apesar de saber que ganharei uma coroa na próxima vida, com certeza terei em grande estima a coroa da deficiência visual enquanto estiver de posse dela. Como diz o ditado: “Aquele que carrega a cruz usará a coroa.”
Jews Challenge Rules to Claim Heart of Jerusalem
By Jodi Rudoren, NY Times, September 21, 2013
JERUSALEM—Small groups of Jews are increasingly ascending the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City, a sacred site controlled for centuries by Muslims, who see the visits as a provocation that could undermine the fragile peace talks started this summer.
For decades the Israelis drawn to the site were mainly a fringe of hard-core zealots, but now more mainstream Jews are lining up to enter, as a widening group of Israeli politicians and rabbis challenge the longstanding rules constraining Jewish access and conduct. Brides go on their wedding days, synagogue and religious-school groups make regular outings, and many surreptitiously skirt the ban on non-Muslim prayer, like a Russian immigrant who daily recites the morning liturgy in his mind, as he did decades ago in the Soviet Union.
Palestinian leaders say the new activity has created the worst tension in memory around the landmark Al Aksa Mosque and Dome of the Rock, and have called on Muslims to defend the site from “incursions.” A spate of stone-throwing clashes erupted this month: on Wednesday, three Muslims were arrested and an Israeli police officer wounded in the face. And on Friday thousands of Arab citizens of Israel rallied in the north, warning that Al Aksa is in danger.
"We reject these religious visits," Sheik Ekrima Sa’eed Sabri, who oversees Muslim affairs in Jerusalem, said in an interview. "Our duty is to warn," he added. "If they want to make peace in this region, they should stay away from Al Aksa."
The 37-acre site is perhaps the most religiously contested place on earth. Jews revere it as the home of the First and Second Temples more than 2,000 years ago. For Muslims, who call the site the Noble Sanctuary, it is the world’s third holiest spot, from which Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven. More than 300,000 foreign tourists also flock there annually, many of them Christians drawn to the ruins of the temple Jesus attended.
Politically, the competing claims to the area are the nut around which the Israeli-Palestinian conflict revolves, the symbolic heart of each side’s religious and historical attachment to Jerusalem that has made its governance one of the thorniest issues in peace negotiations.
Israel captured the site along with the rest of East Jerusalem and the West Bank in 1967, with a general declaring dramatically, “The Temple Mount is in our hands!” But the government immediately returned control to the Muslim authorities, and ever since, a de facto accommodation has prevailed in which Muslims worship at Al Aksa above and Jews at the Western Wall below, a remnant of the retaining wall around the ancient Second Temple.
There have been flare-ups before. In 2000, a visit by Ariel Sharon, then Israel’s opposition leader, accompanied by 1,000 police officers, prompted a violent outbreak and, many argue, set off the second intifada.
Over the last few years, a cause long taken up by only a fringe group of far right-wingers has increasingly been embraced by the modern Orthodox—known here as religious Zionists—who have also gained political power. At three recent Parliament hearings, religious lawmakers and cabinet ministers questioned the status quo, in which non-Muslims can enter the site only for a few hours five days a week, and those identified by the police as Jews are separated, escorted by police officers and admonished not to dance, sing, bow down or even move their lips in prayer.
"The Temple Mount is in our hands—but is it really?" asked Michael Freund, a Jerusalem Post columnist who visited the site as a child in 1977 and returned for the first time last year, with 50 members of his synagogue. "It particularly offends me that the Israeli government puts into place restrictions which prevent Jews from fulfilling their basic right to freedom of worship."
Jack Stroh, a cardiologist from East Brunswick, N.J., who visited on Wednesday, has been bringing friends for five years before the holidays of Sukkot and Passover—two of three pilgrimage festivals when ancient Jews were required to pray at the temples.
"My cousin said that if Jews don’t go up to the mountain there is an increased chance that the government will say Jews are not interested and will give it away," he said as his group waited to enter. "I’m taking them up. Someone took me up. They’ll take other people up; it’s a growing phenomenon."
Amid the religious pilgrims on Wednesday was Michal Berdugo, 25, a secular Israeli who said it had been her “dream for three years” to visit. “It’s part of who we are,” she said.
The recent shift has many roots. For years, most authorities on Jewish law said Jews should not enter the complex for fear of treading on the ancient temple’s holiest spots, but recent archaeological work has led some moderate and even liberal Orthodox rabbis to lift those bans. At the same time, activists have stepped up their campaign for access and prayer at the Temple Mount, part of a broader push to cement Jewish control of all of Jerusalem.
Experts who have observed the phenomenon also see it as a reaction to Israel’s evacuation of Jews from the Gaza Strip in 2005, a redirection of Messianic energy once devoted to West Bank settlements that many fear could soon succumb to the same fate to make way for a Palestinian state.
"The war for the land of Israel is not just political, but essentially spiritual," said Yossi Klein Halevi, author of a new book that traces the lives of paratroopers who seized the Mount in 1967. "Given that the Temple Mount is the focal point of holiness in the Holy Land, the thinking is that we need to go to the source in order to prevent the further partition of the land."
Israel Police statistics show visits by people identified as Jews rose to 8,247 in 2011 from 5,792 in 2010, then dipped slightly last year. The figure is on track to top 2011’s total this year, with 5,609 Israelis coming through July. Crowds—and clashes—are expected Sunday and Monday for Sukkot.
While the numbers remain tiny compared with the 10 million annual visitors to the Western Wall below, Palestinian officials say what used to be a trickle of individuals has given way to groups of 40, 60, 90. They were particularly alarmed that the Israeli police commissioner told a newspaper this month that “every Jew who wishes to pray at the Temple Mount can pray on the Temple Mount,” though his subordinates said afterward that did not change the police policy on the ground preventing non-Muslim prayer. A recent visit by the right-wing housing minister also stirred outrage.
"Before, it was some settlers from here, some extremists from there; now we start to hear it from the real officials," said Adnan Husseini, the Palestinian governor of Jerusalem. "When they get inside with this big number, it’s sure that they will make some kind of religious activities and there will be more friction between them and the people inside the mosque."
The Palestinians have complained to the United Nations, the Arab League and Secretary of State John Kerry, most recently after Wednesday’s clash, when the chief Palestinian negotiator wrote to Mr. Kerry saying the issue “could inflame the situation and undermine the current opportunity to move toward peace.”
Israel’s chief rabbinate still maintains the Mount is off limits to Jews—a sign saying so is posted at the gate. But a senior Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the government supports “in principle” Jews’ rights to pray there, adding, “we’ve got to do it in a measured way, a sensitive way.”
As visiting the Mount has become more mainstream—one Israeli newspaper has since December 2011 devoted a full page weekly to news and columns about the site—the original hard core has been emboldened. A group formed last year calls for building a small synagogue on the plaza. Yehuda Etzion, who was arrested in 1984 for plotting to blow up the Dome of the Rock, and a team of architects are designing a “future Jerusalem” plan with a new temple at its heart. An activist group’s Web site devoted to the Mount unveiled a virtual tour this summer with a Third Temple where the Dome stands.
"We’re talking about something much deeper than visiting the place, we’re talking about a movement that wants to change the status quo from its roots," said Yedidia Z. Stern, a vice president of the Israel Democracy Institute, an Orthodox Jew with liberal leanings who has watched the change with concern. "You’re dealing with the ultimate TNT in our national existence here."
For Max Freidzon, the Russian immigrant, visiting the site has become a daily ritual: he stands still several times on his stroll around the Mount, and goes through the morning prayers—including a plea to rebuild the temple—without moving his lips.
"The situation is the same like it was in the Soviet Union," said Mr. Freidzon, 46, citing the police escorts, the identification checks, and the ban on religious texts and on a minyan, the 10-person quorum required for public communal prayer. "Step by step, the situation will change. It’s necessary to pray here, and to make here minyan, and to build here temple."
JERUSALEM—Small groups of Jews are increasingly ascending the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City, a sacred site controlled for centuries by Muslims, who see the visits as a provocation that could undermine the fragile peace talks started this summer.
For decades the Israelis drawn to the site were mainly a fringe of hard-core zealots, but now more mainstream Jews are lining up to enter, as a widening group of Israeli politicians and rabbis challenge the longstanding rules constraining Jewish access and conduct. Brides go on their wedding days, synagogue and religious-school groups make regular outings, and many surreptitiously skirt the ban on non-Muslim prayer, like a Russian immigrant who daily recites the morning liturgy in his mind, as he did decades ago in the Soviet Union.
Palestinian leaders say the new activity has created the worst tension in memory around the landmark Al Aksa Mosque and Dome of the Rock, and have called on Muslims to defend the site from “incursions.” A spate of stone-throwing clashes erupted this month: on Wednesday, three Muslims were arrested and an Israeli police officer wounded in the face. And on Friday thousands of Arab citizens of Israel rallied in the north, warning that Al Aksa is in danger.
"We reject these religious visits," Sheik Ekrima Sa’eed Sabri, who oversees Muslim affairs in Jerusalem, said in an interview. "Our duty is to warn," he added. "If they want to make peace in this region, they should stay away from Al Aksa."
The 37-acre site is perhaps the most religiously contested place on earth. Jews revere it as the home of the First and Second Temples more than 2,000 years ago. For Muslims, who call the site the Noble Sanctuary, it is the world’s third holiest spot, from which Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven. More than 300,000 foreign tourists also flock there annually, many of them Christians drawn to the ruins of the temple Jesus attended.
Politically, the competing claims to the area are the nut around which the Israeli-Palestinian conflict revolves, the symbolic heart of each side’s religious and historical attachment to Jerusalem that has made its governance one of the thorniest issues in peace negotiations.
Israel captured the site along with the rest of East Jerusalem and the West Bank in 1967, with a general declaring dramatically, “The Temple Mount is in our hands!” But the government immediately returned control to the Muslim authorities, and ever since, a de facto accommodation has prevailed in which Muslims worship at Al Aksa above and Jews at the Western Wall below, a remnant of the retaining wall around the ancient Second Temple.
There have been flare-ups before. In 2000, a visit by Ariel Sharon, then Israel’s opposition leader, accompanied by 1,000 police officers, prompted a violent outbreak and, many argue, set off the second intifada.
Over the last few years, a cause long taken up by only a fringe group of far right-wingers has increasingly been embraced by the modern Orthodox—known here as religious Zionists—who have also gained political power. At three recent Parliament hearings, religious lawmakers and cabinet ministers questioned the status quo, in which non-Muslims can enter the site only for a few hours five days a week, and those identified by the police as Jews are separated, escorted by police officers and admonished not to dance, sing, bow down or even move their lips in prayer.
"The Temple Mount is in our hands—but is it really?" asked Michael Freund, a Jerusalem Post columnist who visited the site as a child in 1977 and returned for the first time last year, with 50 members of his synagogue. "It particularly offends me that the Israeli government puts into place restrictions which prevent Jews from fulfilling their basic right to freedom of worship."
Jack Stroh, a cardiologist from East Brunswick, N.J., who visited on Wednesday, has been bringing friends for five years before the holidays of Sukkot and Passover—two of three pilgrimage festivals when ancient Jews were required to pray at the temples.
"My cousin said that if Jews don’t go up to the mountain there is an increased chance that the government will say Jews are not interested and will give it away," he said as his group waited to enter. "I’m taking them up. Someone took me up. They’ll take other people up; it’s a growing phenomenon."
Amid the religious pilgrims on Wednesday was Michal Berdugo, 25, a secular Israeli who said it had been her “dream for three years” to visit. “It’s part of who we are,” she said.
The recent shift has many roots. For years, most authorities on Jewish law said Jews should not enter the complex for fear of treading on the ancient temple’s holiest spots, but recent archaeological work has led some moderate and even liberal Orthodox rabbis to lift those bans. At the same time, activists have stepped up their campaign for access and prayer at the Temple Mount, part of a broader push to cement Jewish control of all of Jerusalem.
Experts who have observed the phenomenon also see it as a reaction to Israel’s evacuation of Jews from the Gaza Strip in 2005, a redirection of Messianic energy once devoted to West Bank settlements that many fear could soon succumb to the same fate to make way for a Palestinian state.
"The war for the land of Israel is not just political, but essentially spiritual," said Yossi Klein Halevi, author of a new book that traces the lives of paratroopers who seized the Mount in 1967. "Given that the Temple Mount is the focal point of holiness in the Holy Land, the thinking is that we need to go to the source in order to prevent the further partition of the land."
Israel Police statistics show visits by people identified as Jews rose to 8,247 in 2011 from 5,792 in 2010, then dipped slightly last year. The figure is on track to top 2011’s total this year, with 5,609 Israelis coming through July. Crowds—and clashes—are expected Sunday and Monday for Sukkot.
While the numbers remain tiny compared with the 10 million annual visitors to the Western Wall below, Palestinian officials say what used to be a trickle of individuals has given way to groups of 40, 60, 90. They were particularly alarmed that the Israeli police commissioner told a newspaper this month that “every Jew who wishes to pray at the Temple Mount can pray on the Temple Mount,” though his subordinates said afterward that did not change the police policy on the ground preventing non-Muslim prayer. A recent visit by the right-wing housing minister also stirred outrage.
"Before, it was some settlers from here, some extremists from there; now we start to hear it from the real officials," said Adnan Husseini, the Palestinian governor of Jerusalem. "When they get inside with this big number, it’s sure that they will make some kind of religious activities and there will be more friction between them and the people inside the mosque."
The Palestinians have complained to the United Nations, the Arab League and Secretary of State John Kerry, most recently after Wednesday’s clash, when the chief Palestinian negotiator wrote to Mr. Kerry saying the issue “could inflame the situation and undermine the current opportunity to move toward peace.”
Israel’s chief rabbinate still maintains the Mount is off limits to Jews—a sign saying so is posted at the gate. But a senior Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the government supports “in principle” Jews’ rights to pray there, adding, “we’ve got to do it in a measured way, a sensitive way.”
As visiting the Mount has become more mainstream—one Israeli newspaper has since December 2011 devoted a full page weekly to news and columns about the site—the original hard core has been emboldened. A group formed last year calls for building a small synagogue on the plaza. Yehuda Etzion, who was arrested in 1984 for plotting to blow up the Dome of the Rock, and a team of architects are designing a “future Jerusalem” plan with a new temple at its heart. An activist group’s Web site devoted to the Mount unveiled a virtual tour this summer with a Third Temple where the Dome stands.
"We’re talking about something much deeper than visiting the place, we’re talking about a movement that wants to change the status quo from its roots," said Yedidia Z. Stern, a vice president of the Israel Democracy Institute, an Orthodox Jew with liberal leanings who has watched the change with concern. "You’re dealing with the ultimate TNT in our national existence here."
For Max Freidzon, the Russian immigrant, visiting the site has become a daily ritual: he stands still several times on his stroll around the Mount, and goes through the morning prayers—including a plea to rebuild the temple—without moving his lips.
"The situation is the same like it was in the Soviet Union," said Mr. Freidzon, 46, citing the police escorts, the identification checks, and the ban on religious texts and on a minyan, the 10-person quorum required for public communal prayer. "Step by step, the situation will change. It’s necessary to pray here, and to make here minyan, and to build here temple."
US Struggle With Iran's Peace Offensive
By Eric Margolis, September 21, 2013
Iran’s newly elected president, Hassan Rouhani, has lost no time in trying to end the 34-year old political and economic siege imposed on his nation by the United States and its allies.
President Barack Obama, having just been wrong-footed over Syria, now faces a surprise Iranian diplomatic and public relations offensive that will be hard to resist. America’s war party is furious: its dreams of seeing US power crush Syria, then Iran are in jeopardy.
Ever since a popular revolution ousted the US-installed regime of Shah Pahlavi in 1979, Washington has sought to overthrow Iran’s Islamic republic.
Iran has been isolated, put under intense economic and diplomatic siege, become the target of subversion and the US-backed invasion by Iraq in 1980 that killed up to 500,000 Iranians.
The US challenge to Iran is always depicted for public consumption as an effort to stop Tehran getting nuclear weapons. Iran is routinely accused of supporting “terrorism” and subversion.
In reality, US hostility towards Iran is mostly about old-fashioned power politics. In 2003, US Secretary of State Colin Powell let the cat out of the bag by admitting that Iran’s acquisition of a few nuclear weapons would “limit” US ability to use force in the region.
Control of the Mideast is one of the pillars of US world power. The US has dominated the Mideast since 1945, as I detail in my book “American Raj—How America Rules the Mideast.” Islamic Iran emerged after 1979 as the most potent challenge to US regional domination and control of its energy.
Iran and US ally Saudi Arabia have waged a bitter proxy war in Afghanistan, Central Asia, and East Africa by arming and funding extremist groups. Syria is the latest example.
Washington and Israel have used the nuclear arms issue to isolate Iran and make it an outcast state, much as was done with Cuba in the 20th Century.
It’s easy to forget that nearly all of Iran’s nuclear energy industry is under very tight UN supervision, not to mention incessant monitoring by western intelligence agencies and Israel. By contrast, Israel refuses UN inspection and maintains a sizeable nuclear and chemical arsenal.
It’s also easy to forget that the original signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty—the US, Russia, Britain, France (and later China)—have all violated the pact’s pledge to swiftly reduce, then eliminate their nuclear arsenals.
Iran is now making a major push to convince the world it has no nuclear weapons ambitions, starting with its spiritual leader, Ayatollah Khomenei who has issued a fatwa condemning all nuclear weapons.
So far, the US, strongly pressed by Israel, is responding cautiously but positively.
Israel has made it clear it wants the US to attack Iran and crush its nuclear and non-nuclear military capabilities. Equally important, says Israel, is the need to liquidate Iran’s scientific nuclear cadre of scientists.
My sources in Iraq report that since the US invasion in 2003, over 200 Iraqi nuclear scientists and technicians have been mysteriously assassinated. A number of Iranian nuclear personnel have also been assassinated by bombs, widely believed to be the work of Israel’s Mossad spy agency.
The logical course for the United States to follow is to welcome Iran’s overtures and restore normal relations between the two powers. An Iran aligned to the outside world is less likely to be troublesome than the angry, frightened, besieged Iran of today.
Furthermore, Washington has at some point got to accept that Iran is an influential regional power with its own legitimate interests. If Iran truly has no nuclear weapons ambitions, then the only reason for Tehran to suffer punishing sanctions is national pride. Iran needs economic growth, not pride.
If Washington really wants stability rather than just obedience, then it should welcome Iran’s overtures.
As for the near-war state between Iran and Israel, the crux of this confrontation is the lack of a Palestinian state. If Israel ever agrees to such a viable state, hostility with Tehran will sharply lessen. Recall that amidst mutual threats in the 1980’s, Israel quietly sold Iran $5 billion of US arms.
Iran’s newly elected president, Hassan Rouhani, has lost no time in trying to end the 34-year old political and economic siege imposed on his nation by the United States and its allies.
President Barack Obama, having just been wrong-footed over Syria, now faces a surprise Iranian diplomatic and public relations offensive that will be hard to resist. America’s war party is furious: its dreams of seeing US power crush Syria, then Iran are in jeopardy.
Ever since a popular revolution ousted the US-installed regime of Shah Pahlavi in 1979, Washington has sought to overthrow Iran’s Islamic republic.
Iran has been isolated, put under intense economic and diplomatic siege, become the target of subversion and the US-backed invasion by Iraq in 1980 that killed up to 500,000 Iranians.
The US challenge to Iran is always depicted for public consumption as an effort to stop Tehran getting nuclear weapons. Iran is routinely accused of supporting “terrorism” and subversion.
In reality, US hostility towards Iran is mostly about old-fashioned power politics. In 2003, US Secretary of State Colin Powell let the cat out of the bag by admitting that Iran’s acquisition of a few nuclear weapons would “limit” US ability to use force in the region.
Control of the Mideast is one of the pillars of US world power. The US has dominated the Mideast since 1945, as I detail in my book “American Raj—How America Rules the Mideast.” Islamic Iran emerged after 1979 as the most potent challenge to US regional domination and control of its energy.
Iran and US ally Saudi Arabia have waged a bitter proxy war in Afghanistan, Central Asia, and East Africa by arming and funding extremist groups. Syria is the latest example.
Washington and Israel have used the nuclear arms issue to isolate Iran and make it an outcast state, much as was done with Cuba in the 20th Century.
It’s easy to forget that nearly all of Iran’s nuclear energy industry is under very tight UN supervision, not to mention incessant monitoring by western intelligence agencies and Israel. By contrast, Israel refuses UN inspection and maintains a sizeable nuclear and chemical arsenal.
It’s also easy to forget that the original signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty—the US, Russia, Britain, France (and later China)—have all violated the pact’s pledge to swiftly reduce, then eliminate their nuclear arsenals.
Iran is now making a major push to convince the world it has no nuclear weapons ambitions, starting with its spiritual leader, Ayatollah Khomenei who has issued a fatwa condemning all nuclear weapons.
So far, the US, strongly pressed by Israel, is responding cautiously but positively.
Israel has made it clear it wants the US to attack Iran and crush its nuclear and non-nuclear military capabilities. Equally important, says Israel, is the need to liquidate Iran’s scientific nuclear cadre of scientists.
My sources in Iraq report that since the US invasion in 2003, over 200 Iraqi nuclear scientists and technicians have been mysteriously assassinated. A number of Iranian nuclear personnel have also been assassinated by bombs, widely believed to be the work of Israel’s Mossad spy agency.
The logical course for the United States to follow is to welcome Iran’s overtures and restore normal relations between the two powers. An Iran aligned to the outside world is less likely to be troublesome than the angry, frightened, besieged Iran of today.
Furthermore, Washington has at some point got to accept that Iran is an influential regional power with its own legitimate interests. If Iran truly has no nuclear weapons ambitions, then the only reason for Tehran to suffer punishing sanctions is national pride. Iran needs economic growth, not pride.
If Washington really wants stability rather than just obedience, then it should welcome Iran’s overtures.
As for the near-war state between Iran and Israel, the crux of this confrontation is the lack of a Palestinian state. If Israel ever agrees to such a viable state, hostility with Tehran will sharply lessen. Recall that amidst mutual threats in the 1980’s, Israel quietly sold Iran $5 billion of US arms.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Embracing the Presence
M. Fountaine
Someone told me, “I have two times during the week when I can have solid, relatively uninterrupted time to pray, hear from the Lord, and to meditate on and listen to Bible-based publications, and that’s the time I have each week driving to a place of business in another town and back again. It’s hard for me to get any concentrated time other than that, but I try to take small times here and there.”
It’s wonderful when you feel a hunger for Jesus. It’s good to feel the Lord’s conviction to strive to do all you can, but it’s important not to let yourself feel condemned if you can’t get as much time with the Lord as you would like.
Time spent with the Lord, in prayer and hearing from Him, delving into His Word and other inspirational writings, guided by the Holy Spirit, is a very important investment that we should be striving to make. But in today’s hectic world there are situations where we need alternative ways to be fed, guided, strengthened, and encouraged spiritually. We can ask the Lord to show us new ways to have closer communion with Him.
When praying about this dilemma, I was reminded of two books, one by Brother Lawrence, a seventeenth-century monk, called The Practice of the Presence of God, and a booklet by Frank Laubach called The Game with Minutes.[1] They both give examples of how we can do more to walk with Jesus, weaving His presence into our lives. Frank Laubach presents an innovative way to be spiritually refreshed and renewed by striving to remain in God’s presence.
“In the 17th century, a monk by the name of Brother Lawrence found that he could have as deep a time of intimacy with Jesus while alone washing dishes in the kitchen as when he knelt at the altar to pray. Some 300 years later, in the early 20th century, Frank Laubach began to experiment with turning his mind purposely on Jesus. He called his experiment ‘The Game With Minutes,’ where at least once every minute he would consciously think upon his Lord and Savior. Both of these men found that by turning their focus upon Jesus, the depth, intimacy, and oneness of their connection to Him increased tenfold.”—NR Johnson.[2]
I believe that many of us have built a deep relationship with Jesus. But it always helps to reemphasize the priorities to ensure that they remain in the place of importance that they deserve. Jesus can be an ever-present help if we’re interacting with Him, conferring with Him day by day. That ongoing connection with Him makes Him an active part of our lives rather than just a silent observer.
Everyone’s life is full of decisions and choices. Making Jesus an active part of those can go a long way toward bringing the best into our lives. It costs a little more in terms of effort to develop the habit and maintain that connection, but it opens up a whole world of potential that wouldn't otherwise be readily available to you. It makes His crucial communications with you accessible in real time. It makes your work more efficient, gives you access to instantaneous responses to your queries, and moves you into a whole new level of possibilities.
The question is, “How do we do this?” Here is a list of ideas based on concepts from an interesting book by Frank Laubach.[3] You may not find every idea useful or practical, but you can try out any that seem as if they might help you build or restore that ongoing awareness that Jesus is always with you.
These ideas might be valuable to suggest for those you are ministering to. You may also want to modify some of these ideas to use as a game for your children or grandchildren to help them form the habit of looking to Jesus in their daily lives.
Suggestions for ways to enhance God’s presence in your life:
Consciously include God in whatever you’re doing. Make your thoughts a conversation with Him.
Make it a habit to offer a quick silent prayer for those you notice as you pass people on the street or in your car. When you take a walk in your neighborhood, pray quietly for the residents of each house you feel led to pray for. (On a walk with children, you could make it a game by praying for the people living in houses of a certain color, etc.)
Imagine Jesus walking beside you on your walks and talk to Him in your heart. Ask Him about the people you meet; for example, “Lord, how do You want me to pray for [this] man?”
Put up pictures of Jesus around your house: in the kitchen, by your computer, in your bedroom, etc.
Try to see those you encounter the way Jesus sees them. See people both as they are and with the full potential they have in Jesus.
When you’re engaged in conversation with a group of people, be open to God’s voice in your heart by silently praying, “Lord, what are Your thoughts? What do You want me to say?”
When reading a book, read it to the Lord. Have a running inward conversation with Him about what you are reading.
When thinking deeply about a difficulty or challenge, instead of thinking to yourself, try to form the habit of talking to Jesus. When you’re quiet and open to His voice, He can seem to speak through your thoughts. His voice becomes so close and clear that it can almost seem to be coming from your own heart. The more He has control of your heart and mind, the more He can guide your thoughts.
When you’re surrounded by His creation, thank Him for the beauty of it all. See it as His voice speaking to you. Ask Him, “Jesus, what are You telling me through this, and that, and the other?”
At night when you go to bed, have a picture of Jesus where it will meet your closing eyes as you fall asleep. Whisper whatever is on your heart to Him.
Pray for dreams of Jesus. Ask Him to give you thoughts, impressions, and ideas in the night seasons as you sleep.
With every phone call you make or email you send, send a little prayer along with it.
Keep humming a favorite song about or to the Lord.
From the time you wake up, include Jesus in whatever you do, whether it's big or small. He is interested in every detail. He loves us more intimately than a mother loves her baby, or a lover his sweetheart, and is happy when we share every question or concern with Him.
When you’re writing anything, say, “Lord, place Your thoughts in my mind. What do You want to say? Here are my hands; use them.” God loves to be a co-author.
When reading the news, bring each situation to the Lord in prayer.
When you play a game, God loves to watch you having fun. So don’t ask to win, but pray, “Lord, let Your will be done. Help us to be good sportsmen and a good witness to others.”
When you think about someone you love, take a moment to pray for them, and when you can, pray together with them. When your relationship is centered on God, His love can enrich your life and theirs and create a bond that is built on something timeless.
It’s helpful sometimes to share with others the progress you are making in focusing on Jesus. So when you get together with others who are “practicing His presence,” you can exchange ideas and share your progress with one another.
My hope is that some of these ideas will inspire you in your fellowship with Jesus and help you find time for prayer, meditation, and reading His Word and other devotional writings. The more you’re able to place Him at the center of your life, the more your connection to Him will be enriched.
[1] The Practice of the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence (1605–1691), is freely available in a variety of formats here. The Game With Minutes, by Frank C. Laubach, 1953, is available in part on the Web or in full from Amazon and other retailers.
[2] Book review posted here, accessed August 15, 2013.
[3] Letters by a Modern Mystic (Student Volunteer Movement, 1937). Available in various forms on the Web, and in print from Amazon.
Faith Boosters
Words from Jesus
Audio length: 9:33
Download Audio (8.7MB)
Mountain-moving faith
Faith is the true coinage of heaven. Faith is the key that unlocks the treasure house of My blessings—My spiritual blessings, My material blessings, all of My blessings. For without faith, it is impossible to please Me. For he that comes to Me must believe that I am the rewarder of those that diligently seek Me.1 When you seek Me, you do so because of your faith, knowing that I do hear and I answer. I honor your faith and honor My Word—My promises to you.
I am not a man that I should lie, nor the son of man that I should repent.2 Have I said and shall I not do it? Have I not promised that I will supply your every need,3 and that I would open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing you could not contain, if you believe My words and obey them?4
But there are times when you have not because you ask not.5 I know your situation. I know your every problem. I know every tiny detail, and I have a great plan that will unfold at the touch of your faith. Your faith can move mighty mountains of obstacles and difficulties. Because if you put your faith in Me and My Word, I will move the mountains, I will overcome the obstacles, and I will provide the solutions.
A living tree
My house is a living house, and My temple is a living temple. I make you living stones and living beings in the house of God.6 Your roots shall grow and bind together the soil, so that the wind will not blow it away. Your trunk shall provide strength and support for the house of God. Your limbs shall provide shade and shelter and fruit for the people of God—a living tree in a living house.
Be strong in the Lord. Be strong in the promises of God. Stand firm. Be not easily shaken or soon disturbed. Dig deep; drink deeply from the Word of God. Hold fast that which you have, and I will give you a crown of life at My appearing. I will strengthen you, My faithful one, in the house of God as you shelter others. Strengthen those beside you and lift up your arms to God in praise with your heart and lips. Pour forth the praises of your lips, the sweet perfume of your praises.
Praise God, ye saints, with all of your heart, and you shall not lack in the land. You shall not be forsaken, for I shall gently watch over you and keep you and those you care for. Lift up your hands, O ye saints. Praise Me in the sanctuary.
Strengthen the hands of the weak, for I have given you strength to strengthen others. I have given you strength that you know not of. I have made you a well of cool water in a dry and thirsty land. I have made you as a rock in the desert, a shade to many. Stay close to Me. Be a firm foundation to anchor others in My living temple.
No boundaries
My love for you knows no boundaries. I have chosen you and you have chosen Me. Continue in My love. I am always with you, to whisper in your ear and to hear your prayers and your words of love and praise.
You shine with such beauty—the beauty of My salvation, the beauty of knowing Me. Continue to shine. I have begun a good work in you, and I will perform it until the end.
Do not fear the tests that come your way, for they only serve to shine and to polish you and to make you glow and to make your light more brilliant. So many see trials and tests as punishments, but they are My touches of love, which bring forth the shining light of My love, My compassion, and My understanding.
So do not fear the tests, for they only tend to bring forth more love in your life, and more light, more strength, and an even deeper closeness with Me.
These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.—1 Peter 1:77
Hidden treasures
In Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.—Colossians 2:38
Approach each new day with desire to find Me. Before you get out of bed, I have already been working to prepare the path that will get you through this day. There are hidden treasures strategically placed along the way. Some of the treasures are trials, designed to shake you free from earth-shackles. Others are blessings that reveal My presence: sunshine, flowers, birds, friendships, answered prayers. I have not abandoned this sin-racked world; I am still richly present in it.
Search for deep treasure as you go through the day. You will find Me all along the way.9
In that day he will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.—Isaiah 33:610
The Master’s pruning
Remember that the single set of footprints that you see in the sand are not yours, but Mine. At times in the earth life you can feel alone and forsaken. I was touched with the feeling of that same infirmity on the cross, when it seemed that the Father had forsaken Me. But I encourage you to press on, continue on no matter what you feel, and it won't be long before you will know that you have made the right decision.
When the gardener prunes his bushes, they may look a little naked and destitute for a while, but he does it out of love in order to bring forth more fruit. When the air warms and the sun shines after the winter, and the leaves come out and the blossoms grow, the plants are more radiant and beautiful than ever before.
Likewise, the master gardener does not wield the cutters endlessly, without reprieve. After the time of pruning and purging, He waits patiently to see the fruit thereof. Therefore rest assured that the time of blossoming and bearing fruit will come, and you will radiate, sparkle, and shine, and find fulfillment in doing My will.
Originally published 1997, unless otherwise indicated. Updated and republished September 2013. Read by Simon Peterson. Music by Daniel Sozzi.
1 Hebrews 11:6.
2 Numbers 23:19.
3 Philippians 4:19.
4 Malachi 3:10.
5 James 4:2.
6 1 Peter 2:5.
7 NLT.
8 NLT.
9 From Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young (Thomas Nelson, 2004).
10 NLT.
Audio length: 9:33
Download Audio (8.7MB)
Mountain-moving faith
Faith is the true coinage of heaven. Faith is the key that unlocks the treasure house of My blessings—My spiritual blessings, My material blessings, all of My blessings. For without faith, it is impossible to please Me. For he that comes to Me must believe that I am the rewarder of those that diligently seek Me.1 When you seek Me, you do so because of your faith, knowing that I do hear and I answer. I honor your faith and honor My Word—My promises to you.
I am not a man that I should lie, nor the son of man that I should repent.2 Have I said and shall I not do it? Have I not promised that I will supply your every need,3 and that I would open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing you could not contain, if you believe My words and obey them?4
But there are times when you have not because you ask not.5 I know your situation. I know your every problem. I know every tiny detail, and I have a great plan that will unfold at the touch of your faith. Your faith can move mighty mountains of obstacles and difficulties. Because if you put your faith in Me and My Word, I will move the mountains, I will overcome the obstacles, and I will provide the solutions.
A living tree
My house is a living house, and My temple is a living temple. I make you living stones and living beings in the house of God.6 Your roots shall grow and bind together the soil, so that the wind will not blow it away. Your trunk shall provide strength and support for the house of God. Your limbs shall provide shade and shelter and fruit for the people of God—a living tree in a living house.
Be strong in the Lord. Be strong in the promises of God. Stand firm. Be not easily shaken or soon disturbed. Dig deep; drink deeply from the Word of God. Hold fast that which you have, and I will give you a crown of life at My appearing. I will strengthen you, My faithful one, in the house of God as you shelter others. Strengthen those beside you and lift up your arms to God in praise with your heart and lips. Pour forth the praises of your lips, the sweet perfume of your praises.
Praise God, ye saints, with all of your heart, and you shall not lack in the land. You shall not be forsaken, for I shall gently watch over you and keep you and those you care for. Lift up your hands, O ye saints. Praise Me in the sanctuary.
Strengthen the hands of the weak, for I have given you strength to strengthen others. I have given you strength that you know not of. I have made you a well of cool water in a dry and thirsty land. I have made you as a rock in the desert, a shade to many. Stay close to Me. Be a firm foundation to anchor others in My living temple.
No boundaries
My love for you knows no boundaries. I have chosen you and you have chosen Me. Continue in My love. I am always with you, to whisper in your ear and to hear your prayers and your words of love and praise.
You shine with such beauty—the beauty of My salvation, the beauty of knowing Me. Continue to shine. I have begun a good work in you, and I will perform it until the end.
Do not fear the tests that come your way, for they only serve to shine and to polish you and to make you glow and to make your light more brilliant. So many see trials and tests as punishments, but they are My touches of love, which bring forth the shining light of My love, My compassion, and My understanding.
So do not fear the tests, for they only tend to bring forth more love in your life, and more light, more strength, and an even deeper closeness with Me.
These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.—1 Peter 1:77
Hidden treasures
In Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.—Colossians 2:38
Approach each new day with desire to find Me. Before you get out of bed, I have already been working to prepare the path that will get you through this day. There are hidden treasures strategically placed along the way. Some of the treasures are trials, designed to shake you free from earth-shackles. Others are blessings that reveal My presence: sunshine, flowers, birds, friendships, answered prayers. I have not abandoned this sin-racked world; I am still richly present in it.
Search for deep treasure as you go through the day. You will find Me all along the way.9
In that day he will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.—Isaiah 33:610
The Master’s pruning
Remember that the single set of footprints that you see in the sand are not yours, but Mine. At times in the earth life you can feel alone and forsaken. I was touched with the feeling of that same infirmity on the cross, when it seemed that the Father had forsaken Me. But I encourage you to press on, continue on no matter what you feel, and it won't be long before you will know that you have made the right decision.
When the gardener prunes his bushes, they may look a little naked and destitute for a while, but he does it out of love in order to bring forth more fruit. When the air warms and the sun shines after the winter, and the leaves come out and the blossoms grow, the plants are more radiant and beautiful than ever before.
Likewise, the master gardener does not wield the cutters endlessly, without reprieve. After the time of pruning and purging, He waits patiently to see the fruit thereof. Therefore rest assured that the time of blossoming and bearing fruit will come, and you will radiate, sparkle, and shine, and find fulfillment in doing My will.
Originally published 1997, unless otherwise indicated. Updated and republished September 2013. Read by Simon Peterson. Music by Daniel Sozzi.
1 Hebrews 11:6.
2 Numbers 23:19.
3 Philippians 4:19.
4 Malachi 3:10.
5 James 4:2.
6 1 Peter 2:5.
7 NLT.
8 NLT.
9 From Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young (Thomas Nelson, 2004).
10 NLT.
