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Pinebrooke Posts  Week of November 6, 2016 Wednesday, November 09, 2016 Blog for Week of November 1
Humility is the lost virtue not only in the common culture, but regretfully in the church as well and I truly lament that reality. A number of years ago I asked a friend who was a competent theologian what Jesus? prominent characteristic was, to which he responded rather directly, humility. The concordance in your Bible is full of humility and its adjacent terms. The proverb makes clear the priority, ?with humility comes wisdom.? Our world seems to dominate the church in terms of prevalent virtues. It would seem that pride and arrogance is revered above the Way of Jesus. We are so given to being honored, noticed, and perceived to be successful that we have lost our Way. I see this more often in the way of young leaders in the church than the congregations as a whole, but when we accept it in leadership, it must trickle down into the whole. Some years ago I remember a wise conference leader making the statement that, ?We will not successfully deal with consumerism in the church until we deal with pastoral ambition.? It would seem that we lose our identity when we choose any other Way than Jesus (Phil. 2:5ff), ?In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, ?.? We have the responsibility as apprentices of Jesus to call our leaders back to the scriptures to discern the Jesus Way, Truth, and Life.
Week of October 24, 2016Wednesday, October 26, 2016 Blog for Week of 24 October
Someone once said, “God is writing his story in our lives to tell the world what he is like.” So, what is the story that is forming in you that the world needs to hear? Usually it is most common to modern man to think that the point to life is one’s own happiness and then we die. Oh, but there is so much more to life than that. In fact, that has so little to do with the gift of life that we have been given. One of my favorite scriptures is found in the latter part of Isaiah’s prophecy, 43:7 which reads, “… you have been created for my glory.” We bring this glory by the kind of person we become and the way that we live the life we have been given. Does my life become an avenue or an obstacle to God? Would anyone want the life that I live if they are looking for love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, self-control? Is there much clarity that others could gain by observing me? Am I living in such a way that others could get a clear picture of what God is like. Maybe at issue is our own narrative of what God is like. Do we carry the story in all its dimensions and color? Sometimes our accountability to our calling needs to be refreshed.
Week of October 17, 2016Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Blog for Week of 17 October
Eternal encouragement! Eternal encouragement is that which gives us life in our souls; the level at which meaningful life is generated. God provides this encouragement directly or through his servants. We can provide that for one another when our sensibilities focus on the eternal.Eternal encouragement can secure us in the midst of troubling circumstances. Eternal encouragement provides the substance of perspective. Perspective, the, transcends temporal distractions. Remembering what we know to be true can elevate us to a strengthening of our souls.Without eternal encouragement we are likely to lose our focus and become subject to the distractions of the immediate. When Paul speaks of that help to the Thessalonian Church in his second letter to them, he knows the experience of eternal encouragement and how it had gotten him through great difficulties and had strengthened him in his soul (2 Thess. 3:1-5).
Week of October 4, 2016Saturday, October 01, 2016
Blog for Week of 4 October
One of the New Testament’s common themes is “stand or stand firm.” The days in which Jesus and his first century followers lived were difficult days. The gospel of the kingdom that Jesus brought was radical for both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities. Given the hostile world these fledgling followers apprenticed their new found faith, “standing firm” was the encouragement that would gave them the strength they would need.For many of us, we have been lulled into thinking that our world is so different. I wonder if the difference is found in the lack of radicalness in our apprentice, so much so that we have become Jesus admirers rather than genuine disciples. The issues and circumstances in our dominant society are such that “standing firm” is the encouragement we need to remind us of our calling.Standing firm is knowing who we are and who we are not. It is the matter of knowing what we are called to and what we are not. Standing firm separates the sheep from the goats. Just like the first century of the church, this is a time to stand.
Week of September 25, 2016Monday, September 26, 2016
Blog for Week of 25 September
The experiences and events of life tend to grab our attention. It is a common narrative for most of us to think that what happens naturally controls our responses to them, but is that really true. Isn’t that what separates one person from another? What is it that takes our focus and how do we interpret those experiences?Recently, during the recovery from surgery the natural part of recovery is pain, but what do I make of my experience. Do I let my pain control my full attention or is there a perspective that helps me transcend what I feel? It seems that the first step was to accept the pain and not fight against it, but understand its role and not give it more of a place than it deserves.Open ourselves to what is around us is a second step. The world around us is just as alive whether we feel pain or we don’t. The opportunities for grace is just is as vital as any other day no matter what one is feeling. We learn so much from Jesus in his perspective. Perspective allows us to be grateful as we take in what is beyond ourselves. And if we choose that, it improves our experience immeasurably.
Week of September 4, 2016Wednesday, September 07, 2016
Blog for Week of 4 September
The seasons in each year are often prototypes for the seasons in our lives and nature of those natural seasons speak volumes to us in the spiritual journey. The winters of life can be those of particular austerity of spirit. It is in those times of “emptiness” that the deepening of the seasons of growth take place. The deepening is often out of sight because of the sacrifice or loss observed on the “surface.” When the scaffolding of life is removed through pain, disease, or loss what is in the interior of life is ignited.Autumn is a great season to store up the resources that are needed for winter. Naturally it is a season of harvesting from the dynamics of spring and summer and ironically it is a time to sow “seed” for the growth of spring and summer. Autumn is a great season to take in the Word of God into the deep recesses of our lives. The life of the scriptures serves us well in both winter and spring, both when life is deepening and when it is budding.For many autumn is a favorite season because of its colorful beauty and the moderation of climate. These are ideal conditions for the work of autumn. In nature it is a busy season of gathering, but in the life of the Spirit the gathering is full length glory. What a glory in reflecting on the faithfulness of God! What glory is gathering the life of the Spirit residual in the scriptures! What glory in serving others in the name of Christ! May your season be full and overflowing of the goodness of God.
week of August 28, 2016Tuesday, August 30, 2016 Blog for Week of 28 August
The ways of God and the ways of the spiritual journey are often see and experienced as paradoxes. On the one hand we have the Apostle Paul saying, “I press on toward the mark of the high calling of Jesus….” On the other hand, we are faced with God’s Word to us, “… Be still and know that I am God…” How is it that we press on by being still? The great spiritual writer, Henri Nouwen wrote, “it is not possible to have a fruitful spiritual life without silence and solitude.” It is particularly difficult in our common culture because we tend to measure a person’s worth by activities and accomplishments. The busier we are, the more important or valuable we think a person is. Once again in the scriptures we find the human argument, “Lord, Lord, look what we did in your name.” And Jesus’ response is particularly poignant, “Depart from me for I never knew you!” How very confusing to our modern minds! The pursuit of God is a matter of “empty space.” How much empty space do I create for Him to fill and Him only? The difficult way is the way of laying aside our personal agendas for the “emptiness” of God’s agenda. It requires great trust, not just for what God’s agenda is, but also to simply trust that He is there in any meaningful way. May we learn the way of transformation that comes out of unadulterated solitude.
Week of August 21, 2016Saturday, August 20, 2016
Blog for Week of 21 August
I was at an event recently in which the theme of “being oneself” seemed to be the underlying mantra. It is in fact, a very common mantra in our day. In a sense it is a rather pedestrian expression except that of late it has taken on a rather militant odor. The common quest has moved from a genuine, beautiful sense of our humanity to the attitude that it is a “fight” to be oneself, as though everything around us mitigates against it.
A number of years ago it was dynamically brought to my attention that one of the main tasks in my human journey was to “be myself in truth.” The battle, if there was one, was with myself, with the narratives that I had adopted through the years that were not based on the truth Jesus live, nor the truth of God’s word. If you will, the battle was not with the outside world and others, but within myself and my own distortions.
Making the normal spiritual task that is involved in being an apprentice of Jesus an outside affair instead of an inside job is part of what makes our world as hostile as it has become. No real change takes place until we own the responsibility to face ourselves in truth and seek real change within ourselves..
Week of July 25, 2016Tuesday, July 26, 2016
A number of years ago a group of 95+ year olds were interviewed and asked, “If you had life to live over, what would you do differently?” The responses were gathered and summarized and the following is the summation of this wise and experienced group: 1) I would reflect more; 2) I would risk more; 3) I would invest more in that which lasts beyond my lifetime. I believe that is as contemporary as when it was originally gathered. Perspective is everything!As you consider how you are choosing to live life is that a word for you; reflect, risk, and invest. I think this is what it looks like to live with no regrets. If you have today, you have the time to reorient your life toward that which truly matters. The wisdom of Solomon in Ecclesiastes is for today. There is a “time for everything” what we do between each “time” is what makes the difference. Life is like the “dot-to-dot” drawings. The lines between the dots is what unveils the substance. The substance of our lives lies in the accumulation of the “dailyness” of ordinary life.Jesus was the example of one who carried a clear vision in his soul. Made the commitment to follow His Father and then lived out the promptings of every day.
Week of July 18, 2016Tuesday, July 19, 2016  Play Week of July 3, 2016Tuesday, July 05, 2016
A number of years ago a group of 95+ year olds were interviewed and asked, “If you had life to live over, what would you do differently?” The responses were gathered and summarized and the following is the summation of this wise and experienced group: 1) I would reflect more; 2) I would risk more; 3) I would invest more in that which lasts beyond my lifetime. I believe that is as contemporary as when it was originally gathered. Perspective is everything!As you consider how you are choosing to live life is that a word for you; reflect, risk, and invest. I think this is what it looks like to live with no regrets. If you have today, you have the time to reorient your life toward that which truly matters. The wisdom of Solomon in Ecclesiastes is for today. There is a “time for everything” what we do between each “time” is what makes the difference. Life is like the “dot-to-dot” drawings. The lines between the dots is what unveils the substance. The substance of our lives lies in the accumulation of the “dailyness” of ordinary life.Jesus was the example of one who carried a clear vision in his soul. Made the commitment to follow His Father and then lived out the promptings of every day.
Week of June 26, 2016Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Soul-strength is one of the great missing dimensions of life in the 21st century. The inside/out realities that surround us show the anemia and fragility of the soul of our culture. We seem to be unprepared for harsh realities, while civilizations in the past centuries seem to have a strong capacity to deal with whatever came.I’m not much of a prophet, but it would seem that if we are to embrace our calling to be “salt and light” in the darkness of our world, we are going to need to discover a strength of soul that has become uncommon. In the words of Tony Dungy speaking of life lived to the glory of God, we are offered the Uncommon opportunity.Normal life provides continual opportunities if we have “eyes to see” and “ears to hear.” What will we do? Dallas Willard often made the point that what we actually believe is what we do. If we “believe” something, but we don’t live it out, then we don’t really believe it. Are we going to step into the brokenness of our world with soul strength, or are we simply going to be a passenger?
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