Take about 5 minutes to read this snippets version of The previous day's 'A Slice of Infinity'. Follow up by reading TODAY'S SLICE and forward any comments on your faith journey.
But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” (Ruth 1:16-17)
I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the Lord has caused me to suffer[a] and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me?” (Ruth 1:21)
“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
and he will stand upon the earth at last. (Job 19:25)
A Slice of Infinity Snippets:
A story written in antiquity that continues to exceed contemporary standards of what is considered “good storytelling” is more than a little interesting. The book of Ruth has drawn accolades from many voices for many years. Goethe held that it was "the loveliest complete work on a small scale" while another pronounced, "No poet in the world has written a more beautiful story."(1) The book is simple and honest, the lives it gives account of both ordinary and compelling.
Comments:
I've recently had a thought regarding someone I have been trying to witness to for awhile. Perhaps the further steeped into a world of rejecting God (through mind-self aggrandizement, body-drugs or vanity, spirit-religiosity) the more they will begin to see the truth of God. What I mean is; when we see a lie in full strength, we recognize it.
There may be a point at which God 'gives them over' to their selfish desires; yet I also know that many must reach the bottom before they will look up. I think a man either finds a way to humble himself, or, he goes mad.
May we continue to pray that we see God's grand story being painted onto the lives of our family, friends, neighbors and even our enemies.
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*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
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Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
The Most Powerful Evangel by Ravi Zacharias
Take about 5 minutes to read this snippets version of Friday's, 'A Slice of Infinity'. Follow up by reading TODAY'S SLICE and forward any comments on your faith journey.
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”- Matthew 16:25
A Slice of Infinity Snippets:
Over the years I have discovered that praying with people can sometimes do more for them than preaching to them. Prayer draws the heart away from one’s own dependence to leaning on the sovereign God. The burden is often lifted instantly. Prayer is only one aspect of worship, but one that is greatly neglected in the face of people who would be shocked to hear what prayer sounds like when the one praying knows how to touch the heart of God. To a person in need, pat answers don’t change the mind; prayer does.
Chad's Comments:
I'm sure many of you only read this snippets devotion once in a while and even less of the time read the actual 'A Slice of Infinity' thread. May I encourage you to read today's?
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”- Matthew 16:25
A Slice of Infinity Snippets:
Over the years I have discovered that praying with people can sometimes do more for them than preaching to them. Prayer draws the heart away from one’s own dependence to leaning on the sovereign God. The burden is often lifted instantly. Prayer is only one aspect of worship, but one that is greatly neglected in the face of people who would be shocked to hear what prayer sounds like when the one praying knows how to touch the heart of God. To a person in need, pat answers don’t change the mind; prayer does.
Chad's Comments:
I'm sure many of you only read this snippets devotion once in a while and even less of the time read the actual 'A Slice of Infinity' thread. May I encourage you to read today's?
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Confessions of a Wanderer by Jill Carattini
Take about 5 minutes to read this snippets version of Friday's, 'A Slice of Infinity'. Follow up by reading TODAY'S SLICE and forward any comments on your faith journey.
I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. (Romans 7:15-18)
Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (Philippians 2:12-13)
A Slice of Infinity Snippets:
Yet far more than the assurance that we are not alone as people who struggle, we are assured by the promise of God in the midst of that struggle, in the midst of weakness and wandering. In the words of one confession, “[O]ur good God...set out to find humanity, though humanity, trembling all over, was fleeing from God.” At the deepest levels of our humanity, it is true that we are prone to wander, prone to sin, prone to flee from God. But it was in our deepest state of ruin, our deepest plunge into sinfulness, when God stepped forward unwilling to let us remain in such a state. As Paul writes in Romans 5:8, “God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” Long before we could even articulate our lostness, God in his mercy set out to find us, setting forth a plan to make right within us all that is awry.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let that grace now like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. (Romans 7:15-18)
Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (Philippians 2:12-13)
A Slice of Infinity Snippets:
Yet far more than the assurance that we are not alone as people who struggle, we are assured by the promise of God in the midst of that struggle, in the midst of weakness and wandering. In the words of one confession, “[O]ur good God...set out to find humanity, though humanity, trembling all over, was fleeing from God.” At the deepest levels of our humanity, it is true that we are prone to wander, prone to sin, prone to flee from God. But it was in our deepest state of ruin, our deepest plunge into sinfulness, when God stepped forward unwilling to let us remain in such a state. As Paul writes in Romans 5:8, “God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” Long before we could even articulate our lostness, God in his mercy set out to find us, setting forth a plan to make right within us all that is awry.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let that grace now like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Doormat Theology by Margaret Manning
Take about 5 minutes to read this snippets version of Friday's, 'A Slice of Infinity'. Follow up by reading TODAY'S SLICE and forward any comments on your faith journey.
“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. ( Matthew 5:38-42)
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. (Philippians 2:3-6)
A Slice of Infinity Snippets:
Many in our Christian world today bristle at such a suggestion. Surely, this kind of theology leads to low self-esteem and reduced self-image, they argue. Yet, a doormat theology doesn’t lead to a diminished sense of self. On the contrary, it leads to our deepened identity in Christ. James Loder adds, “Christian self-understanding drives toward the goal of giving love sacrificially with integrity after the pattern of Christ. This means the willing breaking of one’s wholeness potential for the sake of another, a free choice that has nothing to do with oppression because it is an act of integrity and everything to do with Christ’s free choice to go to the cross as an act of love.”(2) Indeed, if Jesus found his mission and calling in laying down his own life so that we could take advantage of the grace offered on our behalf, how can we do otherwise? The laying down of our lives provides the opportunity for others to walk over us, across us, and through us to the one who first laid down his life for us.
Chad's Comments:
Faith quote: "By actively participating in programs that help the poor and sick, immigrants and young people, unborn children and their mothers, families and one another, we are resisting what the pope calls "the subtle influence of secularism" and its claim that faith is a private matter that should only be proclaimed in church on Sunday." by Tim Hickey (Columbia magazine)
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. (Philippians 2:3-6)
A Slice of Infinity Snippets:
Many in our Christian world today bristle at such a suggestion. Surely, this kind of theology leads to low self-esteem and reduced self-image, they argue. Yet, a doormat theology doesn’t lead to a diminished sense of self. On the contrary, it leads to our deepened identity in Christ. James Loder adds, “Christian self-understanding drives toward the goal of giving love sacrificially with integrity after the pattern of Christ. This means the willing breaking of one’s wholeness potential for the sake of another, a free choice that has nothing to do with oppression because it is an act of integrity and everything to do with Christ’s free choice to go to the cross as an act of love.”(2) Indeed, if Jesus found his mission and calling in laying down his own life so that we could take advantage of the grace offered on our behalf, how can we do otherwise? The laying down of our lives provides the opportunity for others to walk over us, across us, and through us to the one who first laid down his life for us.
Chad's Comments:
Faith quote: "By actively participating in programs that help the poor and sick, immigrants and young people, unborn children and their mothers, families and one another, we are resisting what the pope calls "the subtle influence of secularism" and its claim that faith is a private matter that should only be proclaimed in church on Sunday." by Tim Hickey (Columbia magazine)
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
In the Valley of Shadows by Jill Carattini
Take about 5 minutes to read this snippets version of Friday's, 'A Slice of Infinity'. Follow up by reading TODAY'S SLICE and forward any comments on your faith journey.
A Slice of Infinity Snippets:
While still in the hands of their enemies, a train carrying Gordon and several others came alongside another boxcar at a stop in Burma. The entire car was filled with gravely wounded Japanese soldiers. They were left alone, without medical attention or company, as if abandoned refuse of war. "They were in a shocking state," Gordon recalls. "The wounded looked at us forlornly as they sat with their heads resting against the carriages waiting fatalistically for death....These were our enemy."
Without a word, many of the officers unbuckled their packs, took out part of their rations and a few rags, and with their canteens went over to the Japanese train. The guards tried to prevent them, but they pressed through, kneeling by the side of the injured men with food and water, cleaning their wounds. Eighteen months earlier the same men of the river Kwai prison camp would have celebrated the humiliation and destruction of anyone on the side of their violent captors. Yet Gordon explains, "We had experienced a moment of grace, there in the bloodstained railway cars. God had broken through the barriers of our prejudice and had given us the will to obey his command, 'Thou shalt love.'"
Chad's Comments:
May God be so evident in our lives as to love our enemies.
One of the members of the Life-Devotions blog commented yesterday and I felt the comment poignant to our discussions:
Jean Noon says, "When I do not judge I am engaged in mercy. The root of the word “mercy” has the same root as the words “commerce” and “merchant” which allude to exchange. When Jesus says to stop judging, it is not just good advice. To not judge means I have an open posture toward not only my neighbor but toward God who provides clarity in revealing that not judging is essential to sharing in the life of God. When I have an open posture, a willingness to not turn away, shun, shut down, or close myself off, I participate in the divine exchange and share in the life of God. Jesus gave me a tool to help me, psychologically, to be open to the outsider, the stranger, the prisoner, the enemy, the hurting, the sinner – all of these the poorest of the poor -- by reminding me that which I do for the least of my brethren I do for Jesus (Matt 25:31-46). He also gave me His words, “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:34) I sometimes bristle at this notion but it allows me a more open posture towards my neighbor in responding with love. That doesn’t mean I ignore a problem but it gives me a spaciousness to come up with more loving solutions in my response rather than my knee-jerk egoic reaction of condemnation. My prayer ultimately becomes, “Bless Them; Change Me” because as I measure out it will be measured out to me. (Matt 7:2)
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
A Slice of Infinity Snippets:
While still in the hands of their enemies, a train carrying Gordon and several others came alongside another boxcar at a stop in Burma. The entire car was filled with gravely wounded Japanese soldiers. They were left alone, without medical attention or company, as if abandoned refuse of war. "They were in a shocking state," Gordon recalls. "The wounded looked at us forlornly as they sat with their heads resting against the carriages waiting fatalistically for death....These were our enemy."
Without a word, many of the officers unbuckled their packs, took out part of their rations and a few rags, and with their canteens went over to the Japanese train. The guards tried to prevent them, but they pressed through, kneeling by the side of the injured men with food and water, cleaning their wounds. Eighteen months earlier the same men of the river Kwai prison camp would have celebrated the humiliation and destruction of anyone on the side of their violent captors. Yet Gordon explains, "We had experienced a moment of grace, there in the bloodstained railway cars. God had broken through the barriers of our prejudice and had given us the will to obey his command, 'Thou shalt love.'"
Chad's Comments:
May God be so evident in our lives as to love our enemies.
One of the members of the Life-Devotions blog commented yesterday and I felt the comment poignant to our discussions:
Jean Noon says, "When I do not judge I am engaged in mercy. The root of the word “mercy” has the same root as the words “commerce” and “merchant” which allude to exchange. When Jesus says to stop judging, it is not just good advice. To not judge means I have an open posture toward not only my neighbor but toward God who provides clarity in revealing that not judging is essential to sharing in the life of God. When I have an open posture, a willingness to not turn away, shun, shut down, or close myself off, I participate in the divine exchange and share in the life of God. Jesus gave me a tool to help me, psychologically, to be open to the outsider, the stranger, the prisoner, the enemy, the hurting, the sinner – all of these the poorest of the poor -- by reminding me that which I do for the least of my brethren I do for Jesus (Matt 25:31-46). He also gave me His words, “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:34) I sometimes bristle at this notion but it allows me a more open posture towards my neighbor in responding with love. That doesn’t mean I ignore a problem but it gives me a spaciousness to come up with more loving solutions in my response rather than my knee-jerk egoic reaction of condemnation. My prayer ultimately becomes, “Bless Them; Change Me” because as I measure out it will be measured out to me. (Matt 7:2)
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Prince of Paradox by Jill Carattini
Take about 5 minutes to read this snippets version of Friday's, 'A Slice of Infinity'. Follow up by reading TODAY'S SLICE and forward any comments on your faith journey.
A Slice of Infinity Snippets:
...G.K. Chesterton... challenged the world to think. With humility, wonder, and genius, Chesterton taught us, in the words of Father Brown, that often it isn't that we can't see the solution; it's that we can't see the problem.
In his disarming manner, such that even his opponents regarded him with affection, Chesterton exposed the inconsistencies of the modern mindset, the unfounded and unnoticed dogmatism of the unbeliever, and the misguided guidance of the cults of comfort and progress. He marveled that religious liberty now meant that we were no longer allowed to mention the subject, and that "there are those who hate Christianity and call their hatred an all-embracing love for all religions." To the convicted agnostic he said, "We don't know enough about the unknown to know that it is unknowable." To the social Darwinist he said, "It is absurd for the Evolutionist to complain that it is unthinkable for an admittedly unthinkable God to make everything out of nothing, and then pretend that it is more thinkable that nothing should turn itself into everything."
And to all who would listen, Chesterton devotedly pled the case for Christ: "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried."
To everyone his life affected, and continues to affect, G.K. Chesterton, with and without words, made a boisterous point about delighting in life to the fullest; life that is fullest, first and foremost, because there is Someone to thank.
Chad's Comments:
Friday's slice shows an admiration for G.K. Chesterton and his works. I've read one of his books, Orthodoxy; an excellent source for today's apologist.
From this posting, I especially liked the words, " Father Brown, that often it isn't that we can't see the solution; it's that we can't see the problem. "
I think I so often feel I have the answer to peoples questions and may far too hurriedly speak; when the real problem is only a few minutes of listening away.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
A Slice of Infinity Snippets:
...G.K. Chesterton... challenged the world to think. With humility, wonder, and genius, Chesterton taught us, in the words of Father Brown, that often it isn't that we can't see the solution; it's that we can't see the problem.
In his disarming manner, such that even his opponents regarded him with affection, Chesterton exposed the inconsistencies of the modern mindset, the unfounded and unnoticed dogmatism of the unbeliever, and the misguided guidance of the cults of comfort and progress. He marveled that religious liberty now meant that we were no longer allowed to mention the subject, and that "there are those who hate Christianity and call their hatred an all-embracing love for all religions." To the convicted agnostic he said, "We don't know enough about the unknown to know that it is unknowable." To the social Darwinist he said, "It is absurd for the Evolutionist to complain that it is unthinkable for an admittedly unthinkable God to make everything out of nothing, and then pretend that it is more thinkable that nothing should turn itself into everything."
And to all who would listen, Chesterton devotedly pled the case for Christ: "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried."
To everyone his life affected, and continues to affect, G.K. Chesterton, with and without words, made a boisterous point about delighting in life to the fullest; life that is fullest, first and foremost, because there is Someone to thank.
Chad's Comments:
Friday's slice shows an admiration for G.K. Chesterton and his works. I've read one of his books, Orthodoxy; an excellent source for today's apologist.
From this posting, I especially liked the words, " Father Brown, that often it isn't that we can't see the solution; it's that we can't see the problem. "
I think I so often feel I have the answer to peoples questions and may far too hurriedly speak; when the real problem is only a few minutes of listening away.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Apologetics Between Shadow and Reality by Jill Carattini
Take about 5 minutes to read this snippets version of Yesterday's 'A Slice of Infinity'. Follow up by reading TODAY'S SLICE and forward any comments on your faith journey.
PRAISE GOD AND TGIF
- One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
Unless we understand a person’s pain we will never understand a person’s soul.
Chad's Comments:
If you can find a persons greatest pain, you will likely find what they fear the most. If we can develop a relationship with someone, deep enough to personally touch that point of pain, we can minister to their soul.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
PRAISE GOD AND TGIF
- One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today." (Luke 5:17-26)
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
Unless we understand a person’s pain we will never understand a person’s soul.
Chad's Comments:
If you can find a persons greatest pain, you will likely find what they fear the most. If we can develop a relationship with someone, deep enough to personally touch that point of pain, we can minister to their soul.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
The Yoke of Identity by Jill Carattini
Take about 5 minutes to read this snippets version of Yesterday's 'A Slice of Infinity'. Follow up by reading TODAY'S SLICE and forward any comments on your faith journey.
- David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
-Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. (Psalm 20:6-7)
-Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.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 11:28-29)
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
As I read this account of David, I wrestle with thoughts of identity. Would I have taken the armor off though it wasn't my own? Would I have been myself, aware of my own abilities, or would I have tried to make someone else's armor my confidence? David is for me a helpful reminder that when our identity is found in God, authenticity and obedience are natural responses to life: David took off the breastplate of Saul because he knew the fortress of God.
And thus, David went into the valley authentically, facing Goliath as no one but himself, going forth not with confidence in his own being, nor confidence in any armor, but with confidence in the character of God.
Chad's Comments:
In today's reading, Jill encourages us to live an authentic life; one not putting on masks or taking on the identity of someone else. I find it thought worthy when she wrote, I would argue that abandoning ourselves to the person of God, we find ourselves able to become the person God has created us to be.
So, as I work through each situation of each day, I will endeavor to be mindful of keeping every thought captive; attempting to abandon my self and be transformed into the likeness of Christ's for his is the only solid identity worthy.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
- David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
-Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. (Psalm 20:6-7)
-Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
As I read this account of David, I wrestle with thoughts of identity. Would I have taken the armor off though it wasn't my own? Would I have been myself, aware of my own abilities, or would I have tried to make someone else's armor my confidence? David is for me a helpful reminder that when our identity is found in God, authenticity and obedience are natural responses to life: David took off the breastplate of Saul because he knew the fortress of God.
And thus, David went into the valley authentically, facing Goliath as no one but himself, going forth not with confidence in his own being, nor confidence in any armor, but with confidence in the character of God.
Chad's Comments:
In today's reading, Jill encourages us to live an authentic life; one not putting on masks or taking on the identity of someone else. I find it thought worthy when she wrote, I would argue that abandoning ourselves to the person of God, we find ourselves able to become the person God has created us to be.
So, as I work through each situation of each day, I will endeavor to be mindful of keeping every thought captive; attempting to abandon my self and be transformed into the likeness of Christ's for his is the only solid identity worthy.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
A Working Faith by Magaret Manning
Take about 5 minutes to read this snippets version of Yesterday's 'A Slice of Infinity'. Follow up by reading TODAY'S SLICE and forward any comments on your faith journey.
-Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)
-And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. (Luke 19:9)
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
Like Abraham, Zaccheus responds with faith. Abraham believed God and it was “counted as righteousness”. Abraham’s belief in God prompted action. His faith compelled him to follow God’s lead even though that meant leaving family, land, comfort, and security. In the same way, by voluntarily impoverishing himself, Zaccheus demonstrates that he too is a child of Abraham because he lives by faith--faith that demonstrates its true character in action.
Has your faith motivated you to action? Has it filled you with gratitude so that you abundantly give of your time, your talents, and your resources? Has it shown up through visible and tangible demonstrations of love and justice? Or, is faith a random, disjointed collection of ideas that make no claim on the way you live your life? As we remember the story of Zaccheus, will it be said of you and of me: "Today salvation has come to this house, for he, too, is a son of Abraham?"
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
-Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)
-And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. (Luke 19:9)
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
Like Abraham, Zaccheus responds with faith. Abraham believed God and it was “counted as righteousness”. Abraham’s belief in God prompted action. His faith compelled him to follow God’s lead even though that meant leaving family, land, comfort, and security. In the same way, by voluntarily impoverishing himself, Zaccheus demonstrates that he too is a child of Abraham because he lives by faith--faith that demonstrates its true character in action.
Has your faith motivated you to action? Has it filled you with gratitude so that you abundantly give of your time, your talents, and your resources? Has it shown up through visible and tangible demonstrations of love and justice? Or, is faith a random, disjointed collection of ideas that make no claim on the way you live your life? As we remember the story of Zaccheus, will it be said of you and of me: "Today salvation has come to this house, for he, too, is a son of Abraham?"
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Matchless Design by Jill Carattini
-When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Physicist and Nobel laureate Leon Lederman once jokingly remarked that the real goal of physics was to come up with an equation that could explain the universe but still be small enough to fit on a T-shirt. With this challenge in mind, Oxford scientist Richard Dawkins offers up his own T-shirt slogan: "Life results from the non-random survival of randomly varying replicators." The universe, he insists, has neither design nor purpose; it exhibits nothing but blind pitiless indifference.
Yet if the universe has always been a disordered series of time plus matter plus chance, how do we account for the intricate orderedness to life, the uniformity of nature, or even the intricacy of the very mind that asks the question?
..."We learn to praise God," it reads, "not by paying compliments, but by paying attention." In fact, much of Scripture is a call to remember and take notice, to bear in mind the stories of God in history and to fix one’s eyes on God’s presence in the world today. In may be that microbiologist Michael Behe is one who pays closer attention than most...
...There would be no reason for a pre-version of the mechanism to survive, and the probability of such an intricate, multi-component mechanism simultaneously and randomly developing at once is nil. They are mechanisms for which a solely chance-driven world simply cannot account. Accounting for them requires remembering another story.
Chad's Comments:
What story does your world view enjoin you to remember?
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations. (there are very few washers and dryers available for the homeless. So, even though they may not need coats, they will wear a shirt until it is really ragged and smelly, then simply throw it away. Clothing donations in the summer are strongly encouraged.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Physicist and Nobel laureate Leon Lederman once jokingly remarked that the real goal of physics was to come up with an equation that could explain the universe but still be small enough to fit on a T-shirt. With this challenge in mind, Oxford scientist Richard Dawkins offers up his own T-shirt slogan: "Life results from the non-random survival of randomly varying replicators." The universe, he insists, has neither design nor purpose; it exhibits nothing but blind pitiless indifference.
Yet if the universe has always been a disordered series of time plus matter plus chance, how do we account for the intricate orderedness to life, the uniformity of nature, or even the intricacy of the very mind that asks the question?
..."We learn to praise God," it reads, "not by paying compliments, but by paying attention." In fact, much of Scripture is a call to remember and take notice, to bear in mind the stories of God in history and to fix one’s eyes on God’s presence in the world today. In may be that microbiologist Michael Behe is one who pays closer attention than most...
...There would be no reason for a pre-version of the mechanism to survive, and the probability of such an intricate, multi-component mechanism simultaneously and randomly developing at once is nil. They are mechanisms for which a solely chance-driven world simply cannot account. Accounting for them requires remembering another story.
Chad's Comments:
What story does your world view enjoin you to remember?
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations. (there are very few washers and dryers available for the homeless. So, even though they may not need coats, they will wear a shirt until it is really ragged and smelly, then simply throw it away. Clothing donations in the summer are strongly encouraged.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Jesus and the Kingdom of God by Jill Carattini
Happy Monday!
-So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6)
For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, (Colossians 1:13)
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
...But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” In other words, they were not only going to be recipients of the kingdom of God, they were going to be agents as well--agents of a kingdom that was already among them...
In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we have not only been given a means to enter the kingdom of God, we have been made agents of its very presence among the world as we know it today, even as we wait eagerly for Christ to come again. Indeed, come, Lord Jesus.
Chad's Comments:
Jay noted that this was not a concept only practiced by early Christians. This is something he believes we would find if we visit any Catholic church on any given Sunday. Thanks for the insight into your faith Jay!
This is an apologetic I had not previously considered:
How was it that the earliest confessors, who had expected a messiah that would boldly rescue Israel from its political oppressors, came to articulate these words? What would have caused them to speak of the arrival of a present and eternal kingdom, though injustice and repression remained throughout the land?...
With great evidence, we continue to see the hand of God, not the hand of man, succeeding in HisStory.
As one great song states: "I did not make it, no it is making me. It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man."
I also note that people have asked what Jesus has for them NOW; not just what He has in store for their eternity. In what ways are we being agents of the kingdom today?
COUGARS' NeighborDAy weekend: We are able to love and minister to our hurting neighbors simply because we invite them over for dinner. Pick a weekend in June or July and share your story on the blog.
Prayer requests: (Please email us and share yours)
Please continue to lift up Elaine's family, My neighbor Gerry and his wife Terri and my aunt Barbara who struggles with depression and alcoholism.
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations. (there are very few washers and dryers available for the homeless. So, even though they may not need coats, they will wear a shirt until it is really ragged and smelly, then simply throw it away. Clothing donations in the summer are strongly encouraged.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
-So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6)
For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, (Colossians 1:13)
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
...But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” In other words, they were not only going to be recipients of the kingdom of God, they were going to be agents as well--agents of a kingdom that was already among them...
In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we have not only been given a means to enter the kingdom of God, we have been made agents of its very presence among the world as we know it today, even as we wait eagerly for Christ to come again. Indeed, come, Lord Jesus.
Chad's Comments:
Jay noted that this was not a concept only practiced by early Christians. This is something he believes we would find if we visit any Catholic church on any given Sunday. Thanks for the insight into your faith Jay!
This is an apologetic I had not previously considered:
How was it that the earliest confessors, who had expected a messiah that would boldly rescue Israel from its political oppressors, came to articulate these words? What would have caused them to speak of the arrival of a present and eternal kingdom, though injustice and repression remained throughout the land?...
With great evidence, we continue to see the hand of God, not the hand of man, succeeding in HisStory.
As one great song states: "I did not make it, no it is making me. It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man."
I also note that people have asked what Jesus has for them NOW; not just what He has in store for their eternity. In what ways are we being agents of the kingdom today?
COUGARS' NeighborDAy weekend: We are able to love and minister to our hurting neighbors simply because we invite them over for dinner. Pick a weekend in June or July and share your story on the blog.
Prayer requests: (Please email us and share yours)
Please continue to lift up Elaine's family, My neighbor Gerry and his wife Terri and my aunt Barbara who struggles with depression and alcoholism.
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations. (there are very few washers and dryers available for the homeless. So, even though they may not need coats, they will wear a shirt until it is really ragged and smelly, then simply throw it away. Clothing donations in the summer are strongly encouraged.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
-Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. (John 6:35)
- Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." (John 8:12)
- "While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world."(John 9:5)
“the gate” (10:7), “the good shepherd” (10:11,14), “the resurrection and the life” (11:25), “the way, the truth and the life” (14:6), and “the true vine” (15:1).
(Actual Verses)
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
... When responding to anti-Christian religious trends, it is easy to focus on what we do not believe, what we are not for, and stop there. Everyone knows what Christians are against, but does anyone know what we are for? The evidence for a Christian vision of a new earth is seen when we are active in our communities, offering hope, healing, and renewal through the various gifts God has given us by his grace. Because of God’s redemptive work through Jesus, a new earth can arise now.
Chad's Comments:
Can your church be 'Green'? Can you help your church building recycle, use less electricity and find new ways to clean up the area around it?
The kingdom of God is at hand.
COUGARS' NeighborDAy weekend: We are able to love and minister to our hurting neighbors simply because we invite them over for dinner. Pick a weekend in June or July and share your story on the blog.
Prayer requests: (Please email us and share yours)
Please continue to lift up Elaine's family, My neighbor Gerry and his wife Terri and my aunt Barbara who struggles with depression and alcoholism.
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations. (there are very few washers and dryers available for the homeless. So, even though they may not need coats, they will wear a shirt until it is really ragged and smelly, then simply throw it away. Clothing donations in the summer are strongly encouraged.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
- Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." (John 8:12)
- "While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world."(John 9:5)
“the gate” (10:7), “the good shepherd” (10:11,14), “the resurrection and the life” (11:25), “the way, the truth and the life” (14:6), and “the true vine” (15:1).
(Actual Verses)
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
... When responding to anti-Christian religious trends, it is easy to focus on what we do not believe, what we are not for, and stop there. Everyone knows what Christians are against, but does anyone know what we are for? The evidence for a Christian vision of a new earth is seen when we are active in our communities, offering hope, healing, and renewal through the various gifts God has given us by his grace. Because of God’s redemptive work through Jesus, a new earth can arise now.
Chad's Comments:
Can your church be 'Green'? Can you help your church building recycle, use less electricity and find new ways to clean up the area around it?
The kingdom of God is at hand.
COUGARS' NeighborDAy weekend: We are able to love and minister to our hurting neighbors simply because we invite them over for dinner. Pick a weekend in June or July and share your story on the blog.
Prayer requests: (Please email us and share yours)
Please continue to lift up Elaine's family, My neighbor Gerry and his wife Terri and my aunt Barbara who struggles with depression and alcoholism.
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations. (there are very few washers and dryers available for the homeless. So, even though they may not need coats, they will wear a shirt until it is really ragged and smelly, then simply throw it away. Clothing donations in the summer are strongly encouraged.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
Jesus and the Resurrection of Hope by Jill Carattini
-So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." (John 11:3)
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
... There is something about suffering and despair that brings us to strain our ears for the voice of God. Where we have written God off as silent, where we have lived with the suspicion of a distant or demanding ruler, there is a compulsion within our pain that forces us to listen. There is an image of Christ who carried the same burden. And it is met with the promise of one who speaks: This sickness will not end in death.
Chad's Comments:
I sometimes wonder about praying that a loved one would suffer - so that they might turn to God.
After I wrote the above sentence, I checked my email and received the following video from Shannon (my sister-in-law and a COUGAR). I think it embodies what COUGARS is all about!
COUGARS' NeighborDAy weekend: We are able to love and minister to our hurting neighbors simply because we invite them over for dinner. Pick a weekend in June or July and share your story on the blog.
Prayer requests: (Please email us and share yours)
Please continue to lift up Elaine's family, My neighbor Gerry and his wife Terri and my aunt Barbara who struggles with depression and alcoholism.
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations. (there are very few washers and dryers available for the homeless. So, even though they may not need coats, they will wear a shirt until it is really ragged and smelly, then simply throw it away. Clothing donations in the summer are strongly encouraged.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
... There is something about suffering and despair that brings us to strain our ears for the voice of God. Where we have written God off as silent, where we have lived with the suspicion of a distant or demanding ruler, there is a compulsion within our pain that forces us to listen. There is an image of Christ who carried the same burden. And it is met with the promise of one who speaks: This sickness will not end in death.
Chad's Comments:
I sometimes wonder about praying that a loved one would suffer - so that they might turn to God.
After I wrote the above sentence, I checked my email and received the following video from Shannon (my sister-in-law and a COUGAR). I think it embodies what COUGARS is all about!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ
COUGARS' NeighborDAy weekend: We are able to love and minister to our hurting neighbors simply because we invite them over for dinner. Pick a weekend in June or July and share your story on the blog.
Prayer requests: (Please email us and share yours)
Please continue to lift up Elaine's family, My neighbor Gerry and his wife Terri and my aunt Barbara who struggles with depression and alcoholism.
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations. (there are very few washers and dryers available for the homeless. So, even though they may not need coats, they will wear a shirt until it is really ragged and smelly, then simply throw it away. Clothing donations in the summer are strongly encouraged.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Knowldedge as Love by Margaret Manning
-Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (Hebrews 1:1-2)
- Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." This "knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. (1 Corinthians 8:1-3)
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
... My husband no longer has long hair, and he rarely dons his Yankees cap. These two “facts” that identified him to me long ago, no longer reflect the knowledge I now have of him. I’ve learned a great deal about him in the fifteen years of our life together. Granted, my knowledge of my husband encompasses certain “facts” I know about him, but truly knowing him comes from loving him. In the same way, truly knowing God comes in loving God--indeed, as we love God “we are known by God” in return. In this sense, we have a new understanding, and are on our way to a new definition of knowledge as love. As N.T. Wright has written about the search for knowledge, “We might perhaps expect that in studying Jesus himself we would find the clue to understanding not only the object we can see through the telescope, the voice we can hear on the telephone, but the nature of sight and hearing themselves. Studying Jesus, in other words, might lead to a reappraisal of the theory of knowledge itself.”
Indeed, knowing Jesus means loving Jesus, and loving Jesus alters the nature of knowledge from simply being the pursuit of an object to the transformation of the subject itself. With knowledge as love, we stop looking at Jesus, and start looking through him.
Chad's Comments:
In today's culture, it seems fashionable to pursue facts and knowledge as the ultimate goal of all truth and life. May I challenge you to not 'label' your neighbors or co-workers by what they wear or what their philosophical outlook is? Realize the falseness of mankind. Realize the cost of following Christ. Embrace HIS commands and start loving them.
Yesterday, I was very frustrated with a client who seemed to not offer me any grace. Although in the situation, I was selfish and wanted to control them, I realize that they too are fallen and in need of grace.
Today, seek justice for someone else - not yourself.
May the Love of Christ shine in your lives today oh blessed friends.
Prayer requests: (Please email us and share yours)
Please continue to lift up Elaine's family, My neighbor Gerry and his wife Terri and my aunt Barbara who struggles with depression and alcoholism.
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations. (there are very few washers and dryers available for the homeless. So, even though they may not need coats, they will wear a shirt until it is really ragged and smelly, then simply throw it away. Clothing donations in the summer are strongly encouraged.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
- Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." This "knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. (1 Corinthians 8:1-3)
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
... My husband no longer has long hair, and he rarely dons his Yankees cap. These two “facts” that identified him to me long ago, no longer reflect the knowledge I now have of him. I’ve learned a great deal about him in the fifteen years of our life together. Granted, my knowledge of my husband encompasses certain “facts” I know about him, but truly knowing him comes from loving him. In the same way, truly knowing God comes in loving God--indeed, as we love God “we are known by God” in return. In this sense, we have a new understanding, and are on our way to a new definition of knowledge as love. As N.T. Wright has written about the search for knowledge, “We might perhaps expect that in studying Jesus himself we would find the clue to understanding not only the object we can see through the telescope, the voice we can hear on the telephone, but the nature of sight and hearing themselves. Studying Jesus, in other words, might lead to a reappraisal of the theory of knowledge itself.”
Indeed, knowing Jesus means loving Jesus, and loving Jesus alters the nature of knowledge from simply being the pursuit of an object to the transformation of the subject itself. With knowledge as love, we stop looking at Jesus, and start looking through him.
Chad's Comments:
In today's culture, it seems fashionable to pursue facts and knowledge as the ultimate goal of all truth and life. May I challenge you to not 'label' your neighbors or co-workers by what they wear or what their philosophical outlook is? Realize the falseness of mankind. Realize the cost of following Christ. Embrace HIS commands and start loving them.
Yesterday, I was very frustrated with a client who seemed to not offer me any grace. Although in the situation, I was selfish and wanted to control them, I realize that they too are fallen and in need of grace.
Today, seek justice for someone else - not yourself.
May the Love of Christ shine in your lives today oh blessed friends.
Prayer requests: (Please email us and share yours)
Please continue to lift up Elaine's family, My neighbor Gerry and his wife Terri and my aunt Barbara who struggles with depression and alcoholism.
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations. (there are very few washers and dryers available for the homeless. So, even though they may not need coats, they will wear a shirt until it is really ragged and smelly, then simply throw it away. Clothing donations in the summer are strongly encouraged.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Jesus and the Whole of HIstory
- But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. (Galatians 4:4)
"He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him. (Hosea 6:2)
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
...Witnesses were radically transformed by beholding him, not merely because a resurrected man stood before them, but because the resurrection radically validated everything Jesus said and did among them. The claim of Christ that the kingdom of God was already at hand was suddenly and unavoidably revealed as true.
... “To anyone who earnestly shared the apocalyptic hope in the general resurrection, the resurrection of Jesus would have revealed the meaning of universal history. It glimpsed the end of history. The meaning of the whole was made known through the lens of this one end-time event.”
... Jesus was a clue to the meaning of history for those who first heard it, a solid hope for the present age, and a glimpse of the future glory to come.... As Paul once declared emphatically, we emphatically echo today: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11).
To behold the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ is to see the meaning of the whole of history. To know the power of the resurrection is to know the rest of the story, even as we wait eagerly to receive that ending face to face. From this expectant perspective, our Christology even today can thus confess: Awake, O sleeper! Arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Prayer requests: (Please email us and share yours)
Please continue to lift up Elaine's family, My neighbor Gerry and his wife Terri and my aunt Barbara who struggles with depression and alcoholism.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations.
"He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him. (Hosea 6:2)
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
...Witnesses were radically transformed by beholding him, not merely because a resurrected man stood before them, but because the resurrection radically validated everything Jesus said and did among them. The claim of Christ that the kingdom of God was already at hand was suddenly and unavoidably revealed as true.
... “To anyone who earnestly shared the apocalyptic hope in the general resurrection, the resurrection of Jesus would have revealed the meaning of universal history. It glimpsed the end of history. The meaning of the whole was made known through the lens of this one end-time event.”
... Jesus was a clue to the meaning of history for those who first heard it, a solid hope for the present age, and a glimpse of the future glory to come.... As Paul once declared emphatically, we emphatically echo today: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11).
To behold the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ is to see the meaning of the whole of history. To know the power of the resurrection is to know the rest of the story, even as we wait eagerly to receive that ending face to face. From this expectant perspective, our Christology even today can thus confess: Awake, O sleeper! Arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Prayer requests: (Please email us and share yours)
Please continue to lift up Elaine's family, My neighbor Gerry and his wife Terri and my aunt Barbara who struggles with depression and alcoholism.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Jesus: Then and Now, Above and Below by Jill Carattini
- And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. (1Corinthians 15:14)
- For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. (1 Thessalonians 4:14)
- And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment. (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
I believe a Christology that starts with a historical examination of the resurrection offers us much reason to hope in the person and reality of Christ as the Son of God. “If Christ has not been raised,” writes Paul, “our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Similarly, I wonder if starting “from below,” with an investigation of the historical Jesus, does not offer us a certain hope (and starting point) for the current intellectual climate. Though there are no doubt those like David Hume among us who would not believe on any amount of evidence that something so unusual as the resurrection could happen, there are countless others who are asking good questions from below. Among others: What happened on that first Easter morning? Why would the disciples go to their deaths making such an outrageous claim? And why does the rise of Christianity remain a challenge unanswered?
Such questions are a good starting point for anyone, and often--like the resurrection for those who first beheld it--the questioner is moved quickly from historical matters below to matters far above. As N.T. Wright notes:
“[T]he challenge [of the resurrection] comes down to a much narrower point, not simply to do with worldviews in general, or with ‘the supernatural’ in particular, but with the direct question of death and life, of the world of space, time and matter and its relation to whatever being there may be for whom the word ‘god,’ or even ‘God,’ might be appropriate. Here there is, of course, no neutrality.”...
In the eyes of Jesus’s beholders, the resurrection had clear implications for our own bodies, lives, and deaths. Paul is similarly bold in his application: “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). “He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:18). As the fulfillment of apocalyptic hope, the risen Jesus is understood as the one who ushers in the future resurrection promised to all of God’s people.
The resurrection is so much more than an event in history, but that it is an event in history is what allows us--indeed, requires us--to answer the very question Jesus first asked his disciples: Who do you say that I am? However we answer this question, there is, of course, no prospect of neutrality.
Chad's Comments:
Friday evening, after a short run, my running partner, Ben, and I were stretching on the front porch. A neighbor came by to tell us that he would likely not be able to make it to dinner tonight (we have several neighbors coming over tonight for a get-to-know-you party) because his wife's dad was dying and they would need to work through all of those details. Jerry (my neighbor) was obviously hurting and in anguish for his wife and his relationship with her dad. Ben and I were able to simply love him.
The question of death was on his mind heavy. He was saying things like, I'm not a religious man, etc. Other than my saying, "but you know Jesus", Ben and I pretty much just listened to him talk. We stood there for perhaps 10 minutes while Jerry re-told some stories of the hospital and times he had spent with his wife's dad, growing up on a farm. Then, Ben and I witnessed an awesome thing. Something we didn't really realize till after the conversation with Jerry. Jerry continued to wrestle with and attempt to defend his position of being a 'good' man. He was saying how his wife's dad knew 'right from wrong'. Ben and I watched his mind try to justify 'good works' to us. Even though we were not challenging his position. We were only there, listening and loving.
Looking back on the event, Ben and I have both said how we were able to actually watch the spirit of God convict a man's heart right in front of our eyes. I reiterate, that Ben and I were only listening and loving. We were not arguing or even speaking of such matters - mostly just listening and nodding in understanding and support. Yet, Jerry continued to wrestle with, defend and attempt to justify a works righteousness.
At one point Jerry said, "well, I'm a Christian". Which was an encouragement.
In the current intellectual climate, referred to in today's 'slice', I want you to be sure of your faith. Continue to love and let God do the convicting.
I am also excited to know that the next time someone tells me that they can't 'see' God, I'll have another excellent example of a time I did.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations.
- For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. (1 Thessalonians 4:14)
- And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment. (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
I believe a Christology that starts with a historical examination of the resurrection offers us much reason to hope in the person and reality of Christ as the Son of God. “If Christ has not been raised,” writes Paul, “our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Similarly, I wonder if starting “from below,” with an investigation of the historical Jesus, does not offer us a certain hope (and starting point) for the current intellectual climate. Though there are no doubt those like David Hume among us who would not believe on any amount of evidence that something so unusual as the resurrection could happen, there are countless others who are asking good questions from below. Among others: What happened on that first Easter morning? Why would the disciples go to their deaths making such an outrageous claim? And why does the rise of Christianity remain a challenge unanswered?
Such questions are a good starting point for anyone, and often--like the resurrection for those who first beheld it--the questioner is moved quickly from historical matters below to matters far above. As N.T. Wright notes:
“[T]he challenge [of the resurrection] comes down to a much narrower point, not simply to do with worldviews in general, or with ‘the supernatural’ in particular, but with the direct question of death and life, of the world of space, time and matter and its relation to whatever being there may be for whom the word ‘god,’ or even ‘God,’ might be appropriate. Here there is, of course, no neutrality.”...
In the eyes of Jesus’s beholders, the resurrection had clear implications for our own bodies, lives, and deaths. Paul is similarly bold in his application: “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). “He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:18). As the fulfillment of apocalyptic hope, the risen Jesus is understood as the one who ushers in the future resurrection promised to all of God’s people.
The resurrection is so much more than an event in history, but that it is an event in history is what allows us--indeed, requires us--to answer the very question Jesus first asked his disciples: Who do you say that I am? However we answer this question, there is, of course, no prospect of neutrality.
Chad's Comments:
Friday evening, after a short run, my running partner, Ben, and I were stretching on the front porch. A neighbor came by to tell us that he would likely not be able to make it to dinner tonight (we have several neighbors coming over tonight for a get-to-know-you party) because his wife's dad was dying and they would need to work through all of those details. Jerry (my neighbor) was obviously hurting and in anguish for his wife and his relationship with her dad. Ben and I were able to simply love him.
The question of death was on his mind heavy. He was saying things like, I'm not a religious man, etc. Other than my saying, "but you know Jesus", Ben and I pretty much just listened to him talk. We stood there for perhaps 10 minutes while Jerry re-told some stories of the hospital and times he had spent with his wife's dad, growing up on a farm. Then, Ben and I witnessed an awesome thing. Something we didn't really realize till after the conversation with Jerry. Jerry continued to wrestle with and attempt to defend his position of being a 'good' man. He was saying how his wife's dad knew 'right from wrong'. Ben and I watched his mind try to justify 'good works' to us. Even though we were not challenging his position. We were only there, listening and loving.
Looking back on the event, Ben and I have both said how we were able to actually watch the spirit of God convict a man's heart right in front of our eyes. I reiterate, that Ben and I were only listening and loving. We were not arguing or even speaking of such matters - mostly just listening and nodding in understanding and support. Yet, Jerry continued to wrestle with, defend and attempt to justify a works righteousness.
At one point Jerry said, "well, I'm a Christian". Which was an encouragement.
In the current intellectual climate, referred to in today's 'slice', I want you to be sure of your faith. Continue to love and let God do the convicting.
I am also excited to know that the next time someone tells me that they can't 'see' God, I'll have another excellent example of a time I did.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Sibling Rivalry in the House of Faith by J.M. Njoroge
Read 'A Slice of Infinity' each day and email Chad with your comments/experience/prayers etc. This ~5 minute recap, called 'COUGARS Daily' contains snippets from the previous day's A Slice of Infinity as well as comments from you.
- “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”- (Ephesians 3:17-19)A Slice of Infinity snippets:
In spite of the fact that our Lord prayed fervently for unity among his followers, the visible church is often a conglomeration of competing factions, each equally convinced of its solitary possession of divine favor. Those who seek signs and wonders through the Holy Spirit are usually suspicious of those who emphasize exegetical approaches to the Scriptures. Christian scholars are sometimes content just to talk to each other, and the uncanny tendency of apologists to sniff out rotten doctrines, real or imagined, is not always appreciated.
As a result, not only do we squander valuable benefits of dedicated teamwork within the household of faith, we also lose our edge in our witness to a broken world. Despite the monumental gains made in biblical research and translation, biblical illiteracy is still a high-ranking concern, and the frequent outbursts of oft-unfounded accusations from our detractors succeed in rattling the cage for not a few followers of Christ. While outcasts and sinners braved insults to seek refuge in Jesus, they bolt from our divided efforts to reach them and reject God because they mistake us for Him.
When being right becomes an end in itself, we lose sight of our own need for God’s grace--a need that would be there even if we were faultless.
Chad's Comments: How difficult it is to not act as if I know what God wants for every corner of someone else's life. Or even more so to make judgment calls based on someone else's upbringing, appearance, nationality or world view. It is a challenge for me to realize that my Jesus walked an 'Eastern' world and was not a 'white bred American'.
I must lay down my selfish ambition and 'enter in' to a love for others that transcends my personal judgment call.
Yesterday, I was speaking to a client about how we had previously allowed someone who was in hard times to stay with us for awhile. When it became obvious that the person was becoming complacent and lazy, we 'kicked them out'. Looking back on this, I still believe we made the right choice for that particular situation. But, can I pick a hard line and say that this is the proper method for every encounter? No. We must follow what the Holy Spirit tells us, not what our world thinks is best.
I know that the Bible says, "if a man will not work, he shall not eat." And I agree that enabling is likely a downfall; but if, in serving the poor and downtrodden, we err on the side of too generous, I believe we are closer to what Jesus would have us do.
Let's strive to not be divided in ministry. May we put Catholic and Protestant, Messianic and Orthodox, Anglican and Pentecostal all focused on being Christ. The book 'UnChristian' tells us that if a person does not 'accept' what Jesus has done for them by age 18, there is only a 6% chance that they will do so in their adult lives.
I sure don't want someone's excuse for not believing in Jesus to be, "that church (Chad and his friends) sure is a hypocrite. If that is what Jesus looks like, I don't want to have anything to do with it."
Sorry for the jumbled mess of this post. I hope it's making sense.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
The Urgency of the Present by Jill Carattini
Read 'A Slice of Infinity' each day and email Chad with your comments/experience/prayers etc. This ~5 minute recap, called 'COUGARS Daily' contains snippets from the previous day's A Slice of Infinity as well as comments from you.
- Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. (Hebrews 2:1)
- Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the LORD, (Haggai 2:15)
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
Coming out of a painful time of exile, the people (Israel) immediately set up an altar remembering the Lord. Compelled by a longing to exalt the God they came to see through blinding trouble of banishment, within a year, they had laid the foundations to rebuild the temple. But when they were ordered by the Persian court to stop building, understandably, they yielded to the command. And yet, long after the opposition had subsided, they continued in their hesitation. They had become indifferent to the task they had once started with enthusiasm. They had no will, courage, or interest to set their minds to build again. Whether out of complacency, fear, or comfort, in this place of the time being, they found themselves immobile. They wanted to finish the temple; they wanted to experience God and find God in his great sanctuary, but not yet.
Such are the ways I would rather not examine in myself. It often seems easier to avoid taking stock than to face the shelves of bankrupt longings, irrationalities, and empty motions. Yet, “we must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard," cautions the writer of Hebrews, "so that we do not drift away" (2:1).
Whether it is the unrecognized hope in material things, the looming certainties of fear, or the undiagnosed putting-off of certain questions, each is a sight barring our eyes from the present with towering mountains of the future. "What if I fail at that job?" "Once I have this, I will be happy." "I'll deal with that idea later." Through the prophet Haggai, God stirs us back to the urgency of the present, and the call to examine our hearts before the one with whom there is no hiding. "Now give careful thought to this from this day on," declares the LORD Almighty (2:15).
Now is when God calls. Now is when Christ carries our sorrows, or fears, or disappointments. Indeed, now is when we must respond with careful thought to our ways and careful attention to what we have heard. For God is here. Our stories may seem bound by daily pressures, fears, and longings, but our lives are woven together with the one who promises again and again: "Return to me, and I will return to you."
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
As One Having Authority by Margaret Manning
Read 'A Slice of Infinity' each day and email Chad with your comments/experience/prayers etc. This ~5 minute recap, called 'COUGARS Daily' contains snippets from the previous day's A Slice of Infinity as well as comments from you.
- And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?" (Matthew 8:27)
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
Indeed, the miracles that Jesus performed demonstrated the rule of God itself, and further, that the rule of God was going out to all who relied on Jesus. Jesus was not simply acting for God, but acting with God in such a way as to demonstrate that the Kingdom had come and had come with power and authority. Jesus’s words and his deeds bore out this kingdom reality--“and the multitudes were amazed.”
And we, too, are amazed. As we place our trust in God by following Jesus, we experience the rule of God in our lives and we experience something of that authority. The original language indicates that this authority gives us the capability or liberty to enter into God’s rule more fully and more deeply than we ever thought possible. Entering into God’s rule is about entering into Kingdom living, as first demonstrated by Jesus. As we enter through those doors, we are free to live out our lives in the mode or authority of the Kingdom. Accordingly, we too can bring healing, call powers and principalities to justice, bring order to chaos, and new life to what was dead.
This is what it means to have authority. It is not to live as an overlord or a dictator, but as one whose identity is so taken up into the life of God that one bears the imprimatur of the King. Thus, marked with Kingdom authority, we are freed to live in ways that reveal God’s reign.
Chad's Comments: I found it no coincidence that this reading is speaking of the Authority of Jesus to heal. Yesterday evening, Wolfgang (Wolf is the father of Zak, the young man we prayed for at our home who has severe scoliosis - such that he is only able to use about 25% lung capacity) and I talked about the healing services going on in Lakeland, Florida. Wolfgang had heard of this event from several people and has much confirmation that God is on the move in Lakeland. Even such that some from other countries whom have been to the services have went home and are seeing healings taking place there as well. Wolfgang is trying to decipher God's will in whether God would have him take Zak to the meetings to be healed of God. I told 'Chamo' (Wolfgang) that I would pray about it last night and this morning. Now, despite my desire, I really don't spend as much time in prayer as some may think. Actually, only a few minutes last night and again some thoughts about it this morning. Then, I read 'A Slice of Infinity' and thought that it was no coincidence.
Let us truly enter into the Kingdom that is at Hand.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
On Progress by Jill Carattini
Read 'A Slice of Infinity' each day and email Chad with your comments/experience/prayers etc. This ~5 minute recap, called 'COUGARS Daily' contains snippets from the previous day's A Slice of Infinity as well as comments from you.
A Slice of Infinity snippets:
There is a standard of good above and outside of every progress we seek. Christ is seated on the throne of the very kingdom he proclaims among us today. And behold: he is making all things new.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations.
Monday, June 2, 2008
short recap of 'In Defense of Listening' by Carattini
Read 'A Slice of Infinity' each day and email Chad with your comments/experience/prayers etc. This ~5 minute recap, called 'COUGARS Daily' contains snippets from the previous day's A Slice of Infinity as well as comments from you.
- Hear, O Israel:(A) The LORD our God, the LORD is one. (Deuteronomy 6:4)
"I like to listen," said Ernest Hemingway. "I have learned a great deal from listening carefully."...
And it still is. In homes where we are not put to death for owning a Bible, it is easy to forget the wonder of a God who speaks. As countless translations continue to emerge and divide us, it is easy to be distracted from the authority of words that never fade, but come into new generations and changing cultures with new influence. The words of Scripture are living and active, the Spirit leading us to the person of Christ within the pages. Read aloud or studied silently, God is speaking, crying out for ears to hear and hearts to search.
As Ezra read the words of the Law before a generation who had forgotten, the people wept in the presence of the LORD and immediately fell down in worship. When the apostle Paul's letter was read aloud to the Roman church, the words resounded similarly among the crowd: "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). The voice of God is still speaking! The kingdom is among us! Who among us will listen?
Chad's Comments: Our daughter, Kaci, has said when asked, "I can't hear God, He's too far away." I too often think of God as far away and some entity off in the clouds. However, when I am open to listening to His Voice, I feel that He speaks very clearly. Kara and I enjoy the ride home from Church as we discuss what we heard from God and learned. At service yesterday, my wife and I each heard several things (by 'things', I mean what God put in our hearts out of what the preacher was saying, not the words of the preacher himself). When we were talking on the way home, we had great confirmation that God was giving us a the same message. God had birthed something in me about a year ago. Kara developed a desire for it and in the past few weeks it had become very meaningful and she longed to participate in it. Meanwhile, I had somewhat put the event on the back burner. However, God was still giving me a desire for something that I saw as a little more abstract. On our ride home from church, Kara's concrete endeavor and my abstract idea came together. This is a wonderful affirmation of the reality of the Holy Spirit in our midst.
Lord, Help me to listen! And when I hear, to act!
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.
* The Street Church still needs volunteers and donations.
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