Why am I here?

From Hebridean Altars

Seven times a day I work upon this hungry farm, I say to Thee, 'Lord, why am I here? What is there here to stir my gifts to growth? What great thing can I do for others - I who am captive to this dreary toil?'

And seven times a day Thou answerest, 'I cannot do without thee. Once did My Son live thy life, and by His faithfulness did show My mind, My kindness, and My truth to men. But now He is come to My side, and thou must take His place.'

Renovare notes cont'd - Words

"The opening page of our Scriptures presents us with God speaking words: saying the entire creation and us into being. 'And God said. And God said. And God said.' Everywhere and always as Christians follow Jesus we use words that were first used by God in bringing us and the world around us into being. Our language is derivative (as everything about us is!) from the language of God."
-Eugene Peterson, The Jesus Way

Words: Moses and The Jesus Way - Richard Foster

God said, 'Let there be light' and the Big Bang occured.
God is our 'communicating cosmos' (Dallas Willard)

Words trivialized by the blogosphere, corrupted by doublespeak, and debased by blasphemies keep us perpetually distracted. We say more and more about less and less.

Responding in Faith and Hope

• Words that are few and full: Grounded and drawn out of silence unplugs us from the inane babel of modern culture.

• Words that bless and encourage: significant in context.

• Words that are crisp and clear and imaginative: "The difference between right word and almost right word is between lightening and a lightening bug." Mark Twain Imaginative words paint pictures, show and don't tell.

St. Teresa's Bookmark

Let nothing trouble you, let nothing frighten you.
All things are passing; God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
He who possesses God lacks nothing:
God alone suffices.

Renovare notes cont'd - Worship

Worship: Elijah and the Jesus Way - Emilie Griffin

"Worship in the biblical sources and in liturgical history is not something a person experiences, it is something we do, regardless of how we feel about it, or whether we feel anything about it at all. The experience develops out of the worship, not the other way around. Authentic worship means being present to the living God who penetrates the whole of human life."
-Eugene Peterson, The Jesus Way

Elijah - single minded, undivided heart
Elijah teaches us how to wait for God - solitude, submission, surrender
Elijah consistently accepts whatever God sends him, desolation and consolation. He knows that God is always with him.
Through Elijah's example we learn about embracing the tough stuff of life. Elijah accepted and sought to hear God's voice even in the tough times.

Elijah experiences rejection and goes into hiding. He runs for his life. This is because he is Yahweh's man, becomes he condemns the worship of false gods.

On the run, Elijah hears God while hiding in the cave. One translation is that he hears God in the sheer silence. St. John of the Cross calls it, "Silent music or music that keeps still."

Teresa of Avila: "God is enough"

How should we worship the Living God?
-Being present to the living God who permeates the whole of life
-Becoming temples of God's Spirit
-Walking the "hidden path" of interior formation
-Rejoicing/manifesting faith in God in community
-Letting your life speak: 'Responding to every movement of grace like a floating balloon" (deCaussade)

The worship service is a frame into which we pour our lives and the desires of our hearts for God. A frame in which we live and move and have our being. A frame in which we find ourselves present to the living God.

Renovare notes cont'd - Servanthood

"'Servant' surprises us because it is so incongruent with the way itself, the way of salvation, a 'highway for our God.' The 'way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert' is a glorious affair, extravagantly glorious. But the agents God chooses to carry out this glorious work are inglorious servants." Eugene Peterson, The Jesus Way

Servanthood: Isaiah in the Exile and The Jesus Way - Dallas Willard

Notes:

• Servanthood leads us to forgiveness and mercy.
  
• We turn our kingdom over to God's kingdom
• The cross casts us off from the burden of self control.
• You can only serve out of abundance not out of scarcity
• In exile we learn the sufficiency of God
• Jesus spoke about a grain of wheat that must die to grow. How is our life like a grain of wheat that falls into a ground to bear fruit?
• In John's gospel, travelers from Greece asked Philip if they could talk to Jesus. Historically we conclude that they were hoping to invite Jesus onto the speaking circuit traveling around the Empire and spread his teachings. This was consistent with what other philosophers and teachers had done. Jesus' response to them was that he must die. He denies their request.

Notes from Renovare - The Jesus Way

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Renovare - The Jesus Way conference in San Antonio. Great stuff. Over the course of the next few blog entries I'll share some of the notes I wrote from the sessions. And away we go...

From Eugene Peterson's message "The Jesus Way: What is it? Why do I care?" (The following are all Peterson's words)

• We live in a spiritually thirsty, God curious culture.
• The Jesus Way is a Human Way: The easy part, God becomes human in Jesus and doesn't ask us to be divine. Jesus was grounded in his humanity as we are and that makes it easy for us to identify with him. The hard part, when it comes down to it, I think I would rather be like God than have God be like me. The Serpent's promise to "be like God" is still pretty attractive. However, God fantasies leave us less human.
• The Jesus Way is a Conversational Way: The easy part, Jesus speaks in a language that I am already fluent in, an everyday language of personal conversation that makes me a speech partner with the Word made flesh. We are drawn into a conversation with God. The hard part, it is a lot easier to use language impersonally and functionally. Personal engagement requires something beyond information and explanation.
• The Jesus Way is an Ordinary Way: The easy part, this is an ordinary, well worn path that millions have walked. I don't have to be a super-athlete, a mountain climber. I can do this. It is a "feet on the ground" way. The hard part, "ordinary" is boring. I'd like something that gives me an edge on the common humdrum of life. A little excitement and the spice of entertainment.

Perfect churches are like perfect families, or a bit like the Blue Ridge Mountains. They only look blue from 50 miles away, but when you get up close...

What if Starbucks marketed like a church?