so i read a quote today by writer/theologian N.T. Wright. It wasn't exactly an earth shattering revelation, but it was something i needed to hear and be reminded of. It was on the topic of worship, and what that means, and why we worship to begin with.
"You become like what you worship. When you gaze in awe, admiration, and wonder at something or someone, you begin to take on something of the character of the object of your worship."
i think that's especially true when we aren't worshiping God. because God is love, if we aren't loving our neighbors and caring more about ourselves than others, maybe we're worshiping something other than God. God is love, He calls us to love Him, and love others. I think i haven't been doing that. I can go through all the motions of 'christian living' but if it's not rooted in love, i'm worshiping a system or a religion rather than worshiping God.
N.T. Wright says later about what worship does for you
"Because you were made in God's image, worship makes you more truly human. When you gaze in love and gratitude at the God in whose image you were made, you do indeed grow. You discover more of what it means to be fully alive."
i think that's something i need to do more, is really look to God in love and gratitude, not to just know God is there, but to really acknowledge all that He has done in me and is doing in me.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
righteousness for all
so i've been reading a bit of romans lately, and today i came across romans 3:21-31, and it got me thinking.
we've all been given righteousness through faith in Christ... and sometimes i think that's the problem for me.
we've all been given righteousness.
i don't want to be on a level playing field with liars, cheats, gluttons, etc. i like to think of myself as better than they are, that God thinks better of me than He does of them.
my pride gets between me and God.
i hate it, but it's true, so often, i judge other people and think of myself as better than other people.
but grace calls us to be humble. to accept that we need help, that we aren't as good as we'd like to think we are. that we need help just as much as the people we look down on, the drug dealers, the sleazy executives, everyone.
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
-romans 3:23-24
we've all been given righteousness through faith in Christ... and sometimes i think that's the problem for me.
we've all been given righteousness.
i don't want to be on a level playing field with liars, cheats, gluttons, etc. i like to think of myself as better than they are, that God thinks better of me than He does of them.
my pride gets between me and God.
i hate it, but it's true, so often, i judge other people and think of myself as better than other people.
but grace calls us to be humble. to accept that we need help, that we aren't as good as we'd like to think we are. that we need help just as much as the people we look down on, the drug dealers, the sleazy executives, everyone.
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
-romans 3:23-24
Sunday, June 1, 2008
good ol greensboro + kathryn's wedding
so this weekend i got to go back [ever so briefly] to greensboro, nc, on the way to see my good friend kathryn get married.
and it's funny how even in doing that, God was still trying to teach me something in g-boro.
i spent some time friday night talking with allen and dan and we came to the issue of guarding your heart. I feel like that's something i don't do well, i tend to dive headlong into things and not think about the consequences that it has on me. It's pretty easy for me to get attached to people too quickly and make things more serious than they are. so that's something i'm going to try to work on. being more conscious of where my heart really is.
and speaking of matters of the heart...
i gotta say, kathryn and chris' wedding on saturday was the best wedding i've ever been to. it was truly a celebration of marriage. and that was something so refreshing. it wasn't all the typical pomp and circumstance of weddings, it was a celebration between the bride and groom before God and before all their friends and family. i mean, how many weddings have you been to where the bridesmaids dance down the aisle to 'this is the day?' it was just something i really was blown away by. but really, i think that's how weddings should be. and i was glad to see it.
but i'm tired. and i'm supposed to go into for a pseudo job interview tomorrow, so i'm going to bed.
grace and peace
and it's funny how even in doing that, God was still trying to teach me something in g-boro.
i spent some time friday night talking with allen and dan and we came to the issue of guarding your heart. I feel like that's something i don't do well, i tend to dive headlong into things and not think about the consequences that it has on me. It's pretty easy for me to get attached to people too quickly and make things more serious than they are. so that's something i'm going to try to work on. being more conscious of where my heart really is.
and speaking of matters of the heart...
i gotta say, kathryn and chris' wedding on saturday was the best wedding i've ever been to. it was truly a celebration of marriage. and that was something so refreshing. it wasn't all the typical pomp and circumstance of weddings, it was a celebration between the bride and groom before God and before all their friends and family. i mean, how many weddings have you been to where the bridesmaids dance down the aisle to 'this is the day?' it was just something i really was blown away by. but really, i think that's how weddings should be. and i was glad to see it.
but i'm tired. and i'm supposed to go into for a pseudo job interview tomorrow, so i'm going to bed.
grace and peace
Friday, May 2, 2008
Psalm 25
Psalm 25
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
2 in You I trust, O my God.
Do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one whose hope is in You
will ever be put to shame,
but they will be put to shame
who are treacherous without excuse.
4 Show me Your ways, O LORD,
teach me Your paths;
5 guide me in Your truth and teach me,
for You are God my Savior,
and my hope is in You all day long.
6 Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you are good, O LORD.
8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful
for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, O LORD,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
12 Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD ?
He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.
13 He will spend his days in prosperity,
and his descendants will inherit the land.
14 The LORD confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever on the LORD,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied;
free me from my anguish.
18 Look upon my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.
19 See how my enemies have increased
and how fiercely they hate me!
20 Guard my life and rescue me;
let me not be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope is in you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God,
from all their troubles!
i stumbled upon that this morning after going out to a park in alexandria. i feel like that was exactly what i needed to read. i've been in a spiritual funk lately which is the result of a lot of different things, mostly being away from community and getting into what i call ' studio mode.' which basically means the end of the semester becomes 'eat, sleep, work in studio' and that's pretty much it. kinda shows me where my priorities in life are because God isn't on that list, and it's pretty typical that this time each year He drops off my priority list.
but i don't want to dwell in what i've been doing, but rather on what i'm doing now.
so that was my prayer this morning....
Show me Your ways, O LORD,
teach me Your paths;
guide me in Your truth and teach me,
for You are God my Savior,
and my hope is in You all day long.
that i might get back to abiding in Christ, putting him as a priority over all else in my life.
for your musical pleasue
Sufjan Stevens - For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti
sufjan stevens is amazing.
enjoy
sufjan stevens is amazing.
enjoy
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
365 day ago...
the worst school shooting in U.S. history
32 people killed by a troubled student who then turned his gun on himself
a campus suddenly rocked by tragedy, grief and mourning.
but is that the end of the story?
i don't think so.
the story didn't end when joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and then thrown into jail for a crime he didn't commit?
or when the israelite people are taken off to babylon?
or when saul oversees the stoning of stephen?
or when Christ is nailed to the cross?
no, our God is a God of redemption.
joseph rises to prominence in egypt.
ezra and nehemiah lead the israelites back to jerusalem
saul takes the road to damascus
the empty tomb on sunday
and so i think there's a redemptive story for virginia tech. i've seen parts of that story with the people that have come to Christ because of last april. and i think there's still more to tell. I think God is continuing to do something on our campus. and that the students who went through last april will go out and do great things.
i hope that i'll be able to see how God redeems our story. but if it's something i dont get to see this side of heaven, i still have to trust in God's goodness.
"the Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit"
-psalm 34:18-
32 people killed by a troubled student who then turned his gun on himself
a campus suddenly rocked by tragedy, grief and mourning.
but is that the end of the story?
i don't think so.
the story didn't end when joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and then thrown into jail for a crime he didn't commit?
or when the israelite people are taken off to babylon?
or when saul oversees the stoning of stephen?
or when Christ is nailed to the cross?
no, our God is a God of redemption.
joseph rises to prominence in egypt.
ezra and nehemiah lead the israelites back to jerusalem
saul takes the road to damascus
the empty tomb on sunday
and so i think there's a redemptive story for virginia tech. i've seen parts of that story with the people that have come to Christ because of last april. and i think there's still more to tell. I think God is continuing to do something on our campus. and that the students who went through last april will go out and do great things.
i hope that i'll be able to see how God redeems our story. but if it's something i dont get to see this side of heaven, i still have to trust in God's goodness.
"the Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit"
-psalm 34:18-
Sunday, April 6, 2008
technological isolation and learning to be still
i've come to the realization that i've become dependent on technology.
the world we live in, and us in turn, have become so accustomed to instant gratification.
need directions somewhere? google maps
need information about something? wikipedia
need a book or movie? amazon.com
music? itunes
we can even order pizza online now.
we never have to leave our houses, use a map, take time to learn and remember things. The internet takes care of all this for us.
and because of this technology, we've also become increasingly independent from each other. if we want to talk to someone we've got cell phones, facebook, instant messaging, etc. face to face interaction is being replaced by talking across technology.
what's happened to our relationships because of this? what will happen if we keep going in this direction?
i think this is why the ministry of presence is so necessary in the world today; because it doesn't exist in our day to day lives anymore. we've made our lives so busy that we don't sit down anymore. we don't remember how to be still. Jesus sat down shared meals with his disciples, taught them, had community with them. we have drive through coffee shops, even restaurants like olive garden and applebees have to-go services.
i think this has been one of my biggest problems this semester. i never am still. i try to read the bible over coffee and then run off afterwards to do my next thing. i wonder why it seems like God isn't answering me sometimes. it's because i'm not listening! while it's all well and good to spend time reading scripture or studying theology i need to stop and reflect on these things. spend time being still in God's presence. in prayer or just in sitting.
so rather than being immersed in technology i need to simplify my life, be more content to sit and be still rather than running here and there, spending time online or watching tv. immerse myself in Christ, in His Word and in community.
and yes, i realize it's rather ironic to rant about too much technology via blog. oh well
the world we live in, and us in turn, have become so accustomed to instant gratification.
need directions somewhere? google maps
need information about something? wikipedia
need a book or movie? amazon.com
music? itunes
we can even order pizza online now.
we never have to leave our houses, use a map, take time to learn and remember things. The internet takes care of all this for us.
and because of this technology, we've also become increasingly independent from each other. if we want to talk to someone we've got cell phones, facebook, instant messaging, etc. face to face interaction is being replaced by talking across technology.
what's happened to our relationships because of this? what will happen if we keep going in this direction?
i think this is why the ministry of presence is so necessary in the world today; because it doesn't exist in our day to day lives anymore. we've made our lives so busy that we don't sit down anymore. we don't remember how to be still. Jesus sat down shared meals with his disciples, taught them, had community with them. we have drive through coffee shops, even restaurants like olive garden and applebees have to-go services.
i think this has been one of my biggest problems this semester. i never am still. i try to read the bible over coffee and then run off afterwards to do my next thing. i wonder why it seems like God isn't answering me sometimes. it's because i'm not listening! while it's all well and good to spend time reading scripture or studying theology i need to stop and reflect on these things. spend time being still in God's presence. in prayer or just in sitting.
so rather than being immersed in technology i need to simplify my life, be more content to sit and be still rather than running here and there, spending time online or watching tv. immerse myself in Christ, in His Word and in community.
and yes, i realize it's rather ironic to rant about too much technology via blog. oh well
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
