Fill me up, Lord

"You will seek me, & find me when you seek me w/ all your heart," God says. But that is not the whole story. I'm not just a searcher. I'm also a hider. You too. We have to come face-to-face w/ our tendency to hide, to get lost. ~John Ortberg, Love Beyond Reason

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Are you working out?

Work out

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Philippians 2:12-13

How's that working for you?

Ash Wednesday

I've decided based on my readings and study of James that I will give up the "traumas of the tongue" for Lent. I have an accountability partner at work. Together we are going to encourage each other to maintain a positive attitude amongst our colleagues and ourselves.

One of my favorite authors, Ruth Haley Barton, has written a wonderful article on Lent. I encourage you to read it.


"Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Church's observance of the Lenten season. It is the doorway into a space in time that calls us to stop whatever we are doing, now matter how important it might be, and enter more intentionally into the disciplines of prayer, self-examination and repentance. Left to ourselves, we probably would not choose to devote a whole season to such rigorous and demanding disciplines, but God knows we need it.

Entering In
The season begins as we receive the symbolic gesture of the imposition of ashes on our foreheads and acknowledge our human finiteness and mortality. No matter who we think we are, the traditions of Ash Wednesday remind us that "you are dust and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:19) This is not meant to be morbid, it is just meant to limit our grandiosity and help us to stay in touch with the real human condition that we all share.
Ash Wednesday also initiates a season of acknowledging our sinfulness. In a very intentional way, we invite God to search us and know us and (eventually) to lead us into resurrection life. The ashes marking our foreheads carry the same meaning contained in the Old Testament practices."

Read the rest of the article at:
http://www.thetransformingcenter.org/pdf/Ash2007.pdf

Also, Lauren Winner has some great thoughts about this in her writings.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Finish this post for me...

Speak little, ________________________________ .

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Breaking up is hard to do....

God is moving in my life and some of it is great and some of it is hard.

I have been worrying about a relationship. It was time to part ways, and I didn't know how to do it. But God has a way of helping you out, EVEN WHEN YOU DON'T ASK HIM TO. The situation was thrown in my face, and it happened over the phone unexpectedly, and I was quite off guard.

There is another relationship that I have had for four years that is ending as well. Well, could be. I am still fighting for it. I know God has something up his sleeve regardless.

Some semi-steady tutoring opportunities have come as well. Just when all seemed desperate, God makes a way. He's so weird like that.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

No Flabbiness!

A mantra that serves well for my physical and spiritual workouts:

go heavy... be intense or go home

"Go heavy... Be intense or go home."
Perhaps for the spiritual workout I might replace "be intense" with "be authentic & genuine".

"Exercise daily in God, no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever."
1 Timothy 4:7-8 (The Message)

I love www.peertrainer.com

Bible Reading update: I got stuck in Luke (no offense to him), so I came across this tape of the book of Luke being performed by an actor. It was a monologue-type thing. I got it in Urbana '97 or '96. Wow, am I old!!! Now I am on to John...

Saturday, February 10, 2007

the process which has no label

C.S. Lewis Quote

"The world does not consist of 100% Christians and 100% non-Christians.

There are people who are slowly ceasing to be Christians but who still call themselves by that name…

There are other people who are slowly becoming Christians though they do not yet call themselves so.

There are people who do not accept the full Christian doctrine about Christ but who are strongly attracted by him that they are his in a much deeper sense than they themselves understand.

There are people in other religions who are being led by God’s secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity and who thus belong to Christ without knowing it."

Anna Nicole

I guess being blonde, famous, rich, thin, and married...
doesn't mean
you feel loved.