13
Sep 2007
Recently, in a time of prayer, I got a picture of Jesus cutting away the partially healed edges of an old wound and cleaning it out. I expected him to sew me up and send me on my way, but that’s what happened. Instead he left this nice clean wound open. I kept prayerfully waiting for the stitches and it never happened. I began to feel really vulnerable as I sat with this open wound and found I wanted to cover it up myself. As I was relating this to a friend......
Read More
15
Dec 2006
Wednesdays, Olsen Home This summer we’ll focus on equipping our members to be on mission in Kenosha, Southeastern Wisconsin or where ever you live and work. The Light of Christ Ministry Lab is a regular time of teaching, prayer or discussion on ministry and mission. There are two purposes to this ministry lab: The first is to unite spirit, mind and body, teaching our hands to follow where our hearts and heads have been led. The second is to frame our entire lives as mission. The ministry lab will meet every other Wednesday from......
Read More
13
Nov 2006
We have forgotten God also tempts us He came at Moses and said Be my next best thing Moses shouted NO You already have a people! In a fragmented church Every victory is a sign That God is not absent And that the church is still broken Every victory also a temptation To forget that the church is still broken Victory is a song of joy sung to a dirge Success a temple built From the rubble of the ruins We dare to remember lest In forgetting We, unlike Moses Will think......
Read More
15
Feb 2006
This is a topic that no one likes to think about. What happens to your marriage when one of you becomes seriously ill, disabled or terminally ill? Every couple will have to deal with minor illnesses, such as colds and the flu, but not everyone has to learn to persevere and thrive when the conditions are really difficult. If you are honest, most couples just assume that this is something for those who have been married a very long time, the part of marriage that is reserved for the elderly. But what......
Read More
15
Jun 2005
One of the most profound and meaningful ways to show your love for your spouse is to be fully present. This means giving your spouse your undivided and whole-hearted attention without judgment, without expectation and for the sole purpose of savoring their presence. You probably know exactly what I mean. It happened when you fell in love, when you were content just to see and be in the presence of your beloved regardless of what happened, just so long as you were with them. Everything else faded into the background as you......
Read More
14
May 2005
In one of my recent posts, I wrote about being consumed, about opening my hands and my heart to let the Spirit enter in. This could be part two of that post. I’ve been meditating and praying a lot on what this means, and I’ve been seriously amazed at what it can mean. Over the past several years, I have known I’m missing something in my spiritual life. I was kind of floating along, playing the part, listening to others and wondering what I’m doing wrong. I would read certain Scriptures and......
Read More
13
Jan 2005
One thing stood out in my mind from this week’s sermon. Fr. Phil talked about Heaven not being a place to escape from our bodies and live for ever as disembodied spirits. (In the book of Revelation, the spirits of the saints in Heaven yearn for their bodies, and plead, “How long, Lord, how long?”) God will restore and renew, purify and perfect our souls, bodies, and the earth itself, “As a bride adorns herself for her husband.” But with our souls beset with sin, our bodies falling into disease and decay, and the earth itself in a......
Read More
13
Sep 2004
Long ago God died for me He took my place of agony Before my Birth, He offered me Life My Soul struggled to know; Sliced open by a knife I reel about for I hardly understand The truth I grasp, yet it escapes me and Once again I read the old stories – The Palms, the Hosannas, The donkey, the supper, The bread and the wine The prayer of despair, The arrest, the trials, The terror and denials, The cross, the grave, The dark, the light The Resurrection Day; All Glory......
Read More
14
Dec 2003
Today I found myself dwelling on this point on our prayer card: “Ask Him to help all our elders follow the example of Christ in wisdom, knowledge, compassion, reconciliation and servant leadership.” Though we’re praying this for our leadership, reconciliation is something we all need, because what matters most in our lives is our relationships–be they with the Lord or with our human family and friends. There’s our relationship and integration into Christ’s bride, the Church, which can also be fractured. These are key relationships, and reconciliation is the mechanism we need to......
Read More
15
Oct 2003
The transition was as beautiful as it was surprising, and all the better for it. Young Keaton had just finished the New Testament reading for the day’s worship service. He had been preparing all week, practicing tricky words and transitions. Now the moment had come, and he had done a good job. As he finished and the congregation responded with “Thanks be to God,” he let out a well-earned, if a bit voluminous, sigh of relief. A shower of laughter broke over the room, and we were reminded again: we are but......
Read More