I know it's just an RSS search reader, but the Washington Post linked to my blog - whoah. I guess I better get on the program and start creating some more content - fast! Maybe I'll start a regular commentary about various post articles - there's some good stuff there. Check it out: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/a
rticle/2005/10/13/AR2005101300287_Techno
rati.html
Friday, October 14, 2005
Disappearing Post
Grrrr. I just finish typing up a post entitled "A Pastor of Parenting?" post it and my session had timed out (or something.) Poof! A good chunk of writing gone and no more time to work on it. So this is the lame excuse for a post instead. I will return to that topic, Isaiah and other stuff soon. Until then, it's back to the grindstone...
Thursday, October 13, 2005
New Template
I got tired of the look of the blog so I did a little modification and so there it is. I'd like more color - maybe start getting some pictures up, but this is a step in the right direction. If it looks the same hit ctrl-f5 (or clear your cache) and you should see the difference. Not dramatic, but better.
Isaiah 2:1-5 - Peace Train
This is one of my favorite sections of Isaiah. The heaviness of the previous chapter lifts just a bit (for a moment) and we get a glimpse of a much better future. Today on the following news stories hit: "Bloody Street Fighting in Russian City Kills Dozens" and "U.N. to evacuate some staff from Sudan's Darfur" mercifully no reports of bombings in Iraq, though no doubt violence in one form or another continues there unabated.
With the world in turmoil like this it's nice to be able to thrust our heads above the clouds every once in a while and breath a fresh breath of future redemption. Isaiah gives us the following:
With the world in turmoil like this it's nice to be able to thrust our heads above the clouds every once in a while and breath a fresh breath of future redemption. Isaiah gives us the following:
1 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:How I long for the day when nation will not train for war anymore! OoooAhhh EeehAhhh...2 In the last days
the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established
as chief among the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.3 Many peoples will come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths."
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.4 He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.5 Come, O house of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Wednesday's Big Idea: A Full Measure of Joy
I've been very busy and was sick, so it's good to be back. It's hard to express how good our Wednesday prayer times are and recently they've seem to go one more step beyond. There is a palpable feeling of growth and movement forward - not that the past has been stagnant or static, just there is a renewed vigor as we're ramping up after the summer.
Our springboard verses were John 17:13-19 and the theme that seemed to permeate all of the prayers if not overtly, then as a subtext was joy. The key passage is this one: "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them."
Jesus prays for the disciples just before he is to be taken away to be imprisoned, tortured, mocked and executed. One of his parting prayers for them that he deemed vital before his crucifixion was that the joy within Christ - all of it, the full measure - would be in them. In the very darkest hour, in the time of despair Jesus knew that they needed to be filled with the joy within him. His joy was one of obedience, one of hearing the Father say "well done, my good and faithful servant." Echoes of Christ's baptism must have been replaying in his ear, the Father saying "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased."
This is the joy Christ wished to impart to the disciples and I believe that the full measure of joy is for us as well. So our prayer today is for joy, and not only for us but for all. It is a fruit of the spirit, it is gift from God and it is ours to receive, if only we hold out our hands and receive it.
Our springboard verses were John 17:13-19 and the theme that seemed to permeate all of the prayers if not overtly, then as a subtext was joy. The key passage is this one: "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them."
Jesus prays for the disciples just before he is to be taken away to be imprisoned, tortured, mocked and executed. One of his parting prayers for them that he deemed vital before his crucifixion was that the joy within Christ - all of it, the full measure - would be in them. In the very darkest hour, in the time of despair Jesus knew that they needed to be filled with the joy within him. His joy was one of obedience, one of hearing the Father say "well done, my good and faithful servant." Echoes of Christ's baptism must have been replaying in his ear, the Father saying "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased."
This is the joy Christ wished to impart to the disciples and I believe that the full measure of joy is for us as well. So our prayer today is for joy, and not only for us but for all. It is a fruit of the spirit, it is gift from God and it is ours to receive, if only we hold out our hands and receive it.
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