Daniel story of loyalty before idolatry

It was good to be back in house church with Sojos this Sunday, and it went reasonably well, but was a bit muddled.  We are somewhere in size a bit too big for open ended discussion (what I aimed for) but still smaller than a group with a lecturer (though I ended up doing a bit more of that than I prefer).

The goal is to get to clear and honest teaching so we can have clearer and more honest living.  But the bigger the group, the harder it is to say things which involve active paradox.  Harder, that is, to speak to tension without it being awkward.  I imagine there is a sociological/psychological category for this, about communicating in groups according to size and formality, but I don't know enough about that.  I just sense that saying something controversial to a dozen people is much more likely to generate intrigue and pursuit of understanding than doing so in a larger group.  Maybe there is an expectation in a larger group that communication is packaged more elegantly; effieciently... in anticipation of the reality of too many different hearing situations (each individual adds contextual complexities).

So, now that I have a deadline to do administrative stuff which I'm terribly inefficient with, I suddenly have a burst of energy to think and write (this is a complex Aikido style maneuver to use the negative energy of expense reports for the positive) ((and that was pure rationalization fueled by a lack of discipline, but, oh well))

So, Daniel 3 is the story of the really big idol and the Jewish lads not bowing.  Points of interest in the text:

• 60 x 6 - means it was tall (5 stories) and skinny.  It was more like an obelisk (Washington Monument) than a burly statue.  The whole obelisk (and the 6's) is part of the Chaldean-Babylonian-Ancient World - astrological mystery world view of Creation as divine which is morphed but active today.
• The call is to all peoples, nations, languages to unify under the towering statue in Babylon.
• The Jewish lads don't and are persecuted with fierce anger for it.  But, they are resolved about the complexity of God as Creator who CAN do anything, but WILL do what He wills (they believe in the imminence of the transcendent God but not in presumption). 
• tough soldiers die, but the God trusting lads don't
• one like a son of the gods... revelation occurs
• new mandate: God of gods and Lord of lords is proclaimed (or else!)

So, the story has the ethical example, we should be like those 3 who were clear enough about God that they would rather die.  It centers on the question of who/what stands above us?  Above all nations, peoples, languages.  Is it a military conqueror with  spooky astrological symbols and insights into heavenly mysteries?  Or is it the Creator revealed in the story of Abraham and beyond?

For many there is an above below conundrum.  There is the loyalty issue, often rising from familiarity.  I should choose to be loyal to God, that just seems right.  But, the big questions of life are harder when I learn a little Chaldean and see how far and complicated numbers and chemicals and quarks and sociologically directive framing works.  The overload of 'yeah but...' dynamics can strain one's clear and confident resolve, and when it does, it can lead to compromise.

So how did M,S,A, manage to be fully developed Babylonian educated, mystery informed, privilege enjoying cultural elites and still be loyal to YHWH, even to death?!~!

That is the question.

Should... Can... WILL

{For a message at the Gathering}


Completing a study on the Navigator's Wheel Illustration
Today's goal is to review what we have been learning and to make a decision about how to respond to Christ and his way.  To make it useful, I'll need to talk a bit directly, so if you are really doing great spiritually, couldn't be better, then please don't be annoyed.  Just pray for the rest of us who are living a relatively mixed Christian life right now.  I'm talking about the majority of us who are living a 'hai keyi' Christian life.

Ok, we'll start the review with a reminder of the "hai keyi" story.  I'm in China, learning Mandarin, and being way to intuitive about it.  I hear people with skills respond "hai keyi" when they are asked if they have skills. 
You play basketball a lot, are you any good "hai key". 
You are an English major, so you understand English movies ok?  "hai keyi"
etc.
So I get the idea it means something like, "yeah, pretty good".  And it sorta does, in some contexts, but not really.  I found it out most clearly when I used it in response to my language teacher's wife asking me if I like her cooking.  "Hai keyi!" was my effort at being colloquial in complimenting her without being over the top.  "Yeah, this pretty good!"
But Zhang Laoshi was not shy.  "Hai keyi?!?  What's wrong with my cooking?"
huh?
My teacher explained in English, "hai keyi" means "could be better"

So, I'm now taking my Mandarin experience of being 'hai keyi' about learning mandarin, and talking to all of us 'hai keyi' Christians.  People who are willing to admit (at least to ourselves) that although there are some really good things happening in my Christian life, in too many ways it is still "hai keyi" - "less than it could be"

Here is the review:

We Should live out the Christian life, we Can live out the Christian life, so... will we?

• We should know who we are in Christ (the hub)
• We should talk to God in prayer (vertical up)
• We should learn from God in his word (vertical down)
• We should live the Kingdom way with one another (horizontal right)
• We should share the Kingdom way with others (horizontal left)
• We should have a pattern of trusting Jesus in learning new things and being faithful to old things, obeying him with confidence in him (circle that makes the wheel).

WHY?

Because Jesus knows life, and offers life and, in very deep ways which require reflection to begin to appreciate in a sense more than just a slogan... Jesus is Life.

The Navigator's wheel illustration is a useful image to remind me how to get more out of life throughout my whole life.

CAN I DO IT?
IF you are a Christian, you already are doing the Navigator's wheel. 
You do have an identity in Christ which you have acknowledged at least enough to make a profession of faith. 
You do talk to God in prayer, and maybe even listen.
You do take in info from his word, either by reading it yourself, or via sermons, etc.
You do live out Kingdom community when you are a Christian with other Christians
You do represent Kingdom hope when you are around people who are not trusting Christ as King
And you do have a cycle of trusting and doing what Christ says regarding life and love and such...
The question is whether I am doing it as well as I should and as well as I could.

No.  We could do better.  "Hai keyi!" (the story from last week about misunderstanding the Mandarin phrase to mean 'quite good' when it actually means 'it could be better')

The question for today is... WILL I?

First of all, lets be biblical, instead of religious, and say something odd.  Let's say, no Father, I won't do what you ask me.  I will continue to drift, and get by and be puzzled when my ability to process life is not up to life's complicated and painful realities. 

MATTHEW 21 The Parable of the Two Sons

28“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

29“‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

30“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

31“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. 

 So why would I be so cynical?  It is prophetic tradition

EZEKIEL 33

30“As for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.’ 31My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.

33“When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

The unfaithful son fulfills the duty to act AS IF the message from the Lord was good.  The faithful son?  He counted the cost quickly and realized how uncomfortable it was.  He counted the cost deeply and realized how good a deal it was.  What about us?

My goal is wrapping up our time together is to move toward Jesus' most simple and compelling invitation to action.  We will get ready for the Lord's Supper.  I'd invite you to consider not taking it.  But after considering not taking it, out of fear that you are too used to lazy, selfish, worldly, compromising ways and that you don't want to be guilty of being a hypocrite... consider a little more deeply.  

The story of what you Should do (intentionally following Christ's ways) is actually hopeful because it does not make a big deal of your will power.  In fact, it turns it upside down.  God opposes the proud, including the religiously 'christian' proud... but he gives undeserved kindness (grace) to the humble.  What you should and can do is humble yourself and say, I make no promises, I just confess that Jesus is good and that I want him.  "Lord help my unbelief"- better translated - unfaithfulness.

You should and you can come to the Father like the prodigal son, even as a normal Christian at a normal church listening to a normal church message.  And you can expect the normal response from the Father: an unashamedly enthusiastic embrace, encouragement... a feast of love from God, from his resources, into your life.

You should.

You can.

You will?

Cross-culture conversions

hard work helps make a happy soul, if…

Sometimes I hate hard work. Not too weird, is it? But actually I only really hate hard work if it is missing a few things.


In the same way sometimes I hate not having something to work hard on. Why?

A big part of what I do is look at things from opposing angles, trying to get a sense of contradictions and such so that I can find principles that last in multiple contexts. Single dimension observations aren’t as useful. (note to self- high frequency direction finding /triangulation; dialectics; holograms)

Summer vacation is the more concrete illustration for this thought. “Schools, out, for, SUMMER!” Yeah, no more work, just fun and goofing off and such. That used to be such a great feeling. But then I remember going over to Brett’s house.

“Hey, what ‘cha wanna do?”

“I dunno, what do you wanna do?”

“I dunno know, whatever you wanna do.”

And then we would walk in 105 degree heat, barefoot on asphalt, for a mile and a half to get a coke and spree and sit on an iron cross beam over a creek….

When it was time to go back to school, we tried to act irritated, but partly it was exciting to get back to structured work. For about 2 days.

Do I like my work now? Not as much as I should. I have such a good setup I almost feel guilty for not enjoying it more. Then I read something that got me more focused than my usual daydreaming about life, meaning, satisfaction, hope, disappointment, food and soccer.

p. 173,4 of Malcom Gladwell’s OUTLIERS (regarding poor immigrants in NY developing a garment business)

When Borgenicht came home at night to his children, he may have been tired and poor and overwhelmed, but he was alive. He was his own boss. He was responsible for his own decisions and direction. His work was complex: it engaged his mind and imagination. And in his work, there was a relationship between effort and reward: the longer he and Regina stayed up at night sewing aprons, the more money they made the next day on the streets.

Those three things - autonomy, complexity, and a connection between effort and reward – are, most people agree, the three qualities that work has to have if it is to be satisfying.

Bingo! A relearning happened for me (which is why I am reluctant to write; everything seems obviously ‘nothing new under the sun’ once stated).

I have dropped in natural enthusiasm currently because I have allowed a bit of disconnect in one of these categories. Solution? Add it back in. Make things possible to succeed or fail, risk/reward, in meaningful ways. Is there no risk or reward currently? There is, but not in meaningfully coherent ways.

Scripture?

In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.

(Proverbs 14:23)



The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor. Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth. In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.

(Proverbs 12:24-28)

A righteous life includes a wise and just pursuit of productivity with reward. Other truths have covered this up in my mental clutter. I’m glad to have come across it again.

4 questions on doing stuff well and being glad about it

1. Should I?
2. Can I?
3. Will I?
4. Did I?

(repeat)

1. Should I? - What is good and right to do??  Treasure wisely.
2. Can I? - What would it take to be able to do this good and right thing?  Train for it.
3. Will I? - When will I take what I could do and make it what I actually do?  Aim it purposefully.
4. Did I? - What have I actually done now?  Celebrate

(repeat) keep treasuring wisely, pursuing that good, and celebrating when it is actualized.

Tai world story

http://deidox.com/films/pii-chui/

near or far or both?

If God is greater than the universe how/why would he care for me?

The thing is, things are in things.  We can go up or down, right or left, and a variety of other dimensional options.  But doing more of one is doing less of another. 
The idea of being near (in a focused attentive way) and far (in a focused attentive way) seems impossible, and is for us.
There is a fairly common struggle in relating to this.  How can God (say something about broad scope) also care about me?
Answer?  By being the Creator, not a creation.

    [8:1] O LORD, our Lord,
        how majestic is your name in all the earth!
    You have set your glory above the heavens.
         [2] Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
    you have established strength because of your foes,
        to still the enemy and the avenger.

    [3] When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
        the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
     [4] what is man that you are mindful of him,
        and the son of man that you care for him?

    [5] Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
        and crowned him with glory and honor.
     [6] You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
        you have put all things under his feet,
     [7] all sheep and oxen,
        and also the beasts of the field,
     [8] the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
        whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

    [9] O LORD, our Lord,
        how majestic is your name in all the earth!
 (Psalm 8 ESV)

    [30] But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
(Matthew 6:30 ESV)

Goldilocks and the futue

A little girl wanders into a bear family's house.  She helps herself to their food.  It makes sense when you are a kid; I wonder why?  Anyway, it is a story about comparisons.  The porridge (oatmeal?  congee?) in one bowl is"too hot!" in another it is "too cold." and finally in a third bowl it is "just right,"  So she just eats it up.
Speaking about the future we can be 'too hot' 'too cold' or 'just right'.
Too hot = arrogantly claiming how the future will play out (too much confidence in MY will)
Too cold = irresponsibly not engaging the future, just assuming it will all play out (not using my will)
Just right = intentionally taking in God's wisdom and applying your will in trust to your understanding of God's will, always open to his redirection. (Made in God's image, using my will in humble and hopeful trust under His will)

[13] Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— [14] yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. [15] Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” [16] As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. [17] So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
(James 4:13-17 ESV)

Goldilocks and planning

James' thesis

    [12] Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
(James 1:12 ESV)

blessed = makarios, happy, well off, fortunate...
this is the same 'blessed as in the sermon on the mount (also in LXX for Ps. 1).

Who is well off?
"steadfast under trial" - things are not easy, but this person does not give up

Why is not quitting when it is hard 'well off'?

when the time of testing is over, if one is still standing, he will receive life's award (goal, prize, point)
That is God's promise to people who love him (and don't quit when under trials)

What i see is James making an argument for his people that fidelity to God, in spite of short term losses and hardships, is the best long term investment of life.


Everything in the book expounds on that idea.

Withdrawals from junk (processed food, heroin, selfishness...)

[7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. [9] Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. [10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
(James 4:7-10 ESV)

Submit to one, resist the other.  That is clarifying.

Draw near to God
   Cleanse hands (you sinnners)
   Purify your hearts (you double-minded)

   Be wretched and mourn and weep
   Let you laughter be mourning, joy gloom
Humble yourselves before the Lord

HE WILL EXALT YOU

hands and hearts?  Actions and Attitudes.  Clear enough: don't sin and be double minded, change your actions and thinking.

But, why all the sad stuff?  MT 5:4, blessed are those who mourn.  Luke 6 mourn, weep etc.? 

It is a sickening feeling to turn from a corrupt coping system to get back on a healthy system.  In other words, DON'T EXPECT A WASHING LIGHT TO DESCEND WHEN YOU ARE SORRY.  You can receive grace IMMEDIATELY to reassure you, but the painful withdrawals will take time and, well, will be painful.  But its worth it.

He will exalt you (lift you up from the muck).

clarify loyalties

    [4] You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. [5] Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? [6] But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” [7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. [9] Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. [10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
(James 4:4-10 ESV)

Circling back...

Covenant is with God
We live in a world in rebellion to God
We have desires with options for fulfillment in the rebellious world
We just need to befriend the world  in rebellion to pursue those desires
When we do so... We betray our beloved, defile our covenant, and become part of the rebellious camp and thus 'enemies of God'.

So what should we do?  CLARIFY LOYALTIES

God gives grace, go get some.  Draw near to God and away from the adversary.  Make it unambiguous:  Yes to God, no do the leader of rebellion against God.

God will take that humility, that acknowledgment that we need him, and will graciously help.  He is 'jealous for the Spirit he has made to dwell in us'.  He gave us his Spirit to be able to live his way.  It is troublesome for us to neglect that.  When we return and walk by the spirit, we can learn to have appropriate desires met appropriately, as much as can be done in a fallen world.

World or God - desire, adultery and puzzles

    [4] You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. [5] Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?
(James 4:4-5 ESV)

Adultery?

    [5] For your Maker is your husband,
        the LORD of hosts is his name;
    and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
        the God of the whole earth he is called.
 (Isaiah 54:5 ESV)

The Bible is the record of the love story of God and his covenant people.  He made us, cares for us, pursues us, redeems us, etc. etc.  And we?  At times we try to get what we want without reference to him.

Is desire bad?  No.  Desire is good.  The whole question is of loyalty and propriety.

1. WORLD   (     )
2. WORLD   god
3. (            )   God
4. GOD         world

1. The first option is wanting things in the world and going to the world without reference to God.
2. The second is wanting things in the world and trying to use God/religious stuff to get the things you want.
3. The third is only wanting God, and nothing in the world etc.  This is monasticism, withdrawal, and so on.
4. The fourth is desiring God as the categorically greatest good, and following him in how to approach the good desires in the world he has created.

4 options of desire world/god and the JAMES 4 strife issues via a party with pizza delivered:

1. first option: My temptation is to just get what I want without reference to God; its nobody's business.  If I want the first piece of pizza at the party, I just maneuver my way up to the front and get what I want.
2. second option: My temptation is to just get what I want, but 'god' can be useful.  If I offer to pray for the group maybe I can go up next to the pizza and be the first to get it. 
3. third option: I don't care about pizza, I just love God.  I don't even need food, or people, or anything.  I'll just go to a room by myself with God and forget about pizza, and people, and parties and everything.
4. fourth option: be grateful to God to be alive, enjoy the pizza when it is my turn, but don't be undone if my favorite kind is already taken, look for ways to grow in contentedness and graciousness, whether through receiving pizza or not.

That is my reconstruction from Sunday.  The deal is God created the world, has us in the world, so loved the world he sent his Son, will recreate the world...  the 'world' is not bad, the 'world' in rebellion, the system of good/evil outside of God, that is what is bad.  That is why what follows in James is:

1. don't despair, God is gracious if you will just humble yourself (admit the desire dysfunction)
2. clarify your trust/loyalty: move toward God and away from the devil

God's grace will sort out our loyalties and habits towards desires if we persevere in humility and trust.  Again, that is the whole point of the book, helping this group not to lose hope in the face of big problems, rather to gain confidence to patiently endure in doing right even when it is not obvious or easy.

world vs. God (friendship options)

Yesterday left off with the question: Why are we called adulterers for having desires (hedone)?

Why can't we all get along?

After a drugged up out of control driving spree through L.A.  The police finally stopped the defiant driver, Rodney King, and then in spectacularly controversial fashion beat him into submission.  Hugely irrational responses followed (understatement).  Rodney asks for peace, in the form of a question:

No Rodney, we can't all get along.
But why not?

    James [4:1] What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? [2] You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. [3] You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. [4] You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. [5] Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?
(James 4:1-5 ESV)

The flow of the book of James has been to persevere when things are tough.  Persevere in what?  Faith that changes how we talk and act.  True justice and mercy, from the heart, even to where we don't maneuver for advantage with people who are able to help us ($$$).
Now, he challenges the group to ask themselves?   "Why can't we all just get along?"

The answer is the same as what Siddhartha observed: DESIRE.  Here it is 'hedone'.  For Sid it was Tanha.  Allegiance to our cravings shapes our ethics.  Loyalty to lust, over fidelity, restraint, whatever... that is what makes us dangerous.

I want it SOOOOOOO badly! (that I will __________)
James says we are ready to murder.  This may well be an allusion back to his brother's way of talking, as in Matthew 5:

    [21] “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ [22] But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
(Matthew 5:21-22 ESV)

The act of murder is the decision to negate someone's 'made in the image of God' status and judge them to be unworthy of life.  The dramatic use here probably doesn't involve literal daggers and such, just the decision in the heart to X the competitor out and attack them in what ever ways best help one to get what they want.
Said again: I quarrel because I want my way so bad I am willing to change my view of people, more or less like a murderer does, in order to get what I want.
The next option is to not be so aggressive, rather, take one's desires to God.  But James has to deal with people who have 'tried' this and still weren't satisfied.  He explains that they are just trying to use God for their desire, not really being submissive to God and willing to have their desire met, or replaced, or whatever God would wisely decree.

Now, the interesting bit is what follows.  By doing this we are called: Adulterers.
Tomorrow I will look at that.  Why 'adultery'? 

wisdom from above

There is a description of a mature, composed person:

James 3
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

The contrast is between harshly driven 'self' vs. granted (from above) poise.  Wise enough to be:
pure - not mixed
peaceable, gentle, open to reason - not fearful, willing to consider options
full of mercy, character (good fruits), impartial, sincere - not hollow, already defined by transcendent good, not just a personally defined 'good' (e.g. 'good for me')

What is gained by being someone who receives and applies 'wisdom from above'?
a crop of 'righteousness'
again, what is 'righteousness'?  Things as they should be.  Copacetic, and all that ;-)

How should I pursue this 'rightness', this shalom, this sukkha, this 'yeah baby, that's what i'm talkin' 'bout!', this 'yesssss'?

be at peace and go about things peacefully (not unilaterally, e.g. selfishly, connivingly).

How does that happen?  Circle back to 'wisdom from above'.  The GOSPEL is that Jesus is Supreme, which personally means his offer of reconciliation to God (supreme good and great) is real and applicable to me without costs (e.g. 'gratis').

So....
I should not be grabby and aggressive.
I should turn upward to God and receive his gracious wisdom.
That should calm me down, mainly due to feeling safe, loved, provided for, informed, etc.
Then I look at opportunities with a belief that there is a healthy, shalom-type outcome to pursue
That makes it easier not to get defensive, anxious and weird
Then I learn more and am able to better reconcile concepts (beliefs, ideals, etc.) and actual experiences.
Done rightly this goes from peace (at rest with God), through peace (not anxious when encountering options) to peace (actually good outcomes, or contentment with challenges if things don't work out).

That seems to be what is going on in the end of James 3.  James 4 will describe why that is so hard to achieve.

James 4

    [4:1] What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? [2] You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. [3] You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. [4] You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. [5] Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? [6] But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” [7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. [9] Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. [10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
    [11] Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. [12] There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
    [13] Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— [14] yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. [15] Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” [16] As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. [17] So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
(James 4 ESV)

Thailand struggles; Red Camp

The situation in Bangkok is serious.  As an outsider I have a limited understanding of the situation.  For that reason, primarily, I do not intend these photos or comments related to them to be advocating more than a call to be aware and to pray.
These are snaps from an iPhone while walking through the 'Reds' protest camp in central Bangkok on Sunday evening, May 9th.
The photos in this post and the next show barricades, blocked off streets, markets set up inside the camp (including a very stylish monk cart), issues of rubbish piles (though the was surprisingly tidy considering), some information walls with photos from recent violence and appeals for help, and big screen projections of the main stage from which leaders called for government change in front of a banner declaring they were 'peaceful protesters, not terrorists'
The crowds were quite large with an odd mix of families, vendors, focused activists and some serious looking men looking toward a serious clash.  Last night that clash accelerated, and today the camp is being pressured by government forces.  I have no idea how shalom can be formed in the near future, but I'm certain it is needed urgently and deeply.



 

Thailand struggles: View in the Red Camp

kvrx Austin - iTunes radio station of the day.

Looking for better music exposure.

Proverbs 14:23 talk vs. work

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty

Plans don't work- people do.  Or not.  Frequent scheming about doing things this way or that can take the place of actually zeroing in on something and getting it done.  Do I want to profit?  In what ways?  How hard am I willing to work to pursue that profit (treasure, thing that is valued)?

Monday, fresh start

I've suspended writing for quite some time.  It is largely due to my move and change in role.  I am going to see about starting back up.  Partly because it is a good discipline for thinking, partly because I need to work on writing in general.  I have 1 book I need to write within the next 2 years.

Monday- Why is there good?  God is self-existent, God is good, God created a good world.  So, we find good throughout creation; sometimes only a remnant of good, but good none the less.  Devotionally it is good to start the week acknowledging goodness is from God.  Pursuing God, incidentally, is the best way in which to pursue good.

There.  Post written.  Now get on with Monday and see what goodness is waiting.

On the pursuit of honey

“Hevel. a chasing after the wind.”
“It’s all anicca”
“It’ll just run out, anyway”

Sol, Sid and Eeyore. Inescapable insights.

Paul begging people in the church not to fall for the trap of bitterness

For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure--not to put it too severely--to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

(2 Corinthians 2:4-11)

What happened? Someone in the church did wrong. They justified gross immorality. To make matters worse, the church was too casual about the situation. Paul told the church (1 Cor 5 and 6) to hand the guy over to Satan as part of a process of sorting him out. It worked. The guy realized he had done wrong and he was repentant. Unfortunately, the church was still feeling the adrenaline of moral outrage against the guy who had definitely done wrong, and now they were in danger of going too far the opposite direction. The trap of Satan is to get us to have too much focus on mercy "don't worry about it, no big deal" or too much focus justice "I can't forgive him until he pays for what he has done", neither of which are truly humble before God.

The church must be strong against stubbornness. Christ says one thing and someone says and does another, while calling themselves a Christian, is not ok. That seems reasonably sensible to us when we are talking about doing bad stuff and justifying it: bad stuff like perversion, violence, stealing. But what about the more subtle evils? What about defying Jesus and his teachings on things like forgiveness?

Jesus teaches stuff about forgiveness that we are tempted to resist:

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

(Matthew 5:43-46)

and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

(Matthew 6:12-15)

Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?'

(Matthew 18:32-33)

Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

(Matthew 18:21-22)

And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

(Mark 11:25)

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
"Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;

(Luke 6:35-37)

Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,
and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him." The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"

(Luke 17:3-5)

Don't do it; don't resist the lordship of Jesus and his difficult teachings about forgiveness!

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

(Colossians 3:12-13)

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

(Ephesians 4:30-32)

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

(Hebrews 12:11-17)

"church" description from The Crowded House

Here is a nice, short description of the church:

As those welcomed, forgiven and accepted, we become a community of those who welcome, forgive and accept. We respond to the gospel in baptism, expressing that we have become part of the people of God. The Lord’s Supper is the meal we regularly share together to celebrate the work of Christ and express that we continue to be part of the people of God together. Our shared life proclaims the Lord’s death until he returns to make good the invitation to his eternal banquet. - The Crowded House

guest post from Bob Butler's monthly article

Gatecrashers, Inc. March 2010
He is not a tame lion.

“Ooh!!” said Susan, “I thought he was a man. Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.” “That you will, dearie, and make no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver, “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else silly.” “Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy. “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe.
But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Reading through the Gospel of Mark this past month, I was drawn to see how often people were afraid of Jesus. John the Baptist was afraid to baptize him. Peter was scared stiff when Jesus called him to be an apostle. Unclean spirits were always terrified of Jesus because they knew who he really was. Jesus’ family was afraid for him. Herod was afraid that Jesus was John the Baptist’s ghost returned to exact revenge.
I find it interesting that after Jesus’ miracles, the reaction was often fear. When the villagers saw the Gadarene demoniac “sitting and clothed and in his right mind’, rather than rejoicing, “they were afraid” (Mark 5:15). When Jesus calmed the storm, the disciples’ panic of drowning quickly changed to awed fright at the power of their rabbi to control even the weather. When the resurrected Jesus appeared to his followers, their response was fear.
This is hardly a kinder, gentler Jesus. He isn’t the “easy touch” who will see that we are prosperous and comfortable whenever we upload a request to him. It certainly is not an undemanding, inoffensive Jesus. Our Lord expected negative and even violent reactions to himself, saying “Blessed are those who are not offended because of me.” Direct encounters with the severe glory of God are always terrifying. “‘Course he isn’t safe.”
Looking at how Jesus was feared led me to the answer to a mystery I had never fully understood. Why did the religious leaders hate Jesus so violently? Mark 11:18 says it so clearly (How did I miss it all these years?):
“And the scribes and the chief priests heard it and
sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him….”
They hated him because they “feared” him. Jesus is awesome and his enemies understand that well. We should never be surprised at rejection and persecution and hatred. Fear generates and drives hatred, especially when a person’s status and authority are threatened. And Jesus is an enormous threat to this world order. He is no tame lion; no one is his equal; no one is his competition. He is dangerous…not a tame lion.
Why did they kill Jesus? They were indescribably afraid of him. As sent ambassadors of this all-powerful King, we must simply tell his message. Most will respond with fear. Some may want to “kill the messenger” because of the message; others will consider it cautiously; a few will respond gladly. Those who may hate us really only fear Him. Jesus understood this and warned that we would be persecuted and hated because of him. Are you afraid of them? Remember that they are much more afraid of HIM.
He is not safe but he is good. He’s the King I tell you.
Bob Butler from Texas

4 questions for Feb 28

What is the foundation of the church? Jesus is Lord. Anointed = Christ, Messiah. What is anointed? Marked as ruler.

What will not overcome the church? Gates of HADES. Hades=place of the dead. This is not 'gehenna/hell'. But people say it all the time. Wrong view is that Hell is Satan's home base. Not at all biblical, so why do we think that? (there are answers, but I'm just complaining). The very simple point is that separation from God is death, but death can't win because Jesus is forming a community that is greater than death, particularly because he defeats death and all that is associated with it (sin and the adversary included).

Mt 18 is instruction for the church to be disciplined in our trust/loyalty to Jesus as Lord. Rebellion in the community of those loyal to Jesus must be addressed. The progression is from AS DISCRETE AS POSSIBLE to AS PUBLIC AS NECESSARY. The point is to keep the church a community of people who are grateful that God is changing them to live out their loyalty, and disloyal people should not be allowed to set up camp among the loyal. It is not to punish our clumsiness, it is to keep us humble and honest with one another.

What does it look like when discipline works? The church is the gathering of sinners saved by grace trusting Jesus as Lord to forgive them and change them, individually and corporately. When we make sure that no one claims to be a Christian but is reckless in their attitude toward Christ's authority, the church is a safely imperfect place where honest growth occurs.

Jesus discusses The Church, foundation and focus

Hi Sojourners,

The point of last Sunday was primarily to focus on how Jesus brought together Old Testament truths of Justice & Mercy in very practical ways. This week follows that up with the idea of church looking at the only 2 places in the gospels where the term church is used:

Matthew 16:13-20

13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
14They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

15"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ,[b] the Son of the living God."

17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter,[c] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[d] will not overcome it.[e] 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[f] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[g] loosed in heaven." 20Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

Matthew 18:15-20

15"If your brother sins against you,[b] go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'[c] 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be[d]bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[e] loosed in heaven.

19"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

The questions will be:

What is the foundation of the church in MT 16?

What will not overcome the church?

What is the church taught to do in MT 18? Why?

What does it look like when this works?

BHUTAN, NEPAL: CHRISTIANS FACE HOSTILITIES

Intercessors.Network@Comhem.SE
Thrust from their homes in Bhutan after Buddhist rulers embarked on an ethnic and religious purge, Christian refugees in Nepal face hostilities from Hindus and others. In Sunsari district in southeastern Nepal, a country that is more than 80 percent Hindu, residents from the uneducated segments of society are especially apt to attack Christians, said Purna Kumal, district coordinator for Awana Clubs International, which runs 41 clubs in refugee camps to educate girls about the Bible.

“In Itahari, Christians face serious trouble during burials,” Kumal said. “Last month, a burial party was attacked by locals who dug up the grave and desecrated it.” Earlier this month, he added, a family in the area expelled one of its members from their home because he became a Christian.

Bhutan began expelling almost one-eighth of its citizens for being of Nepali origin or practicing faiths other than Buddhism in the 1980s. The purge lasted into the 1990s. “Christians, like Hindus and others, were told to leave either their faith or the country,” said Gopi Chandra Silwal, who pastors a tiny church for Bhutanese refugees in a refugee camp in Sanischare, a small village in eastern Nepal’s Morang district. “Many chose to leave their homeland.”

SEW applications: Getting IT done part 2

The word from Peter= if you believe Jesus is trustworthy, the make it your priority to learn to live the way he says. Don't be lazy, don't be fooled, don't be discouraged: grow!

Lazy = "I believe, but... I dunno... I guess I believe, maybe... I dunno.... "
(energy and resources go to other 'stuff').

Fooled = Hey, this teacher helps me find ways to believe and not change! Sweet...
(all talk no character; many polls show this is a huge problem in many Christians)

Discouraged = I thought I would see changes quicker and easier...
(lose hope and give up when things don't go like they wished)

instead -

be diligent (not lazy) = take the gift of your forgiveness and your relationship to your creator and work and learning how your heart is supposed to work. Work to understand how grace can and should transform you into the kind of person you are grateful to be. Eagerly want the freedom that comes from being trustworthy to do the wise and loving thing.

be wise (not fooled) = read the text! Just look how many times in the New Testament writer after writer urges us on to make decisions to put energy into character transformation. The point of God's grace is to empower us to live like he intends, not to be passive. Don't be fooled by teachers who explain away the theme of book after book in the New Testament. Learn what is taught by Jesus and his students and you will see that there is work for you to do, not to get saved/born again..., but because you have been saved from sin and now are empowered by grace to have your efforts at living well be effective!!!

be hopeful, (not discouraged) = change takes time. Christ has promised to set the world right. Ultimately it will be through a dramatic act of judgment against wrong and an establishment of right. We often hope it will come soon, so it will all be done. But if it hasn't come yet, then stay diligent as an agent of justice and mercy patiently press on!

OK, now what?

1. Make sure you understand that you cannot 'earn' your salvation. It is a gift of grace, received through trust/faith in who Jesus is and what he has done.

2. Make sure you understand that salvation means being part of God's family and God's purposes. That means you now have a bigger agenda. You need to apply God's grace to your character and be used by God as he sees fit.

3. Treasure God by realizing every good thing in you, in others, in the world, and worth hoping for is from him. ACTIVELY DEVELOP THE HABIT OF GRATITUDE. Learn to voice 'thanks' to God all the time. It doesn't have to be for others to hear, necessarily, but from your heart, in your head... intentionally say thank you to God more and more often for more and more types of things.

4. Treasure 'godliness'. The stuff you treasure should be for the way it helps you give and receive appropriate love. That is what being human, created in the image of God, is primarily about.

5. ideas?
treasure chest
- write out gratefulness and store it.
- read responsible biographies of people worth emulating
- notice and reflect on goodness
- start doing what you can do and step by step learn to do more (from being friendly to being sacrificial)

Getting IT done

What are we to be about, according to Peter? Growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. How? Start with faith and then add the implication of faith by diligently applying the grace of God to your character.

IF you do = you will live a fruitful and effective life now and be at home as you enter the Kingdom.
IF you do not = you will not see the point of your salvation and will waste your life and be left wondering...

Then Peter goes into detail about why his version of faith is true = he saw it in personally miraculous ways, but ultimately it comes down to scriptural authority. He then warns his people to not be fooled by people who do not understand and teach such diligence. He says they are false teachers who find ways to use their preaching and teaching to justify their desires.

Finally, he says to be patient, that history doesn't always play out the way we expect, but that doesn't mean God isn't before us. There is coming a time of account, and we should therefore be diligent to be sure we have ordered our lives around God's grace and the habitual knowledge of Jesus as the teacher, guide, forgiver, comforter, exhorter and Lord of our lives.

2 Peter 3:13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Wednesday Preview: diligent effort to live out the Treasured life

Monday: Life is short, we need to decide what matters most. What do you treasure?

Tuesday: Good is what drives us to choose things. The issue is whether we treasure the Source of good. God is the treasure from whom all lasting treasures come. Treasure God.

Wednesday: Treasuring God starts with simple faith (confidence, trust). Trusting that in his goodness, revealed in the person and work of Christ, he has accepted us into his family, we now ought to diligently seek to grow up in understanding and applying his goodness.

2 Peter 1:5-15 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, (6) and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, (7) and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. (8) For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (9) For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

(10) Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. (11) For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (12) Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. (13) I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, (14) since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. (15) And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

 

Notice that FAITH is first. Salvation is by grace through faith in who God is and what he has done for us.

Having been saved from trying to live for ourselves, how do we live for God? We do so diligently.

Faith is believing that God is our treasure, and that all lasting goodness comes from him. So, we build on that by acquiring a delight in goodness.

make every effort to add    = haste, top priority, seek ye first, etc. time and resources (energy, focus, money, status… whatever)

Virtue = what the soul was made for… goodness, wholesomeness… rightness (which is better than wrongness)

Knowledge = interactive relationship; doing good because God is good helps you to personally know God in real ways

Self-control= ability not to fall for what seems good but isn't

Steadfastness = patient endurance

Godliness = familiarity with God

Brotherly affection = real appreciation of people, seeing them from God's perspective (e.g. redeemable)

Love = empowered to do great acts of sacrifice without having to think about it

I'll explain more tomorrow ;-)

Tuesday SEW

Tuesday
Skit = take a risk at loosing good in order to do the good God calls you to do.
talk = TREASURE THE SOURCE OF GOODNESS is the wisest way to Treasure!

God is where goodness comes from.

Where does bad come from??? Seeking 'good' in wrong ways. Example? Dictators who want good food and other good pleasures. Step 1, gain power. Step 2, use power to gain wealth. Step 3. use wealth to indulge in pleasure.

So what's wrong with that? Answer: go to a refugee camp. "Goodness" taken the worldly way is at the expense of the goodness of others. Remember step 1? When we try to take what we want, without reference to God and his goodness, it is evil in that it destroys good from others (and in us). That is a dramatic example. A more immediate example is being cruel to someone in order to look good to others. We enjoy the 'good' of being liked by our friends, but that is because we abused power (mocking someone else). That's bad.

For Wednesday: 2 Peter 1:5-9
How can I treasure wisely????

Monday -SEW

Monday - Treasuring Wisely.
We don't know how many days we have. Life is short. Don't let it pass by. Choose what matters and live for that.
thelastletter.og is a site where the video is from. It is a project done, in large part, by a friend of mine. Great imagery and challenges. The point is this:

Peter's 'last letter' was to tell those he cared about to focus intentionally on God's goodness and the promise of God sharing that goodness with us. When we do that, we diligently work at living out the gift of salvation. This is not working for salvation, but is also not wasting the gift. WE HAVE WORK TO DO IN ORDER TO LIVE WISELY.

What do you treasure? Why? How are you adding to your treasures?

Spiritual Emphasis Weak

Last night I went to music mania. Lot of fun. Gave me an image of the crowd I'll be speaking to this week. A bunch of MKs with some weird taste in music (and humor). So, what will it be... a week of cheesiness, or is there a way to spice stuff up a bit? I thought of asking the Tenacious D - or the Zombies of the Apocalypse... (is that right) to do the warm up bit for our music before speaking. Hmmmm. Wouldn't be weak!

What we will do is consider what the apostle Peter has to say after all the stuff he experienced. Miracles, visions, conflict and all... what advice does he give? Hint: It isn't "How to walk on water and not get distracted by the waves in 3 easy steps". 2 Pt 1 will be our text Monday morning.

ALSO

thelastletter.org will be a reference point. What are we on about?? That'll be the question.