Scripture – A Place of Encounter
In continuing from yesterday’s post on reading the Bible for transformation, we discussed how to be transformed by Scripture we need to be less concerned with speed or volume or the gathering of more information but with depth and receptivity. The problem is we have been trained to be informational readers, not spiritual readers and ...
Reading the Bible for Transformation
I want to spend the next few days talking about our approach to Scripture. Scripture has the capacity to become for us a holy ground on which we actually meet with God. Yet, for most of us, in order to experience this, we will have to change our perspective or approach to it. Typically, we ...
Looking Back: Most Read Posts
I thought this might be a good time to re-look at some of my most read posts over the last 6 months in case you missed a few: A Quiet Transformation - How solitude develops in us a well-trained heart that keeps us in perfect peace in the midst of tragedy. Thoughts on Sabbath - An attitude ...
God of All Grace
Someone said it again this week. In speaking of a trial they were going through, they said, “Well, God must want me to learn something.” For sure, tragedy has a way of adjusting our perspective. Someone has said, “Deep suffering makes theologians of us all.” I am more and more convinced, however, that it is ...
Wonder of All Wonders
“Too much of our time is spent trying to chart God on a grid, and too little is spent allowing our hearts to feel awe. By reducing Christian spirituality to formula, we deprive our hearts of wonder.” Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz, p. 205 In our longing to know God and walk in his ways, ...
A Life of Gratitude
"We live in constant dependence upon this merciful kindness of the Father, and thus our whole life is a life of gratitude—a constant response to His help which comes to us at every moment." - Thomas Merton, Thoughts In Solitude Once I finally got my arms around the idea that the abundant life is not ...
Going Deep
While I recover from my motorcycle accident (minor injuries) I thought I’d let Gordon MacDonald fill in for me. While his article, “Going Deep” (which appeared on-line in “Leadership Journal” yesterday, 6/27/11) is geared toward those in leadership, it speaks to all Christians in regards to the need for living deeply in God. It is, after ...
More God
“When I hear people talk about what is wrong with organized religion, or why their mainline churches are failing, I hear about bad music, inept clergy, mean congregations, and preoccupations with institutional maintenance. I almost never hear about the intellectualization of the faith, which strikes me as a far greater danger than anything else on ...
Final Thoughts on Solitude
There is so much more to say about the practice of silence and solitude but I will finalize my thoughts today. But lest I give the impression that silence and solitude are the only means by which we encounter God, let me proclaim an emphatic “No!” Silence and solitude are just one of the many environments ...
Practicing Solitude
I’ve posted for several days now on the spiritual practices of silence and solitude...and we are coming soon to an end. The danger, of course, with any Biblical teaching is that it remains in our head as a cherished belief and not actually practiced in our lives. Thinking about solitude is not the same as closing the ...
Gail Johnsen 