Kori and I, along with Josh and Kim had the opportunity to travel to Houston and attend a Renovare' conference. It was really great! We all got to say hi to Dallas Willard and got a group picture! We got some books signed and had a real fun time. I thought I would give you a few notable thoughts and ideas that were shared by the various speakers. I know some of you were wanting to attend but were not able so here are a few quotes etc.

Dallas Willard

First of all, Dallas is a master teacher. Compared to all of the other speakers he was by far the most engaging of them all, even though he was the oldest. He first wanted us to look at Genesis 1.26 and then Romans 5.17.

Genesis 1.26

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule..." 

Romans 5.17

"For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through One, Jesus Christ."

He said, "We were meant to rule in this life right now through One, Jesus Christ! It was really powerful. 

One other statement was: "Behavior modification does not produce character transformation; character transformation produces behavior modification."

John Ortberg

John is awesome because he is so genuine. Almost every time he mentioned the name Jesus he started weeping a little. He told us of a saying that Dallas told him a few years ago that really helped him as far as reading was concerned:

"Aim at depth not breadth. If you aim at breadth you will never get depth, but if you at aim at depth, then you will get a breadth of understanding that is far better."

He was saying don't just try to read as many books as you can, but read a few books at a time and then reread them. He said that He reads, The Spirit of the Disciplines every year. So I though that was great advice.

Also:

In Jesus day there were: strangers, admirers and followers. And now today in or 21st Century we have a new category in between admirers and followers called 'users.' People who are only concerned with using Jesus to get what they want and then once they have it, there done with Him.

I will post tomorrow some more info. I don't want this post to get to long!

Seek the Kingdom,

Jon

“I believe it is no accident that Jesus was the first rabbi to teach women, to include them in his circles, to give them a level of dignity and opportunity that had been unknown.  We’re told in the eighth chapter of Luke that when Jesus traveled around, he went in a community that included the Twelve, along with women who, in some cases, came from pretty shady backgrounds.  Imagine in that day, a little group of men and women, mostly single, traveling together from town to town. Imagine the rumors and gossip!  Yet Jesus was so committed to creating a new kind of community where it was possible for men and women to relate to each other as brothers and sisters that he was courageously willing to run the risk.  And, so was born a new kind of community, where in Christ there was no longer male and female to stand as a barrier that divided humanity." John Ortberg, Forward in Gifted To Lead

Wow!  I love that.  This week a wise man pointed out that at the core of who we are, man and woman, we are the same.  Jesus looked directly into our heart, not our sex.  Leadership is an act of the spirit, an immense responsibility, an earned respect, a presence, a skill not to be taken for granted.  After all, on some level, whether mother, wife, employer, employee, volunteer, homeroom mom, community group facilitator, friend or daughter, we all lead in some capacity.  Embrace it, enjoy it, and accept it.

“I challenge all leaders – women and men – to discover their unique style of leadership and then to live it out with confidence and passion.  The church and our world need all kinds of leaders!  When I see a man lead a team by building strong community, or a woman who displays amazing skills of strategy or vision, I celebrate.  Being true to how God made us makes leadership less of a burden and more of a natural outpouring of how we function best.”  Nancy Beach, Gifted To Lead

I’ll leave you with that.  It will have to be all for now.  I have to sew a flag costume that includes a red, white, and blue wig for my son’s history project this week.  If you know me, I give you permission to laugh aloud.  Alas, it’s time for me to lead this costume making undertaking (Pray for me!).

“My heart’s so low, I’m so much to manage. I think you should know that I’ve been damaged” - TLC

I once read the book “To Own a Dragon” by Donald Miller. I really like Donald Miller’s writing. In this book, he told stories of portions of his life that left him "damaged".

I have to admit that I am damaged too. I would also admit that in the course of my life, I've done plenty of damage. What is dangerous is there are times when I will re-visit those "damaged" times in my memory. It's even more dangerous when you stay there. It can be defeating. Living life looking backwards is no way to live.

In some form or another, aren’t we all “damaged”? As John Ortberg said “we all have an as is tag”. We’ve all made a wrong turn, wrong choice, run with the wrong crowd and suffered the consequences. Maybe it wasn’t even our choices, but those of another that caused the damage. Here’s the key, our God is a God of second chances. He’s a God of restoration and healing. He’s a God that will one day right every wrong. He can and will repair our damage.

We are all damaged. The question today is have we allowed God to heal, to restore and to mend it? If so, what is our response?

- John Ortberg

The first time I heard the phrase "hurry sickness", I was sitting across from my elderly, widowed neighbor, Celia.  We were living in North Carolina at the time, and I had one of those rare opportunities to "soak up her wisdom" over tea and thin mints!  She was telling me about her son who had just retired for medical reasons, from a successful thoracic surgery practice.  He was depressed and suicidal.  He had put his surgery practice and surgical skills first in his life.  Now... forced to retire "young" at 52-years-old, he felt he had nothing to live for at all.  He had hurried through life, pushing himself to be the best (and he was!), making a name for himself in the nation's Capital.  Two weeks after retiring, his practice had already replaced him and all he had to show for his sacrifice was a nice watch.

(As I recall... ) Celia told me, "Norm has 'hurry sickness'... he always has!  He's never been able to 'BE STILL' and enjoy quiet.  'Hurry' has ruined his health, and now he's alone in a big house, kids are gone... alone.  He never learned to enjoy 'alone'... 'Hurry' has been like a pervasive, lethal infection, destroying him from the inside out!"

Dr. Ann McGee-Cooper has a great list of "red flags" for those who may think they have "hurry sickness".  See if you can see yourself in any of these:

How do I know if I have "Hurry Sickness"

• I typically drive 10 or more miles/hour over the speed limit.
• I interrupt others and/or finish their sentences.
• I get impatient in meetings when someone goes on a tangent.
• I find it difficult to respect people who are chronically late.
• I rush to be first in line, even when it doesn't matter (for example, getting off an airplane first in order to stand at Baggage Claim longer).
• If I have to wait over a few minutes for service in a store or restaurant, I get impatient and leave or demand service. To me time is money!
• I generally view as less capable those who may be slower to speak act or decide. I admire people who move at my speedy pace! I pride myself on my speed, efficiency, and punctuality.
• I view "hanging out" as a waste of time.
• I pride myself on getting things done on time, and will sacrifice the chance to improve a product if it means being late.
• I often rush or hurry my children and/or spouse.

Ones I have thought of as well:

• I look for the check-out line at the grocery store with the fewest people, all the while scanning other registers to see if they are moving faster.
• I stand in the shortest line at a fast food restaurant, and hop over to another line if the person in front of me just ordered something complex that will take time.
• I go through my entire day multi-tasking so that I can get more accomplished in a short period of time.
• I "dare" the kids to see who can clean their room the fastest, even offering a monetary reward for the winner!
• I choose email over the phone because it won't take as long as I don't actually have to communicate.

I'm in the process of reading John Ortberg's book The Life You've Always Wanted.  He has a chapter in his book called "An Unhurried Life:  The Practice of 'Slowing' ".  I thought I was actually pretty good at "the practice of slowing".  I was startled to read his opinion of what solitude is NOT.  I thought that by taking my cochlear implant off and curling up with a good book was a strategic way to practice "slowing"... to enjoy solitude.  Dr. Ortberg suggests that this is not actually practicing solitude.  It doesn't "unhurry" you at all!  He said we need both brief periods of "real" solitude to "unhurry" our lives, but also extended periods.  Brief periods can be 30 minutes!  Extended periods should be at least for an entire day.  He states:

"What do we do when we practice solitude?  What should we bring along to that quiet place?  The primary answer, of course, is 'nothing'... At its heart, solitude is primarily about not doing something.  Just as fasting means to refrain from eating, so solitude means to refrain from society.  When we go into solitude, we withdraw from conversation, from the presence of others, from noise, (easy for me!  smile!  I need only remove my CI!) from the constant barrage of stimulation."

I have found that since I lost my hearing, it is especially important for me to be "quiet".  You would think that would be easy!  But one must "quiet" more than sound.  I must "quiet" my hands from being busy, Busy, BUSY.  I must "quiet" my mind from always thinking about what I need to do next, accomplish before I go to bed, chores, work, service, etc.

This morning with my husband gone to work, my son busy working an eight hour shift at McDonald's, and my daughter taking care of a doctor's appointment and then a pet sitting job, I found myself alone.  Eager to take advantage of my solitude, I sat in our "quiet room".  This room was lovingly dubbed "The Quiet Room" by my hubby.  The wallpaper is the cloth type that keeps noise from bouncing around, there are vinyl "noise reducing" blinds on the window, thick carpet and soft comfortable furniture.  NO ELECTRONICS ALLOWED.

Alone, with only a sleepy hound-dog at my side, I turned my CI off and sat in a big cushy chair and watched the rain.  Monday-Friday, our cul-de-sac is a very quiet place.  I enjoyed my time of just reflecting, praying and watching the rain!  I came away feeling rejuvenated even!

Do you have "hurry sickness"?  Do you need to learn to reflect... to enjoy solitude?

Denise Portis

© 2008 Hearing Loss Journal

[audio http://www.qmginc.com/ShadowMission-Ortberg2.mp3]

I would love to post the full audio but alas I can't. You can order the entire message on CD at the Willow Creek online store. It's well worth the $15 investment and trust me... the last half of the interview bridges it all together and is even better than the first half!

Apparently Zondervan has also just released an expanded "Leadership Library" book version of this Shadow Mission message as well. I'd reccomend both. The book is 112 pages and currently only $9.99 on Amazon. Great resource for a staff or team.

Here are some ideas:

• Always have a book and a highlighter/pen with you. At home, in the car, when you are meeting someone (in case their late), at an appoitment, next to your bed, in your bathroom. If you want to read a lot, you have to maximize the time available.
• If you exercise or drive a lot, books on your ipod.
• Read good books. This seems like a no-brainer, but a lot of people read the wrong books. Ask readers what they are reading, what their favorite books are and then read those. There is nothing worse than buying a book only to find out it is a waste of time.
• If a book doesn't grab you after 30 - 40 pages, stop reading.
• Read only the chapters that jump out at you in a book.
• Most authors quote a certain group of people. For example, while John Ortberg is a great author, he is always quoting Dallas Willard. Find out who authors quote a lot and read them.  If you wrote an emergent book, you will quote Brian McLaren, so read him. I always read those authors before I read the authors that quote them.
• Find out who your favorite authors are reading. They will tell you on their websites or blogs what books they are reading right now.
• Read books about a ton of topics, don't get pigeonholed, make sure you are reading on spirituality, theology, relationships, biblical history, leadership, etc. Too many people (especially pastors) only read one kind of book. It gets kind of lopsided.
• Read reviews on Amazon and blogs. Find out what people thought. Most reviews in my opinion are right on. You can check out my recommended list here and my book reviews here.

John Ortberg

(from The LIfe You've Always Wanted)

(Exodus 19:2-9, 16-19; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Matthew 9:35-10: 8 )

Today’s sermon theme, of course, was also the theme of this past week’s Vacation Bible School. Forty children were enrolled and by Friday, I’m told, we had even more children than that. Usually, you see, it works the other way. That is, you lose students as the week progresses. But we gained! Which is a testament to the hard work, and superlative efforts, of our Director of Family Ministries, Emilie Bush, and her dedicated staff. And so it also seems fitting, therefore, that a week of bible school with a theme like “God’s Big Backyard” would then culminate, as it has today, in a worship service out here in God’s creation.

John Ortberg, in his book The Life You Always Wanted, once offered an “alternate version” of the bible’s creation story. In Ortberg’s version, in the beginning God went to work because it was nine o’clock and he had to. And the first thing God did was to fill out a requisition form to separate the light from the darkness. That completed, God considered making stars to beautify the night, and planets to fill the skies, but then reconsidered. It sounded like too much work; and, besides, God thought, “That’s not my job.” So God decided to knock off early and call it a day. And he looked at what he’d done and he said, “It’ll have to do.”

On the second day, God separated the waters from the dry land. And he made all the dry land flat, plain, and functional, so that – behold – the whole earth looked like… Idaho. Now God thought about making mountains and valleys and glaciers and jungles and forests, but he decided that it wouldn’t be worth the effort. And so God looked at what he had done on that second day and said, “It’ll have to do.”

And then God made a pigeon to fly in the air, and a carp to swim in the waters, and a cat to creep upon the dry ground. God also thought about making millions of other species of all sizes and shapes and colors, but he couldn’t drum up any enthusiasm for these other animals. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t even too crazy about that cat. Besides, it was almost time for the Late Show. So God looked at all he had done and God said, “It’ll have to do.”

And so it went for the rest of that week of creation. And when it was over, God was seriously burned out. So he breathed a big sigh of relief and said, “Thank Me, it’s Friday!” And then God rested from all his labors on the Sabbath…

Of course, the book of Genesis doesn’t describe creation in this way – fortunately! Instead, it describes God taking great care, and being wonderfully creative, and exhibiting a true sense of joy and satisfaction in all that he had made. At each step of the way, in fact, rather than simply concluding, “it’ll have to do,” the bible says that God stopped and surveyed what he had just created and saw that, “it was good.” In fact, when it was all finally complete, God saw everything that he had made and, indeed, “it was very good.”

And, thus, it was into this “very good” creation that God placed us, and called us to be caretakers of it. That is, to “care for” and to “protect” everything God had made: the mountains, and seas, and forests, and jungles, as well as all the plants and animals and creepy-crawly things which inhabited these various ecosystems.

But even more than that… God also gave us a “special” calling; a calling he first extended to the people of Israel. As we heard in our first reading, after God had delivered the Israelites from bondage and led them out of Egypt into the wilderness – out there, out in that wilderness, out in God’s big backyard, if you will – he said to them, “if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession… you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.”

“Imagine how the Israelites must have felt hearing these words,” writes Judith Carrick. “Out of all (the) nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests… Against all odds, and surely even against their own expectations, God had allowed this group of slaves to escape the domination of… Egypt… Now here they were, at the foot of Mt. Sinai, after three months of hard travel, hearing through Moses the unbelievable words from God himself, telling them that they were chosen and precious in his sight.”

Then, over a thousand years later, the letter of 1 Peter encouraged and inspired the early Christian community with virtually the same words, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people…” And then our reading from 1 Peter also reminded us exactly why we have received such a calling; that is, “in order that you may proclaim the might acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Which is simply to say, that with this “special” calling came a “special” responsibility. The reason why this priestly people and holy nation has been called and set apart by God is so that it can proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom and what God has done (and continues to do) in Jesus Christ.

And so we also heard this morning how Jesus summoned his followers and gave them authority to cast out unclean spirits and to cure every disease and every sickness, and then he sent them out into God’s big backyard to love and to serve in God’s name.

This past week, the children in our Vacation Bible School learned, through the daily bible stories, that we are called to love and to serve in a variety of ways and a variety of situations. First, they learned that we are called to “serve family” and then to “serve friends.” But they also heard that we are called to “serve our neighbors” and to “serve our community” as well.

Last, but not least, we are called to “serve Jesus.” But as I tried to remind the children in our closing on Friday, when we serve our family, friends, neighbors, and community we are serving Jesus. Because Jesus taught us, over and over again, that the very best way we can possibly serve him… is to serve others.

We’re special people, you and I. Now there are those who remind us of this all the time. Almost every day, in fact, when I come home from church and check the mail, or the phone messages on our answering machine, I keep hearing how truly special I really am. “Edward, you’re a winner! You’ve been chosen to receive a free, all-expense paid trip to Disney World.” Or, “Mr. Kroppa, would you please take a moment and complete a survey for us in order to get your special prize.” Or, “Mr. Edward, call now and we’ll send you and Mrs. Edward on that dream vacation you’ve always wanted to take.”

Three or four times a day, I hear that I’m a pretty special guy.

So are my kids. Ever since she graduated from high school, our daughter Sarah has been hearing weekly from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, as well as the reserves and National Guard. I guess she’s pretty special, too!

But, of course, these kinds of letters and phone messages are simply a marketer’s ploy to make us feel special or important, so that we can do something for them; buy their product, or answer their survey, or, in the case of our daughter Sarah with the armed services, fill their quotas.

However, it doesn’t work that way with God. God, the creator, the owner of this “big backyard” we know as earth, called the Israelites and told them they were special – even when they had absolutely nothing to offer him! They possessed absolutely nothing that the creator of this universe could possibly have desired from them!

In a sense, God said, “You can’t do anything for me. But I can and will do something for you. Out of all the peoples in the world, I will make you my treasured possession. Out of all the peoples in the world, I will make you a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.

I will bless you. And even more than that, if you keep my covenant, I will make you a blessing to others as well.”

And, in Jesus Christ, God simply repeated and expanded this promise: to bless us so that we could then be a blessing to others. So whatever it is that we have to offer the world as the church, it is not something we possess. Rather, it’s something from God that we are called, and privileged, to share with others.

As Mike Wilkins reminds us, “The church is not a religious institution, it is not a service provider, it is not a retail outlet: it is a community of faith. The word for church in the Bible is ‘ecclesia’ from which we get the word, ‘ecclesiastical.’ It comes to us from two other Greek words, ‘ek’ for ‘out’, and ‘klesis’ for ‘a calling.’ (So) when the Bible calls us the ‘ecclesia,’ it is calling us the ‘called-out community.’ …The ‘ecclesia’ is not an organization or an institution, it literally means a gathering of the people – a gathering of God’s people! Church is not a place – it is a people.”

And it is a people who, through absolutely no talent or effort of their own, are nevertheless sent out into the world to serve God, and to proclaim his mighty deeds.

Now what does this mean? Well, it means that being the church and serving God is not about us. It’s about the God who called us out of the darkness of our own making… and into the light of his marvelous love and grace.

It’s about not taking ourselves too seriously. After all, keep in mind, as I pointed out earlier, that we have absolutely nothing that God could possibly want from us. Because, remember, once we were not a people. We were of no account or consequence. But now we are God’s people. Once we had not received mercy,

and we were instead mired in the muck of our own sin and unworthiness. But now we have received mercy. In other words, we should never take ourselves too seriously because – whatever it is that we have, whatever it is that we are – comes from God, not us.

There’s a story told about Pope John XXIII. One of his advisors, apparently, was constantly nagging him to fix this problem or that problem. This official lived as though he alone saw the severity of the challenges facing the world and the church, and that, without, his warnings and efforts, the entire world would collapse. Finally, the Pope had had enough. So he took this hyper-conscientious advisor aside and confessed that he, too, was sometimes tempted to think and live as though the fate of the entire world rested on his shoulders. He said he was helped, however, by the angel who would occasionally appear by the side of his bed and say, “Hey there, Johnny boy, don’t take yourself too seriously.”

After all, the people God calls and then sends out into the world are not necessarily the “cream of the crop,” if you know what I mean – popes included. Instead, keep in mind that the people God has chosen, and continues to choose, are often very flawed.

For instance, in a quick review of some of the great men and women in scripture, we find one who confessed that he was willing to give his wife to another man to sleep with. Another plotted to kill the husband of the woman he lusted after. Still another murdered a man and then had to run from the law. One was a prostitute. Another had a lifestyle marked by violence. And still another cheated his own brother out of that brother’s inheritance. And, finally, one not only persecuted the early church, but actually stood by as the first Christian martyr was stoned to death.

So what do Abraham, David, Moses, Rahab, Samson, Jacob, and Paul have in common? Despite their many sins and shortcomings, and obvious flaws – God still managed to use them to further and to fulfill his gracious will.

Well, it’s no different with us. We are not worthy of the calling to which we’ve been called. But worthiness has nothing to do with it. It’s all about mercy. And what better way for God to communicate his mercy than to illustrate it through the lives of those to whom he has been merciful…

The second thing to keep in mind is that, since it’s not our own talent or ability or righteousness at work when we serve God, the only thing God requires and asks of us is commitment and dedication. When Jesus sent his disciples out to heal the sick and to cast out demons, it was his power and his authority at work – not theirs. They were, and today we are, simply “laborers” sent out into his harvest.

Once, at a meeting of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Bobby Richardson, the second basemen of the New York Yankees back in the 1950’s and 60’s, expressed this kind of commitment and dedication in a prayer marked by both its brevity and also its poignancy. “Dear God,” said Richardson, “Your will; nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Amen.”

The implication here, of course, is that we have to stake everything we have, and everything we are – on God’s call. As someone once pointed out, a husband or wife who is only 85%, or even 90% faithful to his or her spouse is not really faithful at all.

What’s needed, instead, is 100% devotion and faithfulness. It is said that when Julius Caesar landed on the shores of Britain with his Roman legions, half a century before the birth of Christ, he took a bold and decisive step. Ordering his men to march to the edge of the cliffs of Dover, he commanded them to look down at the water below. To their utter amazement, they saw every ship in which they had crossed the channel from Europe engulfed in flames. Caesar had deliberately cut off any possibility of retreat. Now that his soldiers were unable to return to the continent, there was nothing left for them to do but advance and conquer.

Nearly 1600 years later, the Spanish explorer, Hernando Cortez, did the very same thing. Landing at, what is today, Vera Cruz, Mexico in the spring of 1519, he set fire to the 11 ships which had brought him and his 700 men from Cuba. Like Julius Caesar before him, the commitment and dedication of Cortez was absolute…

Can it be any less for us? God, the creator of the universe, this “big backyard,” has actually chosen us – as unworthy as we are – to be his priestly kingdom and his holy nation. Therefore, can we even contemplate anything less than 100% devotion in response?

Fritz Kreisler, the famous violinist, once said, “Narrow is the road that leads to a violinist. Hour after hour, day after day, and week after week, for years, I lived with my violin. There were so many things that I wanted to do that I had to leave undone; there were many places I wanted to go that I had to miss, if I was to master the violin. The road that I traveled was a narrow road and the way was hard.”

In fact, a woman once came up to Fritz Kreisler after one of his concerts and said to him, “I’d give my life to play as beautifully as you do.” To which Kreisler replied, “I did.”

You know, you can almost substitute the word “disciple” for “violinist” in that passage written by Fritz Kreisler and come up with something very similar to what Jesus had to say about the way of life for those who dared to commit themselves to following him. The way is not easy. It is not without self-sacrifice and single-mindedness. The road to be traveled is, indeed, a narrow one.

But the rewards are unmistakable… and they are eternal.

For Fritz Kreisler, of course, it was all about the opportunity to master a musical instrument, and to be acclaimed throughout the world for his prowess. For the average Christian, the rewards – at first glance – would certainly seem to be much more modest. But when you step back, and stop to think for a minute, you realize how untrue that really is.

Because, for the Christian, even the average Christian, the reward is this:

• knowing that you have contributed to a cause greater than yourself – to God’s cause,
• that you have been a blessing to others simply by sharing the blessings of God with them,
• that through the power and authority of Jesus Christ you have helped make this world – in the here and now – a better place,
• and that you have lived your life as that good and faithful servant whose real treasure still awaits in heaven.

God created us and set us loose in his big backyard. But God also called us with a “special calling” to serve others. And to make that big backyard a better place.

Amen

We as Christians sometimes view the political process as the way to bring about God's plan.  But Ortberg makes a very good point:

Imagine that we elected all the right people to all the right offices. President, Congress, governors, right down to the school board, city council members, and dog catcher (which, by the way, does anyone still get to vote for?) Let's imagine that all of these ideal office holders instituted all the right policies. Every piece of legislation—from zoning laws, to tax codes, to immigration policy, to crime bills—is just exactly the way you know it ought to be.

Would that usher in perfection?

Would the hearts of the parents be turned toward their children?
Would all marriages be models of faithful love?
Would greed and pride be legislated out of existence?
Would assistant pastors find senior pastors to be models of harmony and delight?
Would human beings now at last be able to master our impulses around sexuality, and anger, and narcissism?
Would you finally become the woman or man you know you ought to be?

In the words of theologian Macaulay Culkin: "I don't think so." Because no human system has the ability to change the human heart.

Exactly right.  God changes hearts, not the political process.  So, even though it's an election year, let's keep something in mind: No matter who wins or loses, it's not the end of the world.  I have a job to do despite whether the election goes my way or not.  I am here to bring the message of God's good news to the world.

McCain and Obama will just have to get out of the way or get on board with God's plan!

According to Titus "knowledge of the truth" is what leads to godliness...or at least knowledge of the truth allows us to make the choice for godliness. Knowledge of the truth about my actions and their consequences. Knowledge of the truth in regard to how closely my actions reflect the character of my heavenly Father. Knowledge of the truth in regards to whether I am being transformed or putting on a mask for my religious friends.

I know pursuing godliness is a statement of faith. A statement that says godliness will lead me to become the kind of person I was created/desire to be. The kind of person who desires to live with God both now and in the age to come. When I choose godliness I cannot choose selfishness at the same time. When I choose godliness I cannot choose ungodliness, in any of its forms, at the same time.

We are talking process here, but even in saying that I cannot allow process to be my excuse for continuing to choose ungodliness. For instance when I became a follower of Christ I swore like a sailor (no offense to sailors). When I had knowledge of the truth that language reflects what's in the heart and that language can be offensive and that language like I was using did not reflect the character or heart or habits of God I was convicted to be transformed. The same held true for my self-centered ways. When I had knowledge of the truth that generosity is a mark of God's character I was convicted to be transformed. Transformed into the person God said I now was...his adopted son. His adopted son...Wow! The sound of that still quiets my heart like few other thoughts.

So, how are you pursuing godliness? What is God convicting you of to let go or to embrace? John Ortberg says, "godliness comes through training not trying harder." Who is your coach? What are you doing to train for godliness? Paul told the Thessalonian community of faith, "never tire of doing right." 1 Thess 3.13      

I had some great friends in high school but as I went off to college there were only a few people who I really connected with. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe I wasn't as outgoing. Maybe I didn't try hard enough to meet people. Whatever the case maybe there are only a few people from college that I really stay in touch with.

Over the last couple years however I have had the great pleasure of meeting some amazing people and starting some deep friendships. Friendships that I believe will last a long time.

I hope that these are the types of friendships that twenty years down the road I "mark my life by," as John Ortberg says in the article below on the same topic

I want these friendship to defy distance and time, ups and downs, kids, job changes and personal hurts.

We all need these types of relationships. They are God's blessing to us and they help us remember that we are not alone on this journey of life.

Check out Ortberg's story

"I need to work and grow and hone my abilities and add value to the world. But mostly, I think, I need friends. My friends are those people, those few and mysterious people, who love me for no reason at all. Which is the only really good reason to love."
--John Ortberg (source: Spiritual Friends in Christianity Today)

In two months I will be moving to Grand Rapids to be a part of the Mars Hill community. I'm filled with hope right now -- probably too much hope, actually -- that I'm going to meet friends for life and be able to finally find a ministry to the poor where I can be broken and poured out for the sake of the underprivileged. And date some hotties.

I've been so focused on finding my place in this world and reading theology and trying to find what the story of reality actually is so I can fit inside of it...but when I really think about it, what I need more than anything is a few close friends to laugh and journey through life with along the way.

People don't care what I know. They care about what I'm learning.

I love that because that is what this blog is all about.

If you're a regular reader and your tuning in to read about what I know, you're in trouble.

This blog is mostly about what I'm learning. I'm learning as I go.

John Ortberg

(from "The Life You Have Always Wanted")

We'll be starting a new study next week in our Connect Group.  It will be based on the latest book by John Ortberg, When The Game Is Over, It All Goes Back In the Box. 

The books arrived in the mail early this week and I'm excited about getting started.  We will start in a fun and creative way, so don't miss it.

 If anyone has any feedback on this book yet, I'd love to hear about it.

"It has never been easier to obtain the scriptures and never harder to absorb."

We live in a day of unprecedented opportunities to stimulate our minds. We have blogs, television, and 24-hour news. We have ipods, dvd players, and radios in our cars. Everywhere we go there is some kind of message that is trying to attach to our minds. You can't even go to the bathroom without being bombarded by an advertisement.

So even if you're taking time to read the scriptures, when do you have time to absorb the scriptures? How are you dealing with this challenge?

Let's learn from each other,

Pete

Lucho con esto porque el llamado de Dios ha sido la cosa más maravillosa de mi vida. No hay lugar más satisfactorio que el centro de la voluntad de Dios. No obstante, a la vez entiendo lo que Ortberg y Lewis dicen. El llamado es un llamado a la cruz. El llamado nos va a traer dolores. El llamado nos lleva a lugares donde no entendemos el cómo ni el por qué. El llamado no significa alegría intrínsecamente, aunque muchas veces una felicidad genuina seguirá como resultado.

“Jesús le dijo, ‘Apacienta mis ovejas. De cierto, de cierto os digo: Cuando eras más joven, te ceñías, e ibas a donde querías; mas cuando ya seas viejo, extenderás tus manos, y te ceñirá otro, y te llevará a donde no quieras.’ Esto dijo, dando a entender con qué muerte había de glorificar a Dios. Y dicho esto, añadió: ‘Sígueme’” (Juan 21:17-19).

Grace Slick sings White Rabbit as I gaze out the window into a white cloud of snow. I've called in to take the day off and Strider, our Cocker Spaniel has decided not to go outside unless a real emergency exists, and then the patio will suffice rather than trying to get into a snow bank to do her business.

The political swirl continues to get most of the "ink" and lip service. I worked the election yesterday as a judge. Lots of voters, but still a few voting for candidates that have dropped out of the race. I can remember asking "What does it mean?" in the past, about a political development, but now there are lots of opinions out there disguised as fact that will temp you to be led through this process, without much real thought.

I have come to realize that some things are not what we expect. For instance, I always pictured religion, churches, ministers and congregations as paragons of virtue and honesty. Sad to say, that isn't the case, never was nor will it be. Not to say that good, God Fearing people don't exist, as they certainly do, but I have recently discovered that when it comes down to money or stuff, congregations and the ruling class in denominations still follow the money. Fortunately, I'm not devastated by this discovery, just disheartened a bit by the duplicity.

I always believed that things would get better as I aged. I'd have more time to read all the books I bought and saved to read. I'd be able to visit people more, the ones I cared to visit. See the country and the world. Take time to smell the roses.

John Ortberg said it best, I think, when he said that things settle down only when you die. Until then, you deal with a deteriorating body, financial boondoggles, and inertia.

Ortberg's premise is that we can't put off putting God in our life until we have time to do so. That's a foolish proposition.

I also liked his test to see if we hurry too much. Do we look at two lines in the supermarket to see which is shorter? Do we analyze those in each line and look at their baskets to see which may move faster? And after we choose a line, do we keep track of where we'd be in the other line, and get frustrated if we've picked the slower of the two? As John pointed out, Jesus, when he was here, always was busy, but never hurried. He always had time for his Father. Do we?

What have we put off too long? Maybe it's time to reorder our priorities a bit. Make that call to someone who would smile at hearing your voice. Its lots easier to talk to Mom than to her headstone. Those kids and grandkids won't stay still, they'll continue to grow and develop, just as we did, and you don't want to miss it happen.

There isn't any reason to save that good china or the fancy perfume. Those power tools you don't use anymore might be a life saver for someone who could use them properly.

Send cards to people for no reason. Give a hug to someone who may need to know they are loved. Smile and see what happens.

I look at photos of people only I still know, among those of my family still alive. I'll have to add names to them and write their story so that what I leave behind makes sense.

When I go it won't matter that I can whistle most anything, or that I can blow a great bubble. Knowing where the best restaurant is in Wilmot Wisconsin won't put me in the Guinness Book. Remembering Bob Talbert, Jerry Green, Bob Pusces and Brays hamburgers in Detroit won't be a big deal either.

But having people understand that there is something beyond this life and it is what matters most will be some legacy. The people I meet in heaven and those I join will all remind me that things have finally settled down.

Dan

The book was recommended during last Sunday's sermon and it has the subtitle "Spiritual disciplines for ordinary people", I've only read the preface so far but it is resonating already.  "If you have ever been frustrated with what you know of spiritual life, ever wondered if real change is possible, ever felt confused or stuck - you're my kind of person.  I wrote this book for you."

That's me, that's my experience - bring it on.

Alister McGrath
Andy Stanley - Northpoint
Ben Witherington III

• The Parchman Endowed Lectures, Dr. Ben Witherington III: "Canonical Pseudepigrapha: Is It an Oxymoron?"
• The Parchman Endowed Lectures, Dr. Ben Witherington III: "Oral Texts and Rhetorical Letters: Rethinking the Categories"
• The Parchman Endowed Lectures, Dr. Ben Witherington III: "The Unity of James and Paul: On Implementing the Apostolic Decree"

Bill Williams
Bobby Valentine - Palo Verde Church of Christ
Brian McLaren - Cedar Ridge Community Church
Brian McLaren - Allelon
Brian Nicklaus
Craig Blomberg
Chris Seidman - Farmer's Branch
Curt Sparks - Overland Park Church of Christ
D. A. Carson
Dallas Willard
Dallas Willard - Veritas
Dallas Willard - Allelon
Dan Holland - Metro Church of Christ
David Shannon - Mt. Juliet CofC (Mt. Juliet, TN)
David Young - North Boulevard CofC (Murfreesboro, TN)
Don McLaughlin - North Atlanta Church of Christ
Erwin McManus - Mosaic
Eugene Peterson - Allelon
Faith Comes By Hearing
Gary Bradley - Mayfair
James Dunn
Jeff Walling - Providence Road Church of Christ
Jim Woodroof
John Alan Turner
John Dobbs
John Ortberg
John Piper
John Risse - North Boulevard Church of Christ
John Scott - Saturn Road Church of Christ
John Stott
John York
Joseph Shulam
Karl Barth
Larry Crabb
Mark Hurt - Cordova Community Church
Mark Taylor
Marva Dawn
Max Lucado
Mike Cope - Highland Church of Christ (Abilene, TX)
Mike Winkler - Madison Church of Christ
Miroslav Volf
N.T. Wright
N.T. Wright - Allelon
Noel Whitlock - College Church of Christ (Searcy, AR)
Parker Palmer
Philip Cunningham III
Prentice Meador
Ravi Zacharias
Rick Atchley - Richland Hills Church of Christ
Rob Bell - Mars Hill Bible Church
Rubel Shelly
Stanley Hauerwas
Tim Bulkeley
Tim Spivey - Highland Oaks Church of Christ
Tim Woodroof - Otter Creek Church of Christ
Tony Campolo
Trey Morgan
Wade Hodges - Garnett Church of Christ (Tulsa, OK)
Walt Leaver - Brentwood Hills Church of Christ
Walter Brueggemann
Wheaton College Chapel - miscellaneous
Will Willimon & Others
William Lane Craig
Wolfhart Pannenburg

I'm re-reading a book by John Ortberg called IF YOU WANT TO WALK ON WATER, YOU'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF THE BOAT.  I highly recommend it.  Every now and then an author or speaker will toss something out that that just floors me, so I thought I'd share.  Ortberg goes through the familiar story of Jesus coming to the disciples walking on the water and how Peter got out and made it a few yards...before he sank and Jesus rescued him.  Peter has been a sermon illustration for years as "O ye of little faith."  But the amazing thing is that he actually got out of the boat and walked on water towards Jesus while the other disciples were hanging on for dear life in the boat.  Here's the lines from Ortberg that got me:

I believe there are many good reasons to get out of the boat.  But there is one that trumps them all: The water is where Jesus is.  The water may be dark, wet, and dangerous.  But Jesus is not in the boat.

That's the thought I'll be chewing on for a while....

1. "Iris to Iris" by Building 429. Might be my favorite CD this year. Can't get enough of it.

2. "Remedy" by David Crowder Band. Ranks right next to "Iris to Iris".

3. "Quiet Strength" by Tony Dungy. Best book I have ever read.

4. "When the Game is Over" by John Ortberg. Classic Ortberg book.

5. "All That is Within Me" by Mercyme. Not their best, but it's Mercyme!

6. "Glory Revealed" by Various Artists. Another one of the best this year.

7. "The Pursuit of Happyness" with Will Smith on DVD. Incredible movie.

8. "Father Knows Best" by Wendell Jamison. A very entertaining book for dads with kids who have questions.

9. "Daughtry" by Daughtry. Excellent debut album from the former American Idol star.

10. "3:16" by Max Lucado. Had to sneak Max in here somewhere.

Other recommendations -"Ultimate Hits" by Garth Brooks, "The Altar & the Door" by Casting Crowns, "The Blessing" by John Waller, "This Moment" by Steven Curtis Chapman, "Sex God" by Rob Bell, "Facing Your Giants" by Max Lucado, "Portable Sounds" by Tobymac and "See the Morning" by Chris Tomlin.