I have resolved to pray more and pray always, to pray in all places where quietness inviteth, in the house, on the highway and on the street; and to know no street or passage in this city that may not witness that I have not forgotten God…. I purpose to take occasion of praying upon the sight of any church which I may pass, that God may be worshipped there in spirit, and that souls may be saved there; to pray daily for my sick patients and for the patients of other physicians; at my entrance into any home to say, “May the peace of God abide here”; after hearing a sermon, to pray for a blessing on God’s truth, and upon the messenger; upon the sight of a beautiful person to bless God for His creatures, to pray for the beauty of such an one’s soul, that God may enrich her with inward graces, and that the outward and inward may correspond; upon the sight of a deformed person, to pray God to give them wholeness of soul, and by and by to give them the beauty of the resurrection.
“
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Sir Thomas Browne, beloved physician in Norwich AD1605
found in private papers (i.e. a journal of sorts) after his death
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Adventure is out there
I have this friend. We’ve been together for quite some time now. As friends that is. Shared many experiences together. Seen many things. Heard many things. Done many things. We don’t always see eye-to-eye… but that’s personality I guess. Regardless of disagreements or inconveniences (which are surprisingly seldom), I consider him one of my true friends—and ”friend” isn’t a word I toss around lightly.
One of my favorite recurring interactions with him involve our conversations about heaven or the “new creation.” I can remember sitting on a couch for quite some time musing about eternal life after the last day and saying, “When we play soccer, how will we pick which team Jesus is on?”
I guess I think about the new creation often. More than once per week, but probably not every day. And I look forward to it. Greatly.
I’ve discovered something further about myself lately; perhaps it isn’t so much discovery as it is honing. And what have I honed? Discovery.
I love discovering new things. Learning. Experiencing. In books, but everywhere else too.
And I want to be able to saddle up on a stallion and travel through miles of hills. I want to discover mountains with ravines and lakes in between. I want to climb trees and hop dangerously to another. I want to boulder rocks, and drink water from a cactus. I want adventure.
And I wonder… in the new creation, when Christ remakes the world, when he fashions hills and valleys and deserts and gardens anew, will he allow me roam across new earth for a year or two? Taking along with me my best friend who has an eye for beauty and the most curious personality I know. Inevitably, I would come across several others who had the same mind to discover pristine creation. We would light a fire at night and tell grand tales of the magnificent creation of our God. And what’s more, we would tell of the magnificent Creator, and the wondrous person he is. We would each explain the story of how the great Redeemer took a grand adventure to earth to rescue his bride. And how he rescued each of us individually-corporately. We would worship our God.
The only heroes who operate alone are figures of fiction. The true stories of accomplishment and significance always unfold as stories of teamwork. In Christ, one’s life is multiplied by others. The only way to exchange the illusions of fame and self-importance for God-granted greatness and blessing is by walking in partnership with others.
Chapter 1
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost.
I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter 2
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in this same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter 3
I walk town the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in … it’s a habit.
But my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
Chapter 4
I will walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
Chapter 5
I walk down another street.
“
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There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk, Portia Nelson
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It occurs to me, however, that I, too, am made in the image of God and am therefore myself an icon in the world. No matter where I go or what circumstances I encounter, my value lies in the one whose image is imprinted upon my being. Whether I am battered or beautiful, old or modern, colorful or neutral, original or a copy of an original, I remain an icon, bearing in my human nature the image of Christ….It is my prayer that now and then, someone will recognize the image of Christ in me and will look through me like a window—opaque and tarnished and dusty as I am—and will fix their eyes on the realities of heaven.
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Elizabeth Zelensky & Lela Gilbert
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The Cost of Discipleship: The Image of Christ
the-rum-is-gone:
But the riddle of human nature was still unsolved. With the loss of the God-like nature God had given him, man had forfeited the destiny of his being, which was to be like God. In short, man had ceased to be man. He must live without the ability to live.
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And then came God to man in man to restore the image of God in man and restore man to God.
I will never be like my dad… (?)
One of the great ironies God has put within mankind:
no matter how much we tell ourselves as teenagers that we will never be like our parents when we grow up…
as we grow older, we slowly begin to see just how similar to them we are becoming.
I imagine God chuckles everytime we do one of those things, use one of those mannerisms, or say one of those phrases.
Although this truth is funny to some, despairing to others, and outright untrue to those that are still young enough to believe in their own determined efforts, it offers great encouragement to those who have been adopted as sons and daughters of the Most High God.
We will continually become more and more like our wonderful Father.
Thank God!
The Gospel is the Gospel because you don’t deserve it!
Get over yourself and worship God for who he is.
The moment…
The moment that I am no longer convinced I am of best use to the nations of the world here, in the States, cultivating passion for them in all who submit to my teaching…
God, in that moment, give me also the faith and strength to forsake my current life, and follow your call on my life.
Raise up from your church, men and women who will reach the far places and speak your words of love to ears who have never had chance to hear so sweet a sound.
Use me. Though I wish I would go, I know that the gifts you have given are better suited here—begging others to go for the sake of your glory.
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news.
