Musings with PWC

I'm not quite old enough for this, nor for that matter do we get a daily paper.  However, as I have been told.  The older you get the more likely you are to check out the obituaries to see who died (and to check if your name is there!).  You could say the older you get the cognizant you are of death. John 12:24 (NLT) 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives .   All spiritual life grows out of death.  Where there is no death there is no life.   We are all naturally fearful of death, but Jesus, the master of death faced it boldly.     “Luke 9:51 (NLT) 51 As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.”       All advancement on your spiritual journey will grow from something dying. Your will. Your desires. Your wants. Perhaps a relationship? Perhaps a thing?  Love of money?   A spiritual concern you will ne

  Heroes or Celebrities     Is it possible we have dropped the concept of heroes and now have celebrities in the church?   Joseph Hellerman in his book  When the Church Was a Family,  draws the following distinction.   Heroes: These are people of the faith that lead the charge.  They are people we want to emulate.  We want to follow them—but more—we want to be like them.  Think of kids who play hockey.  If they are playing ball hockey, they wear their heroes’ sweater because the kid  wants to be  Austin Matthews the second.    Celebrities: These are people we are not capable of being—we “try to live our live through them” according to Hellerman.  “We do not emulate the character qualities of celebrities.  We cannot hope to be like them” (Hellerman, 2009, p 192).  Maybe we even -- kind of -- worship them?  We even buy all their books, listen to all their podcasts, and send them all our money!   Okay ready? 
Is there a tendency in our church culture to see a person and say: ‘Wow I could

    Dr Tom Sweeney, teaching a course I am taking, at one time did some missions work in Brazil.  In Brazil, Tom was familiar with one church with a membership of some 1500 persons.   This church taught the necessity of three important weekly connections.  These are as follows:   1.  Sunday public worship. 2.  Small group. 3.  One on one mentoring, with your spiritual mother/father.   Now, if a person finds themselves in a busy week, or busy season it was taught that one needed to prioritize this list as follows:   1.        If you can participate in only one of these it is best to see your mentor—the one-on-one relationship—the student with the teacher—your spiritual father/mother. 2.        Second, make sure you attend your small group. 3.        Then last attend public worship.   It is my experience that this order is usually reversed in our culture.  It is reversed, mostly because in our culture most believers don’t have a spiritual father/ mother —mentor.  Nor for that matter do m

  Back in the 14th Century an unknown author wrote a prayer manual entitled The Cloud of Unknowing.  In this little book he teaches his students how to pray--more specifically, how contemplative prayer works.   You can download the translated original online if you do a search, or you can purchase an easier to read translation.   Simple question for this blog: Why pray? Why learn contemplative prayer? Our unknown author/ teacher gives us the following 4 reasons:   To know God better. To love God for the sake of God alone.   Not seeking a greater reward, not some release from my suffering… nothing for me.  The aim is a total detachment and just loving God for  Himself.   This accomplishes a deposit of Divine Love within… which causes me to love others more! (Especially those who cause me pain and problems!)   How do you know if you are loving God well?  It manifests itself in loving others.  Loving others is the fruit of loving God.