Tag: #BigRead13

#BigRead13 Thoughts

Really grateful to those who have stuck with this through the whole process, has been some real little encouragements, as we think about Easter … and the year ahead – what difference has engaging with the various online materials for Lent made to our lives? Dealing with the subject of death is always a difficult one, but this is such a lovely picture in The Last Battle:

But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”

The Hebrews verse calls for us to recognise that we are aliens in this earth… but clearly that that doesn’t mean that we are not part of this earth whilst on it! What would we like to be written on our cover page/gravestone? I still think mine would be “She lived life to the full.” 

… and still deeply encouraged by everything shared by #digidisciple – continuously working to add coherence, etc.. whilst maintaining individual voices… what’s on their cover pages?

A little weary this afternoon after getting up for sunrise service, but that was something special… about to disappear off for a nap though after my first session this morning…

#BigRead13 Thoughts

Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing.

Looking forward to heaven some point (no more weary, shattered old mind/body), on a more earthly plane I’m looking forward to catching up with @onlinepraise later.

The final theme for #lentphotos is “loss” – and here’s something that caught my attention outside the Methodist Church in Minehead earlier today:

#BigRead13 Thoughts

Well, there’s a challenge for those of us who feel time poor from ‘The Screwtape Letters’ … and our attitude to time – we feel we own 24 hours day, begrudge the time we give to work and view:

as a generous donation that further portion which he allows to religious duties.

Psalm 39:4-5 (New Living Translation)

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
⁵ You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.”

It has become a standing (sigh) joke in my life that I’m always busy, never knowing when to slow down – even trying to do ‘I’m not busy” for Lent -which is TEN MINUTES a day has not worked every day … although I am spending time gradually sorting out processes that should create space in the long term.  IT’S MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE – AND WE LOSE AN HOUR TONIGHT!

@40Acts

That’s a really encouraging point to finish on – all of our stories are important – and just because of our media saturated culture we should not value to dramatic ‘conversation’ over the slow-burn brought up in a Christian family story – amen! I have found it encouraging when in sessions about ‘sharing your testimony’ when people share what God has been doing recently – it’s not all about the conversation testimony – though that’s a time of great joy!

Brian Draper: Lent 40

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

So #LentPhotos today is ‘The Last Supper’ – we clearly need more interpretations, pictures, etc on Seed Resources – my favourite is this Stained Glass window (plenty of colour, although I’m sure there’s more ‘art-things’ I could say about it…

http://www.seedresources.com/view/images/last-supper-window

#BigRead13 Thoughts

Ah… being ‘imprisoned in the mind’… Romans 12:2 obviously sprang to mind as I was preparing today’s reflection (along with Joyce Meyer, though I’ve only ever read one of her books!) – I like the New Living Translation:

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. New Living Translation (©2007)

The extract from The Last Battle may come from the scene where those who believe in Aslan have gone through into the Shed and found themselves in an amazing, fertile land… but those who have been pushed in and don’t believe sit playing games because they think they are restricted by the walls of the shed (all a bit Matrix!). It brings to mind debates about facts/science, etc… I totally see no incompatibility between science/faith, but I have spoken to some who if they can’t engage with it with one of the 5 physical senses, or see proof of it – can’t conceive of it … that seems sad. As Michael Ward said yesterday on the webinar  – God is bigger than us, he created us – if we could fully comprehend him then that wouldn’t make sense…. we are finite and he is infinite.

This leads me to a bit of thinking about what does it mean to ‘transform’ – and I like this first definition on Wordnik “To change markedly the appearance or form” … is it noticeable that we are in a relationship with Jesus?

 

@40Acts

As I’ve been preparing for Spring Harvest over the past few days, along the theme of ‘reconnecting with ‘The Source’ – Jesus & his words, then learning to “be”, then “say”, then “do”, I’m going to emphasise quite heavily the idea that – particularly in the online spaces – it’s about “BEING’ – living the Christian life 24/7 so that people can see… but that does also mean that we need to be prepared for our testimony. I used to give my conversion testimony regularly as an Oak Hall leader, but there are also what’s God doing right here/right now to be aware of… and am I prepared if someone asked me NOW … me being me I’d want to check my notes.

Bekah Legg gives some helpful advice…

• Know the core elements of your story, the important parts – rather than a script
• Be prepared for the ‘movie trailer’ version, and someone wanting more detail
• Don’t slip into Christianese…
• And most importantly  – LISTEN – the person sat with you is more important than anything you have to say.

Brian Draper: Lent 40

Carl Jung: “You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.”

I guess this is like ‘actions speak louder than words’, although as Brian says – we are more than our actions.

Archbishop Oscar Romero:

We cannot do everything,
and there is a sense of liberation in realising this.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.

Can we sum up our Lent journey in 6 words – coming to my mind is “Busy. Stop. Busy. Think. Busy. Be”?