Renewing Faith │ Restoring Hope
I now can see, I have new eyes.
Faith is a mystery, plain and simple. It is not dependent upon what is seen yet it is able to influence what we see. As human beings we tend to believe what we see but as Christians we are called to believe what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). So what exactly is the relationship between faith and sight? Continue reading “Seeing With the Eyes of Faith”
The next several weeks of blogs will be based on our most recent animated reading, “Nothing Changes but Everything is Different.” Click here to see the full text and watch the video.
Nothing changes but everything is different.
The service was charged with excitement as the preacher man picked up the microphone and yelled, “God is good!” Then raising it towards the crowd, they all screamed back, “All the time!” Upon which the preacher repeated, “All the time!” And the crowd returned, “God is good!” Continue reading “The Rich New World of Holy Surrender”
This week we launch our ninth animated reading. The next five weeks of blog posts will draw from themes in this poem. If you like the video, please share with others.
Lord, You’re so amazing!
How do You do it? Continue reading “Animated Reading: Nothing Changes but Everything is Different”
Desperate for God. This has been the theme we’ve focused on since the very first blog and we have done so through the notion of “postures” or attitudes of holy desperation. So far we have talked about the postures of spiritual brokenness and stillness and this week we introduce the third posture—surrender. To speak of surrender is to consider the ultimate purpose of Christian faith. It’s easy to give lip service to this self-denying virtue but another to actually live it out. Continue reading “Rethinking Surrender”
And still I cry, “Change me, change me, change me.”
I believe the vast majority of unhappiness and disillusionment among Christians can usually be traced to one common yet thoroughly un-interrogated assumption—happiness comes from getting what we want. While such logic seems sound it’s utterly contradictory to Christian faith because it lead us to think that Jesus is good for saving our souls but his blessings are needed for our happiness. In so doing, we separate the blessings of Christ from the person of Christ. Continue reading “The Mystery of Happiness”
Then we will laugh and joyfully sing as we dance on the ground of this ruinous drawing.
Like it or not, disappointment plays an important role in our journey of faith. Our reaction to disappointment offers a window into the quality of our devotion to God. It reveals how committed we actually are while dispelling inaccurate ideas of a more unwavering faith. Unfortunately, in our zeal to follow Jesus we often profess a kind of surrender we really don’t yet know very much about. But how can we? This is the way of faith. Our growth is progressive. Continue reading “The Transforming Fires of Disappointment”
In the wind His voice is now drawing . . .
I am not alone; you are not alone. God takes companionship seriously. We serve a God fiercely committed to those who trust him with their lives. Whether we are in the heights of elation, the depths of despair, or somewhere in between we are never beyond his reach or distant from his thoughts (Psalm 139:7-12). Continue reading “Never Alone”
We must always take heart and never despair when houses fall down and castles collapse.
We live in a world where seeing is believing. Reality is physically tangible . . . molecules and particles, and that’s all. To base one’s life on anything else is simply nonsense . . . so we’re told. In many ways we are culturally predisposed against Christian faith and a worldview that has anything to do with spirituality. Yet, here we are, confessors of a faith that asks us to surrender our lives to a God we can’t see and to forsake a life devoted to pleasures and personal gain that surround us every day. Continue reading “The Necessity of Conviction”
This week we launch our seventh animated reading. The next five weeks of blog posts will draw from themes in this poem. If you like the video, please share with others.
I used to be fine,
Strong and secure. Continue reading “Animated Reading: A Ruinous Drawing”
This week we launch our sixth animated reading. The next five weeks of blog posts will draw from themes in this poem. If you like the video, please share with others.
I have been here before –
I remember the pasture
That beautiful expanse. Continue reading “Filmed Reading: Standing in the Place of Stillness”
