Reflections on the loving kindness of the Triune God
This post “belongs” to a shared Cor Deo site. Any responses are welcomed on that site, please. To go there, click here What do we think about in our free moments? What delights us? And what worries us? I’m not asking about the immediate thoughts and concerns stirred by our latest circumstances but the deeper, …
Read More Maslow’s MistakeImagine being perfect. Think about a life without hurting or being hurt. Of not disappointing others. Of making choices that are always good and wise. Of pleasing God and neighbors. What would it be like to care for others with a complete and ongoing integrity? To trust and to be trusted without any hesitation? We …
Read More PerfectionThink about how our vision of God shapes the way we live. If our God is an activist he fills our lives with activities. Alternatively a token God is a backstop for difficult moments in life but he, she, they, or it—the best term for God isn’t a matter of consensus so I’ll stay with …
Read More Creating GodThis entry is also published on the Cor Deo site. Please post any comments on that site. Thanks! What if every Christian loved God above all else; and, with that, loved his neighbor as himself? Would friendships be stronger? Marriages sweeter? Families healthier? Churches more winsome and dynamic? Businesses staffed with Christian employees more productive? …
Read More What if?This entry has also been published on my shared Cor Deo site. For any responses please go there: Cor Deo A leader with Christ’s heart differs from leaders in the world as light differs from darkness. Jesus taught as much and lived as such. Think, for instance, of how he loved all those he led. …
Read More Two Types of LeadersFaith is a response of trust birthed by our meeting Christ “in person.” Knowing him produces a life-changing entrustment as we recognize and receive his love. Recently we wrote of grace as a “who”—the Spirit revealing his love in our hearts. His relational grace produces a relational faith working through love, as Paul taught in …
Read More Discovering FaithEmpty grace is an odd but widespread feature of Christianity. It offers a form of Christianity based on information about Christ but it lacks any power. The faith it produces affirms many social values and laws taken from Christianity while missing Christ’s most central invitation to know him by responding to his love. Living grace, …
Read More Living GraceKeith Green, a radically converted Christian and gifted musician was a one-of-a-kind figure until his death in an airplane crash in the early 1980s. He was bold, reminding me of the apostle Paul’s courage and vision. Here’s a “Greenism” that gives a feel for what he represented: “If your heart takes more pleasure in reading …
Read More A Free GiftIt can sound pretty presumptuous to say, “I know God.” “Really?” someone might ask. “Are the two of you pretty tight, or is he just an acquaintance?” It would be a mocking question, of course, because most people today treat God either as a distant concept or as a charade played by those who take …
Read More Knowing GodThis entry was first posted on the Cor Deo website. Please post any responses there by clicking here Have you ever felt abandoned by God? If you have you know it hurts more than any other loss. Why? Because we see God as a secure refuge: as one who loves us even if all others …
Read More Dark Night of the Soul