Archive for February 2012
“…so what do you do as a career?”…”I wash feet on behalf of my Lord”
Oswald Chambers February 25th entry in My Utmost for His Highest is so clear and beautiful.
“The real test of a saint is not one’s willingness to preach the gospel, but one’s willingness to do something like washing the disciple’s feet [just as Christ did for his disciples as it says in John 13:5*] — that is being willing to those things that seem unimportant in human estimation but count as everything to God…
Paul had no conditions or reservations. Paul focused his life on Jesus’ idea of a New Testament saint; that is, not one who merely proclaims the gospel, but one who becomes broken bread and poured out wine in the hands of Jesus Christ for the sake of others.”
* 5 Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” 8 Peter *said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” 10 Jesus *said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
Singular Focus in the 2012 Oscar Nominees
In Time Magazine’s interview of the 2012 Oscar nominees, the interviewer does a good job in drawing out of the nominee’s turning points in their acting career. A few of the discussions locate an insight in seeing a performance or demonstrate a realization of both what the value of what they do [territory of their ministry/work] and the type of performance they want to be able to convey as a singular essence that they strive towards.
Check out the interview here: http://lightbox.time.com/2012/02/09/video-great-performances/
Shane Claiborne, “Bringing the Kingdom of God Down to Earth”
This talk is so inspiring. His talk is directed to the people of God to be an imaginative counter-culture.
Claiborne articulates so many things so well but I like these especially: quoting Gandhi he says, “‘There is enough for everyone’s needs, but not enough for everyone’s greed.’ God has not created an economy where there is too many people, or too little stuff, but we’ve created poverty because we haven’t figured out how to live out this command of ‘loving our neighbour as our-self’”
“If the credit cards can be so imaginative in getting people into debt, why can’t we liberate the captives! It’s that imagination which we are invited into because we are God’s counter-culture. We are not to conform to the patterns of Wall Street but to the upside-down Kingdom of God.” – the renewing of the mind for him transitions into business strategies!
“But the kid, he knew the secret! That the best things to do with the best things in life are to give it away, not to keep it for ourselves. The blessings of God are too good to keep for ourselves. And it flys in the face of the world and even in the church, with this self-centered gospel of prosperity, that is about us and finding your best life and becoming a better you. And if we’re not careful, we lose the secret of Jesus (which is if you want to find your life, you have to give it away)”
Wow I love this talk so much! I might actually transcribe the whole thing when I have a moment. I like how action-filled his descriptions are. Now, so many of us Christian’s have taken the back seat waiting for things to happen. Through dependent faith, God can do all things, even move mountains!
Life as a Gift
I want to see my life as a means of blessing others.
No greater love is there than this to lay your life down for a friend.
Jesus Christ did that for His Father and me.
