| Grace - Articles |
by Willi Katz
I will not make it to be the good boy,
I will not make it to be a Saint,
I will not make it to be without failures,
I will not make it to be without lust,
I will not make it to be without anger,
I will not make it to be full of love,
Shame is telling me, you are a failure
Contempt is screaming at me, yes you are a failure,
Performance is shouting, you can fix this.
This is Jesus your Saviour,
may I remind you, that I came for the lost,
for the sick,
for the broken,
for those who would fail to make it on their own,
This is God, your father,
may I remind you that my grace is enough,
may I remind you who says he is without sin, is a liar,
may I remind you you are righteous no matter what.
This is the Holy Spirit, your friend,
Shame and Contempt are mean liars,
Performance is sending you the wrong way ,
There is something you should know,
The closer you will be to us,
the more you will see your own sinfulness and failures,
the more you will understand your inability to change any of these,
We know your past, your now and your future,
We loved you in the past,
we love you now,
And we will love you forever,
this is our promise to you.
This is the three of us, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
My child listen to our words of life.
The closer you will be to us, the more you will party,
as you see our love and grace for you,
you don't have to be controlled, you need to be free
you don't have to be managed, you need to be fathered,
you don't have to be fixed, you need to be loved,
you don't have to become, you need to be who you are,
the beloved Son.
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David the King Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts)
At the end of World War 1, the French Army found itself in a difficult situation. Ove a hundred thousand soldiers were suffering from amnesia because of shell shock, and also due to a faulty record system.
Not even the Army knew the identity of these individuals. In every other way they were healthy, and if they could only be returned to their families and their native surroundings, this in itself might quicken the return of their memories. But how to discover their identities and get them back to their families? Someone came up with the idea of having an Identification Rally in Paris. It would be highly publicised throughout the country, and families with relatives missing in action, would be encouraged to attend. The plan was adopted, and the moment finally arrived when thousands of people gathered in one of the great plazas of the City. A platform had been erected in the centre where all could see, and one by one these men stepped up to a microphone and looked out anxiously over the crowd, saying, "Please, please, is there anyone here who can tell me who I am?" A reporter who covered the event described it as being as dramatic as the war itself. There is something almost mythic about this scene, for in one way or another this is exactly what each of us has been doing from the moment we emerged from our mother's womb. We are creatures in search of an identity, all of us. We are forever attempting to discover who we are and why we are here and what kinds of capacities make up our uniqueness. There is no question closer to the centre of our human mystery than the question: 'Who am I?' and we are forever looking for people who can help us at this most foundational level. John Claypool, 'Who Am I?' unpublished sermon, Northminster Baptist Church, Jackson, Mississippi, September 9, 1979. Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts)
I want to establish this simple principle: inspiration precedes information, and spiritual intelligence that is
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Steve Brown on his blog reminded me of this story. Arthur Rubinstein, one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, went to his physician with a minor throat irritation. Rubinstein had a tendency to magnify minor physical problems into major ones and, in this case, he was sure he had throat cancer or worse. As the doctor examined him, Rubinstein kept talking. "I know this is serious," he said, "and I want you to know that I can handle bad news." The doctor continued his examination in silence. "I've lived a full life," Rubinstein continued talking, "and can face death with no regrets. So whatever you find, I can take it. Don't soften it; just tell me the truth." The doctor put down his stethoscope and said, "Your problem isn't that you have cancer. Your problem is that you talk too much!" Read Steves comments on this story here. They are well worth the read. Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts)
Theology is the science of dissecting God in order to understand Him. It has it's benefits, but 'understanding' God better rarely fed or warmed anyone.
American preacher Henry Ward Beecher once said, "Theology
Humans can study each other all they like, putting themselves and others in well arranged little boxes, but until they engage each other, nothing really interesting happens.
God's no different. We can study Him all we want, but until we engage Him, nothing really interesting happens. When our theology values rules above relationship, or conformity over identity, then it is mad theology.
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by Sam Walter Foss
One day, through the primeval wood, A calf walked home, as good calves should; But made a trail all bent askew, A crooked trail as all calves do. Since then two hundred years have fled, And, I infer, the calf is dead. But still he left behind his trail, And thereby hangs my moral tale. The trail was taken up next day By a lone dog that passed that way; And then a wise bell-wether sheep Pursued the trail o’er vale and steep, And drew the flock behind him, too, As good bell-wethers always do. And from that day, o’er hill and glade, Through those old woods a path was made; And Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts)
-by David Ryser.A number of years ago, I had the privilege of teaching at a school of ministry. My students were hungry for God, and I was constantly searching for ways to challenge them to fall more in love with Jesus and to become voices for revival in the Church. I came across a quote attributed most often to Rev. Sam Pascoe. It is a short version of the history of Christianity, and it goes like this: Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise. Some of the students were only 18 or 19 years old--barely out of diapers--and I wanted them to understand and appreciate the import of the last line, so I clarified it by adding, "An enterprise. That's a business." After a few moments Martha, the youngest student in the class, raised her hand. I could not imagine what her question might be. I thought the little vignette was self-explanatory, and that I had performed it brilliantly. Nevertheless, I acknowledged Martha's raised hand, "Yes, Martha." She asked such a simple question, "A business? But isn't it supposed to be a body?" I could not envision where this line of questioning was going, and the only response I could think of was, "Yes." She continued, "But when a body becomes a business, isn't that a prostitute?" Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts) Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts) Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts) Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts) Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts) Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts)
John Lynch puts it so well in his message, "TrueFaced" Grace truly is amazing! Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts)
I was wondering today, 'What really is the 'ultimate purpose' of the Universal Spirit? How we answer this inevitably colours our overall worldview and theology. Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts)
When a prominent newspaper invited several eminent authors to write essays on the theme "What's Wrong with the World?" Chesterton's contribution took the form of a letter: Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts) Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts)
A few years ago I found myself listening to someone on the radio describing their intimate affection for someone they loved deeply. They said, "I am just... just... consumed by her, and everything about her". I thought. "Yes! that's exactly how I feel. ... about the Universal Spirit, ... enjoying the journey, ... experiencing the changes this initiates in my life.
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Today, I found myself commenting on a friends blog, on the question "Can oppressive religion make you sick?", and thought I'd include my response for discussion here. In a word, yes! Some years ago, I heard a preacher claim; "An overwhelming percentage of the inmates of our (American) mental institutions and prisons, came out of a strongly religious background". Is there a connection between religion and health? Paul said that religion of the type that lives by rules (the religious law) brings wrath. And boy, was he right. If you want to see anger and wrath, just hang about a few legalists. When we are raised with an appeasement based view of God, (God is good. You are bad. Try harder. (Wayne Jacobson)), we cannot fail to become vulnerable to the Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts)
Wayne Jacobson tells a story about a man who dies and at the pearly gates is met by Peter. The guy asks, “So, do I get in?” The guy thinks for a bit and says,“Well I worked in a soup kitchen for 20 years. Do I get points for that?” As he starts searching for something else to earn points, he sees a businessman he once knew, come in. Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts)
[VIDEO]
Brennan Manning wrote The Ragamuffin Gospel "for the bedraggled, beat-up, and burnt-out," the marginalized folks to whom Jesus ministered: the children, the ill, the tax collectors, the women. In other words, the ragamuffins.
As he points out, we have "twisted the gospel of grace into religious bondage and distorted the image of God into an eternal, small-minded bookkeeper." In reality, God offers us grace immeasurable. And Manning certainly knows whereof he speaks, having taken a journey from priesthood and academic achievement through a collapse into alcoholism. Manning came face to face with his need, finally abandoning himself to grace. And he invites us now to join him in a life of grace. Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts)
Most of my life has been spent, one way or another, in trying to find "God". Yes! 'Wide Open Spaces'. That's how I would describe the sense of incredible freedom since I have been ambushed by the furious love of the Universal Spirit. Quick Post Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts) |
inspiration-driven is therefore more far-reaching than traditional intelligence that tries to collect information and connect the dots. Both are necessary, and both are helpful. But they need to come in the right order. In today’s information-flooded world, no one in his right mind can base sound decisions solely on traditional intelligence anymore; he will err! Just look at our secret services. Therefore, we all need to reach out into the invisible – the spiritual plug point – and learn to rely more and more on inspiration rather than just information.
So