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| If I see each person I come into contact with in his/her personal context, I can present the Good News in a way that it can actually be heard... and received. Help me, Lord, to see. |
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Jonathon Lytle - Think Like a Missionary
Think Like a Missionary, Jonathan Lytle; 10/26/14
Translating grace requires empathy -
stepping into
the skin of another
to see with their eyes;
hear with their ears;
and feel their heart beat
from the inside out.
Translation is not adaptation -
true is true.
Admitting the bad news
already recognized,
noticing the false saviors,and locating the glimmer
of hope
will serve us well.
Paul spoke to the heart
of the Philippians,
calling them "citizens"
of heaven -
speaking words that
resonated -
sending tremors
that called them by name
and helped them see.
Americans know that things
will never satisfy,
but still we amass them;
we hold ourselves up
as self-rescuers but fail
again and again;
we feel fractured and false
and yet hope for a real love
that will fill the cracks.
Yet knowing individuals
requires listening
and hearing each person's story,
giving their fears
and failures dignity,
caring for them as individuals -
not conquests
or potential jewels
in our own crown.
Each of us is a human being,
created by God
and therefore loved.
stepping into
the skin of another
to see with their eyes;
hear with their ears;
and feel their heart beat
from the inside out.
Translation is not adaptation -
true is true.
Admitting the bad news
already recognized,
noticing the false saviors,and locating the glimmer
of hope
will serve us well.
Paul spoke to the heart
of the Philippians,
calling them "citizens"
of heaven -
speaking words that
resonated -
sending tremors
that called them by name
and helped them see.
Americans know that things
will never satisfy,
but still we amass them;
we hold ourselves up
as self-rescuers but fail
again and again;
we feel fractured and false
and yet hope for a real love
that will fill the cracks.
Yet knowing individuals
requires listening
and hearing each person's story,
giving their fears
and failures dignity,
caring for them as individuals -
not conquests
or potential jewels
in our own crown.
Each of us is a human being,
created by God
and therefore loved.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Life on Mission, 10/19/14 - Dan Pursley
Out and back,
the swing creaks,
feet pump -
up, up,
and
down, down:
the arc of giving.
Casting off
into space
takes hope -
one trusts the sweet air
and aims
for the clouds.
Suspended between
out and back,
earth patchworks below:
poverty warps,
crime weaves hardened
strands into hearts,
hope-starved souls
stare glassy-eyed
or strut
like comedians taking pratfalls
for cheap laughs.
We can go through motions
and play the part,
but still be
the wounded walking.
Compassion heals
but takes more
than pat answers
and dollar signs.
Pray.
Seek God's heart.
Pray in earnest
and complete the arc.
Out and back -
gravity does the second part
reliably.
the swing creaks,
feet pump -
up, up,
and
down, down:
the arc of giving.
Casting off
into space
takes hope -
one trusts the sweet air
and aims
for the clouds.
Suspended between
out and back,
earth patchworks below:
poverty warps,
crime weaves hardened
strands into hearts,
hope-starved souls
stare glassy-eyed
or strut
like comedians taking pratfalls
for cheap laughs.
We can go through motions
and play the part,
but still be
the wounded walking.
Compassion heals
but takes more
than pat answers
and dollar signs.
Pray.
Seek God's heart.
Pray in earnest
and complete the arc.
Out and back -
gravity does the second part
reliably.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
What Drives You - Tim Knipp
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| God uses our very weakness to forward His plan as He changes our identity. |
Monday, October 6, 2014
Sunday, October 5, 2014
No Longer Lost, Tim Knipp 10/5/14 (Gen. 11:27)
Lost and alone -
flesh drips off bones
and wind
whistles through
the ribbed cage;
my knees rattle.
Stuck
between the origination
and
the ultimate destination,
between the desire
and
the realization;
God calls
into the void,
offering hope
to His lost child,
offering purpose
to a barren future,
offering Himself
to a confused heart.
Future generations
hang in the balance
as God
calls into the void.
He has a thing
for lost creatures,
relentlessly pursuing us -
the beam of light
bouncing through trees,
- the voice calling above the storm,
- the father with arms open wide,
- the mother who leaves
the porch light on.
flesh drips off bones
and wind
whistles through
the ribbed cage;
my knees rattle.
Stuck
between the origination
and
the ultimate destination,
between the desire
and
the realization;
God calls
into the void,
offering hope
to His lost child,
offering purpose
to a barren future,
offering Himself
to a confused heart.
Future generations
hang in the balance
as God
calls into the void.
He has a thing
for lost creatures,
relentlessly pursuing us -
the beam of light
bouncing through trees,
- the voice calling above the storm,
- the father with arms open wide,
- the mother who leaves
the porch light on.
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