Spreading the Message (Praxis Series) - Tim Knipp (Acts 2:42-47)

Radical Generosity (Praxis Series) - Tim Knipp (Acts 2:42-47)

Cracked earth,
sterile seeds,
dry-baked skies -
all of these
ravaged the land
and pulled it out
from under us,
leaving us nothing
but wits and sinew
and fear
for the future.

Open handed generosity
spilled out
and overflowed,
soaking into the cracks
of need.
Property and possessions
became tools
offered up to benefit others
rather than
accumulations
that measured worth
and status.

Grace goaded them
into generous giving.

(Acts 4:33b-34a)

Having been rescued

from certain

death at the moment

of execution,

gratitude exploded.

(1 John 3:17)

Familial ties

embraced all believers,

connecting them

to the lineage

of David -

purpose driven and

chosen for so much 

more.

Resurrection promised

justice 

and the righting 

of crookedness.

No need to fear tomorrow,

for God is at work

in the world.

Grace.

Gratitude.

Generosity.

Radical generosity

reflects grace -

yet possessions

so often possess us

as we cling fearfully

to our stuff -

my stuff -

and look at others 

through the bars

of our things.

Swimming Upstream - Praxis series; Tim Knipp (Acts 2:42-47)

As creatures,
we worship.
As fallen creatures,
we drift
towards
worship of self.
This is God,
turned inside-out
for He is self-giving.

Resist the current.
Swim upstream.

Habits can serve
to orient:
compasses that point the way,
strengthening resistance,
pulling as surely
as instinct
drives salmon 
to leap gallantly
over whitewater falls.

Adoration 
is a selfless act
composed of
a collection of habits:
submission,
gathering,
sharing,
communing.
Worship is action -
purposeful as the arm
raised and lowered
to cup water
and pull it rearward
again
and again.

He is Goodness
and Beauty;
the Source of
all that is
and not a creature
like us.
His invitation
to worship
is a gift
and our salvation
from the distortion
of
selfishness
we so easily
drift into.

Worship pulls us,
magnet-like,
to the Center
of Life.
We must throne Him
there daily
lest we 
find ourselves 
pulled to false idols
and 
whirlpools
of despair.

Praxis: Devoted to Teaching; Tim Knipp (Acts 2:42-47)

Ferocious focus
zeroes in
on a target,
unflagging.

Gathered in sweaty
enclaves,
guttural voices raise
in statements,
inquisition,
allusions
and arguments.

Ebbing away
to solitude,
minds muse
and meditate,
listening
to the eloquent
silence.

Challenged by twin
tidal pulls
of consumption
and distraction,
we risk drowning,
or worse -
passive floating.
Must truth
entertain us
into mindless
comas of 
self-satisfaction?

Shake off the lethargy
and dive into Truth
with
ferocious focus.

Filter moments
with careful 
attention to detail.
Be alert for messages
in static
and
seeming dullness.
Remove distraction.

Listen.

And swim 
against
the current.