paradoxum

I was reading Letters to Malcolm recently and in it, Lewis suggests that one read 1 Cor. 13 and substitute "Jesus" in place of the word "love". I thought I'd try that here:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not Jesus, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not Jesus, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not Jesus, I gain nothing.

Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. He does not envy, he does not boast, he is not proud. He is not rude, he is not self-seeking, he is not easily angered, he keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

A friend of mine (Kingdom Grace) is reviewing a book entitled The Tangible Kingdom. After reading her review I visited the author's website and found a link to a video about the book. I watched it and it blew me away. It expresses something that connects deeply with where I am in reference to church and my future with it.

Watch the video HERE.

So, I've been reading through the great chapters of the Bible (more on that some other time...maybe) and I've just finished reading about THE great redemptive event of the OT: the Exodus from Egypt. I found it interesting that there are two "memorials" associated with this event: Passover and The Feast of Unleavened Bread.

I began thinking about THE great redemptive event of the NT: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Interestingly enough, there are two "memorials" associated with this event: The Lord's Supper and Baptism.

The Lord's Supper obviously corresponds to Passover. What does Baptism correspond to?

In October of last year I wrote concerning the "missional church":

In typical form, the IC (Institutional Church) sees the "success" the EC (Emergent Church) appears to be having in doing "missional" work...and then...they see a "successful" church like Redeemer doing "missional" work and they jump on the bandwagon with both feet! Before you know it, the IC is "missional" and suddenly "every member in ministry" is defined as every member doing "missional" work in the community.

The EC's critique of the IC leads them to a renewed sense of "ministry" or "mission", and their apparent "success" in this area eventually draws the attention of the IC. What began as a reaction against the IC, is eventually absorbed into the IC. Now, that hasn't happened yet, but I believe it's not too far away.

 For once, I may have been prophetic. I hope I wasn't. See this, and this.

I am the father of five wonderful children. My oldest recently graduated from High School and turned eighteen. My youngest is about to turn eight. A few days ago my three youngest children left home on a glorious adventure with their grandparents, aunts and uncles.

My house is very quiet.

In fact, right now, I hear a lawn mower playing a tune in a neighbors yard down the street. I hear the keys on the keyboard clicking and clacking. I hear the whine of the A/C (yes, it's ridiculously hot). I usually can't hear those kinds of noises. I am alone.

I miss my kids. I miss the noise of my family. I miss hearing my name called.

I miss telling stories.

Click to read more ...