All tagged reflection
The posture reflected in Acts 15 is the same posture that I encourage my ministry students to practice in our classroom. It is the one that I pray they will eventually bring into the churches they serve. And I wonder if this is the posture that we are currently longing for many of our own churches to pursue.
Healthy, vibrant churches have a high degree of correlation between their declared theology and their practiced theology.
As I learned the examen practice, I discovered that I wasn’t examining myself nearly as much as I was examining the presence and movement of God in my life.
By loving the way God loves and acting as God would act, our resemblance becomes so great that it leaves no doubt we are the children of God.
When we would rather erase the previous period of time rather than reflect on it, it may be that burnout, fatigue, or just plain discouragement is impeding our ability to feel anticipation or excitement about the future.
This prayer of examen represented a shift from brushing the day with the paint strokes of heavy drudgery, to realizing that there was room for gratitude.
Smaller churches carry great strengths that can support flourishing spiritual communities.
My engagement with my work led to more questions, which brought me back to more reflection. The ever-pressing question was, “Where is God in work?”
We must take a fresh look at our priorities, and the spiritual discipline of detachment is invaluable in this process.
As the year comes to a close, there is one practice that should be built into our schedules: reflection.
Jesus’s parables catch me off guard, causing me to question whether my assumptions about myself, God, and the kingdom are grounded in truth.
Here are a few things I’ve learned while driving for Lyft, as God showed up in my backseat.
I contend that there is almost nothing better suited to the task of revealing and developing character than having rental properties
I was one of those guys who, from his mid-teens, knew what he wanted to do and be—at least in general terms. I wanted to be a preacher.
Mr. Pauline inspired his students and basketball players to be Black and proud. Mr. Pauline was passionate about raising a nation of young people who were smart, disciplined, and self-aware.
What would happen if you saw each meaningful moment of your day as a potential expression of the presence of God?
For the first time in my life I am having to balance the grief that comes with loss and the joy of the Christmas season.
Is it possible to find beauty in the face of death? Can your heart be full of peace even when you know death is knocking on the door?
God uses truly “beautiful” people from time to time, to hold up the mirror, show us our own ugliness, and save us from ourselves. Thank you, Lord.
