In the Morning When I Rise

So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books. 2 Peter 1:5-9. In reading scripture this morning, I am reminded that growth and development are the healthy and expected order of things. And that health itself is ordered; their is a design that God has for the development of all creatures from birth to death. Just before the scripture shared above, Peter speaks of escaping the grip of the mind of the world which is based on lust, ultimately "...

 For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them. ~Aristotle I wanted to take an aside from my work to reflect on this quote that has been in my head. The best quotes arise from a very grounded place. What could be more practical then, "do the next step"? I also see that Dweck's Growth Mindset was established well of old; it has always existed. But in the milieu of the day we always need new voices to remind.  Heavenly Father, may I be daily reminded to settle down low and associate with the most base level of existence so that I may not be disqualified when I have run the race. I run the race then with determination. I am no shadow-boxer, I really fight! I am my body’s sternest master, for fear that when I have preached to others I should myself be disqualified. 1 Cor 9:27

I have a special concern for you church leaders. I know what it's like to be a leader, in on Christ's sufferings as wells as the coming glory. Here's my concern: that you care for God's flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously. Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way. When God, who is the best shepherd of all, comes out in the open with his rule, he'll see that you've done it right and commend you lavishly. And you who are younger must follow your leaders. But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for -- "God has had it with the proud,  But takes delight in just plain people." So be content with who you are, and don't put on airs. God's strong hand is on you; he'll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; his is most c...

Your life is a journey, you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. 1 Pet 1:18 msg For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors 1 Pet 1:18 niv   There's a song I love based on the NIV translation of 1 Peter 1:18 called Incorruptible by Watermark. It's one of those songs that will be with me forever. I can remember being in Lonnie Wollmuth's lab listening to the album, All Things New, tears rolling down my face, completely enchanted by the God who redeemed me and loves me for all time. Those are good times to remember.  Over time my faith, like my marriage, has become a lot more about pragmatism than about passion. This is a natural progression, but I still have to question it. Not only on the merits of the exhaultation of the feelings associated with religious and ma...

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 A few days ago I read from Wendell Berry about the instinctual well-being of animals. They do not have as thick a shielding as we in pursuing vanity, and most of their thrust is pursuant of survival. As such, their is something to learn from their elemental behavior. I was most impressed by Berry's observation of the manner in which animals exhibit peace. They thoroughly relish it. I picture a  meerkat napping. They are ever exposed, yet they know to fully relish safety when it exists. They quickly rise to attention, to alertness, when peril comes.  There are a couple of early detected differences between us and the meerkat. One is that they pursue profound safety. They can rest heartily because they have the companionship of their peers, who are jointly invested in survival. We live in a much more perilous time, where we must go into scenes that are no...

  But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. James 1:6   It's easy to second guess yourself. The thoughts of doubt come in almost immediately upon making a decision. "Was that the right move? Did I make too hasty a decision? I regret this already!" Especially in today's era, we have so many options. Marriage is an option, jobs are an option, your church is an option. Just about everything is optional. Of course, this was always the case. You could always choose which way to go, but the path has, arguably, gotten broader and broader over time. There are far more divergences now available then probably at any other time.  Make level paths for your feet. Heb 12:13 I've been thinking about how much easier it is to follow along with the things you should be doing when the path leads you right to those things. I live in a house with my wife and daughter. Everyday, I come home to t...

And God permitting, we will do so. Heb 6:3  We've now moved to Syracuse and I'm coming to the end of the time where I could reasonably claim hiatus. I'm always at my best, most Christian self, when I am daily getting Godly input and putting into practice those things that I hear and see. And so now, by faith and prayer, it is time to get back into the swing of things. As I sat and thought about what has worked and not worked as far as a morning routine, I think that a missing element was the "connected" part. What I mean is that I spent so much time being clever with my writing that I somehow didn't connect the Gospel to my day in a way that was meaty and life-changing. So I began simply just listening to the Bible on audio, but there the issue became that I didn't have a concretized experience through reflection and writing. I pray that Syracuse is the place for the integration of a lot of things. Marriage, fatherhood, work, family, and, yes, the groundin...