- a day at school that was much less painful than expected
- sunshine on bare toes
- the beginning of a long weekend (even if it is one with 3 work shifts)
- a work shift that went smoothly
- coming home for a late night snack of a juicy nectarine (the first I've had this season) and a cup of jello (because I just really like jello)
Friday, June 29, 2012
Daily 5 - Year 3, Day 312
Today's Daily 5:
Friday Reflections, June 29, 2012
Today I want to share with you a chapter from Romans, in The Message. There's so much in this chapter, and it has been challenging me this week, but particularly yesterday and last night as I prepared for and led an examination/meditation on this chapter at house church. I was and am so caught by the fresh life that God's Spirit has breathed into this chapter for me, through Eugene Peterson's translation, and I knew I wanted to share it with you here today.
I'd love to hear if portions of it stand out to you, or speak to your heart as well.
Romans 12
Place Your Life Before God
1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
3 I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
4-6 In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.
7-8 If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
11-13 Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
14-16 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.
17-19 Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it."
20-21 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.
I'd love to hear if portions of it stand out to you, or speak to your heart as well.
Romans 12
Place Your Life Before God
1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
3 I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
4-6 In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.
7-8 If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
11-13 Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
14-16 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.
17-19 Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it."
20-21 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Daily 5 - Year 3, Day 311
Today's Daily 5:
- a quiet afternoon of reflection
- hearing God speak unexpectedly into a situation
- cuddling and cooing at my favorite little baby boy
- a cuddle during some quiet moments of house church from my favorite two year old boy
- seeing the way insights pop up when there is obedience
- first attempts by my two year old buddy at saying my name (he can echo it pretty well "isa", but when he says it by himself it comes out somewhere between "ha-ta" and "ta-ta")
- debriefing a little at the end of the night
- friends who support and pray
- heart convictions
- bread - because I just love the stuff
and again and again
I find that I'm still pondering the necessity of beginning again.
and again.
and again.
and again.
Sigh.
This has been a week of reflection on all the areas that need revival, or new beginnings.
The hard work of creating those beginnings?
I'd rather avoid it.
But the reflection and recognition slowly brings with it conviction.
Compulsion, really.
and so I am readying myself for changes yet again.
for self discipline and even denial of self.
because beginning again
and again
and again
is a necessity to life
almost like breathing.
and again.
and again.
and again.
Sigh.
This has been a week of reflection on all the areas that need revival, or new beginnings.
The hard work of creating those beginnings?
I'd rather avoid it.
But the reflection and recognition slowly brings with it conviction.
Compulsion, really.
and so I am readying myself for changes yet again.
for self discipline and even denial of self.
because beginning again
and again
and again
is a necessity to life
almost like breathing.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Daily 5 - Year 3, Day 310
Today's Daily 5:
- listening to Christianne's Sunday Cup of Quiet on my bus commute, and being ushered into a very prayerful space
- reading a novel
- a good bus connection
- a chance to give some honest feedback
- hanging out with a good friend that I've known since high school
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