These are some brief notes from a Renovare Retreat I attended in October. I thought that they'd be helpful for you.
Change happens through:
1. Pain and Suffering - discomfort propels people to seek change.
2. A Compelling Vision - a vision for a different reality of life.
* It is possible for us to be working against the process that God is initiating in order to bring about change-- change in our lives and in the lives of others.
* Jesus' parables created discomfort and disequilibrium to provoke change.
Jan 7, 2011
The Need For Friendship.
"Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray.' He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.' Matthew 26:36-38
I remember reading somewhere about a rabbi who said that someone only really knows us when they know what makes us laugh--what gives us joy.
Don't you find it interesting that Jesus had "best" friends? His closest friends, the inner circle -people have called it-were Peter, James, and John. He took them with him up, to what is believed to be Mt. Tabor, where he was transfigured. They saw his glory. The verses above remind us that he took them with him to the Garden of Gethsemane where he experienced hell. They saw him at his worst (if I can put it that way).
But human though they were, they could not stay awake in Gethsemane (at least until the guards came for him). They weren't really present when Jesus needed them most. They were sleepy and had really no idea what was going on until his time had come. They failed him in Gethsemane. They failed him when they fled capture in the garden and when Peter failed him by denying him. His best friends failed him, they came up short.
But in the end, Jesus doesn't hold it against them. He knows that they are but flesh--weak and frail--prone to great glory and also to great weakness. What does he do in John 21? He cooks them breakfast on the beach after his resurrection--after all the seemingly disasterous events of the days before and after they had a hard night fishing.
I often think of what a great God we have. What an iconic picture of God's humility, love, and service to us--breakfast on the beach. The super-power of the universe, invested with all glory, is cooking breakfast for dejected fisherman, his best friends, who left him in his hour of greatest need.
What kind of friend are you? Is there at least one person in your life with which you have a David/Jonathan relationship? The type of relationship Jesus had with Peter, James, and John. Do you pour into a few other people? Although Jesus loves all, truly loves all, he couldn't spend every minute of his day with thousands of people, nor could he confide in all of them. But he did need confidants. He needed them (in his humanity). Yes God in the flesh needed friends. And he was not only their God, but a good friend to them.
I need friends desperately. Thankfully, I have some soul friends. My husband is one of them. But, I am always open to new friendships, to people who love me for me, to people who understand me--where no explanation is needed. Friends who are with me on Mt. Tabor when I am transfigured and friends with me at Gethsemane. I also have to think about what kind of friend I am. I have failed my friends, whether intentionally or not. There have been times where I have been sleepy and unavailable when I should've been awake. I've missed Gethsemanes and transfigurations because of sleepiness--lack of vigilance, lack of awareness, weaknesses in my character I am sure.
Life has a way of separating friends--with all its busyness and commitments. But friendship doesn't just happen. We have to be intentional about friendship. We need each other.
And friends, those of you who read this blog, or just stumble upon it, my profoundest hope for this blog is that it'll be a little bit like breakfast on the beach after a long hard night.
You know, I've asked God to show me how to live. And here I share what I've learned and am learning. Let's together learn to follow Jesus closely.
Blessings,
Marlena
I remember reading somewhere about a rabbi who said that someone only really knows us when they know what makes us laugh--what gives us joy.
Don't you find it interesting that Jesus had "best" friends? His closest friends, the inner circle -people have called it-were Peter, James, and John. He took them with him up, to what is believed to be Mt. Tabor, where he was transfigured. They saw his glory. The verses above remind us that he took them with him to the Garden of Gethsemane where he experienced hell. They saw him at his worst (if I can put it that way).
But human though they were, they could not stay awake in Gethsemane (at least until the guards came for him). They weren't really present when Jesus needed them most. They were sleepy and had really no idea what was going on until his time had come. They failed him in Gethsemane. They failed him when they fled capture in the garden and when Peter failed him by denying him. His best friends failed him, they came up short.
But in the end, Jesus doesn't hold it against them. He knows that they are but flesh--weak and frail--prone to great glory and also to great weakness. What does he do in John 21? He cooks them breakfast on the beach after his resurrection--after all the seemingly disasterous events of the days before and after they had a hard night fishing.
I often think of what a great God we have. What an iconic picture of God's humility, love, and service to us--breakfast on the beach. The super-power of the universe, invested with all glory, is cooking breakfast for dejected fisherman, his best friends, who left him in his hour of greatest need.
What kind of friend are you? Is there at least one person in your life with which you have a David/Jonathan relationship? The type of relationship Jesus had with Peter, James, and John. Do you pour into a few other people? Although Jesus loves all, truly loves all, he couldn't spend every minute of his day with thousands of people, nor could he confide in all of them. But he did need confidants. He needed them (in his humanity). Yes God in the flesh needed friends. And he was not only their God, but a good friend to them.
I need friends desperately. Thankfully, I have some soul friends. My husband is one of them. But, I am always open to new friendships, to people who love me for me, to people who understand me--where no explanation is needed. Friends who are with me on Mt. Tabor when I am transfigured and friends with me at Gethsemane. I also have to think about what kind of friend I am. I have failed my friends, whether intentionally or not. There have been times where I have been sleepy and unavailable when I should've been awake. I've missed Gethsemanes and transfigurations because of sleepiness--lack of vigilance, lack of awareness, weaknesses in my character I am sure.
Life has a way of separating friends--with all its busyness and commitments. But friendship doesn't just happen. We have to be intentional about friendship. We need each other.
And friends, those of you who read this blog, or just stumble upon it, my profoundest hope for this blog is that it'll be a little bit like breakfast on the beach after a long hard night.
You know, I've asked God to show me how to live. And here I share what I've learned and am learning. Let's together learn to follow Jesus closely.
Blessings,
Marlena
Jan 6, 2011
A Thought on Our Reputations This Epiphany
For those unfamiliar with the seasons of the Christian year, I include information about the season of Epiphany that is traditionally celebrated today, Janurary 6th, in the West. I also want to inlcude some thoughts about revealing Jesus in our lives.
The term epiphany means "to show" or "to make known" or even "to reveal." In Western churches, it remembers the coming of the wise men bringing gifts to visit the Christ child, who by so doing "reveal" Jesus to the world as Lord and King. In some Central and South American countries influenced by Catholic tradition, Three Kings’ Day, or the night before, is the time for opening Christmas presents. In some eastern churches, Epiphany or the Theophany commemorates Jesus’ baptism, with the visit of the Magi linked to Christmas. In some churches the day is celebrated as Christmas, with Epiphany/Theophany occurring on January 19th. The colors of Epiphany are usually the colors of Christmas, white and gold, the colors of celebration, newness, and hope that mark the most sacred days of the church year.
Taken from Dennis Bratcher's site, Seasons of the Christian year: http://www.crivoice.org/chyear.html
I have written about this before, but I thought it would be a good reminder to both of us this Epiphany of 2011. The question I've been thinking about is this: What is our reputation with those closest to us? Would those who know us best say that over all, we are living like Jesus, revealing him in our everyday life? It doesn't matter what our public or virtual image communicates. To some extent, we can control that. But it is our family and friends--those closest to us that can speak to who we are in Christ.
I am not talking about perfection though we should strive to be like Jesus in every way through the power of God's grace. But I am asking, are we revealing Jesus in our everyday lives? Are we showing him forth? He can't help but burst forth if he comfortably resides within every part of us. Let us not think we are holy just because we can clearly espouse doctrines or notions of the Christian life. Our everday lives speak to who we are. Are we living our lives like Jesus would live if he were us?
Perhaps some reflection and silence are necessary before we too quickly offer an answer to that question. May God reveal Christ to us and through us this Epiphany.
May God grant you his peace.
The term epiphany means "to show" or "to make known" or even "to reveal." In Western churches, it remembers the coming of the wise men bringing gifts to visit the Christ child, who by so doing "reveal" Jesus to the world as Lord and King. In some Central and South American countries influenced by Catholic tradition, Three Kings’ Day, or the night before, is the time for opening Christmas presents. In some eastern churches, Epiphany or the Theophany commemorates Jesus’ baptism, with the visit of the Magi linked to Christmas. In some churches the day is celebrated as Christmas, with Epiphany/Theophany occurring on January 19th. The colors of Epiphany are usually the colors of Christmas, white and gold, the colors of celebration, newness, and hope that mark the most sacred days of the church year.
Taken from Dennis Bratcher's site, Seasons of the Christian year: http://www.crivoice.org/chyear.html
I have written about this before, but I thought it would be a good reminder to both of us this Epiphany of 2011. The question I've been thinking about is this: What is our reputation with those closest to us? Would those who know us best say that over all, we are living like Jesus, revealing him in our everyday life? It doesn't matter what our public or virtual image communicates. To some extent, we can control that. But it is our family and friends--those closest to us that can speak to who we are in Christ.
I am not talking about perfection though we should strive to be like Jesus in every way through the power of God's grace. But I am asking, are we revealing Jesus in our everyday lives? Are we showing him forth? He can't help but burst forth if he comfortably resides within every part of us. Let us not think we are holy just because we can clearly espouse doctrines or notions of the Christian life. Our everday lives speak to who we are. Are we living our lives like Jesus would live if he were us?
Perhaps some reflection and silence are necessary before we too quickly offer an answer to that question. May God reveal Christ to us and through us this Epiphany.
May God grant you his peace.
Jan 5, 2011
Mercy: "Blessed Are The Merciful" ~ Carlo Carretto
I have seen bishops spend themselves to the point of exhaustion in service to the Church, but who could not bring themselves to go out of their 'palaces' in search of the lost sheep, their primary purpose being to prop up their own undisputed authority and the dignity of the Church. It might well appear from this that the gospel is no longer read, and that we have replaced it with a thousand and one other ways of interpreting our relationship with God and with our fellow men and women.
Each of us has some object of adoration, some subject we set up on our altar; for one it will be chastity, for another the honor of the Church, and for others it will be work or economy or a good name, canon law, or a moral treatise, an old catechism or a new one, but few, all too few, are prepared to adore the loving will of Jesus . . . .
We are not happy because we are unforgiving, and we are unforgiving because we feel superior to others. Mercy is a fruit of the highest degree of love, because it creates equals, and a greater love makes us inferior . . . .
Three premises:
- Those who do not love feel superior to everyone else.
- Those who love feel equal to everyone else.
- Those who love much gladly take the lower place.
- Death for those who do not love.
- Life for those who love.
- Holiness for those who love much.
Jan 3, 2011
Spiritual Disciplines
Disciplines of Abstinence Disciplines of Engagement
solitude study
silence worship
fasting celebration
frugality service
chastity prayer
secrecy fellowship
sacrifice confession
obscurity submission
exercise
pilgrimage
Jan 2, 2011
Flourishing Where You Are Planted.
"From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." Acts 17:26-27.
Maybe you are in a job (or lacking a job) and are dejected. Perhaps your misery stems from the relationship you are in (or not in). Or maybe it comes from relocation to a new area and having to leave your friends (or perhaps you wish you could escape your family and social circles). Then again, it is possible you feel like you are drowning in an almost inexplicable loneliness and emptiness; you have this nagging sense that your life matters not. You are depressed. You are living a life of quiet desperation.
I don't know the reasons, but I do know what it is like to feel miserable because of less than ideal circumstances. What's worse is feeling despondent when you are convinced that you are exactly where God has placed your for now.
Several years ago I worked in a place where I was miserable. I loved my job; but gloom and negativity seemed to reside in my work environment and have a stranglehold on my coworkers. I tried to overcome evil with gospel good, but it seemed like I was fighting a losing battle. For a very long time I cried every day after work. I begged God to give me another job. But he didn't right away. I couldn't understand it. I was right where God wanted me and I was obeying Jesus--so what was the problem? Was it that I just worked in really good places before?
There is much more to this story but I don't think this is the place to flesh it out. However, I realized that if God had me there, then I was going to have to make the best of it and depend on Christ and his body to uphold me as I went to work every day (or perhaps I should say, as I entered a spiritual battle every day). Over and over again at that time, I read the story of Joseph's life and found great comfort (I've written about that elsewhere on this site). Joseph tremendously suffered many injustices. For some reason, God didn't immediately remove him from his suffering.
But he was to be the person God called him to be within his prison cell--within captivity. This reminds me of the story of King Midas who possessed the golden touch--whatever he touched turned to gold. While in the story, this proves to be a curse, I can't help but think about how whatever Joseph's life touched prospered and what life would be like if everything and everyone touched by the lives of Jesus' followers prospered (not necessarily or even financially). It's not a direct parallel, but that's what I've been thinking about lately.
Joseph was a blessing to all those who crossed his path. And of course Jesus was although he suffered like none other and because of us! But if we are sure God has placed us where we are, isn't it to be a blessing to others and to him--sort of like Abraham the great Patriarch? Can not the power of the Holy Spirit give us the strength and love and the manna we need for each new day as we live within the Christian community?
We are blessed by God to be a blessing to others, to everything and everyone our lives touch.
Again, though life is not free of difficulties nor unforeseen tragedies, can we not bless everything we touch with our lives because we follow Jesus? As Acts 17:26-27 tell us, God has marked out our times and places in history, the very place we find ourselves in right now (I am not talking about abusive situations) so that we would seek him and find him. And I believe this is the case so that we might be a blessing to others.
God is using these situations and circumstances we find ourselves in, hard though they may be, to make us like Jesus. He desires that we be transformed from the inside out into the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29). And in that we can rejoice (see James 1).
Could it be that he turns this barren and depressing wilderness land we find ourselves in into an oasis? Can he not bring forth streams in the desert (Isaiah 35)? I think so. I believe so. He has done so for me innumerable times in my life, even in the situation mentioned above.
Maybe he is going to use us to cultivate a garden in the barren land we now find ourselves in--right in this very spot. As we take our cue from him and joyfully follow him (obey him) it will transpire. Perhaps we will see seeds sprout sooner than we imagined. May we ask for eyes to see!
God wants us to trust him so that we can flourish where we are planted...so that everything our lives touch is blessed. In turn, we will be blessed in ways we cannot right now imagine. Isn't interesting how God used Joseph's captivity to bless him?
With Dallas Willard I say:
"First we must accept the circusmtances we constantly find oursleves in as the place of God's kingdom and blessing. God has yet to bless anyone except where they actually are, and if we faithlessly discard situation after situation, moment after moment, as not being 'right,' we will have no place to receive his kingdom into our life. For those situations and moments are our life."
Dallas Willard in The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering the Hidden Life in God. pp.348-349
Maybe you are in a job (or lacking a job) and are dejected. Perhaps your misery stems from the relationship you are in (or not in). Or maybe it comes from relocation to a new area and having to leave your friends (or perhaps you wish you could escape your family and social circles). Then again, it is possible you feel like you are drowning in an almost inexplicable loneliness and emptiness; you have this nagging sense that your life matters not. You are depressed. You are living a life of quiet desperation.
I don't know the reasons, but I do know what it is like to feel miserable because of less than ideal circumstances. What's worse is feeling despondent when you are convinced that you are exactly where God has placed your for now.
Several years ago I worked in a place where I was miserable. I loved my job; but gloom and negativity seemed to reside in my work environment and have a stranglehold on my coworkers. I tried to overcome evil with gospel good, but it seemed like I was fighting a losing battle. For a very long time I cried every day after work. I begged God to give me another job. But he didn't right away. I couldn't understand it. I was right where God wanted me and I was obeying Jesus--so what was the problem? Was it that I just worked in really good places before?
There is much more to this story but I don't think this is the place to flesh it out. However, I realized that if God had me there, then I was going to have to make the best of it and depend on Christ and his body to uphold me as I went to work every day (or perhaps I should say, as I entered a spiritual battle every day). Over and over again at that time, I read the story of Joseph's life and found great comfort (I've written about that elsewhere on this site). Joseph tremendously suffered many injustices. For some reason, God didn't immediately remove him from his suffering.
But he was to be the person God called him to be within his prison cell--within captivity. This reminds me of the story of King Midas who possessed the golden touch--whatever he touched turned to gold. While in the story, this proves to be a curse, I can't help but think about how whatever Joseph's life touched prospered and what life would be like if everything and everyone touched by the lives of Jesus' followers prospered (not necessarily or even financially). It's not a direct parallel, but that's what I've been thinking about lately.
Joseph was a blessing to all those who crossed his path. And of course Jesus was although he suffered like none other and because of us! But if we are sure God has placed us where we are, isn't it to be a blessing to others and to him--sort of like Abraham the great Patriarch? Can not the power of the Holy Spirit give us the strength and love and the manna we need for each new day as we live within the Christian community?
We are blessed by God to be a blessing to others, to everything and everyone our lives touch.
Again, though life is not free of difficulties nor unforeseen tragedies, can we not bless everything we touch with our lives because we follow Jesus? As Acts 17:26-27 tell us, God has marked out our times and places in history, the very place we find ourselves in right now (I am not talking about abusive situations) so that we would seek him and find him. And I believe this is the case so that we might be a blessing to others.
God is using these situations and circumstances we find ourselves in, hard though they may be, to make us like Jesus. He desires that we be transformed from the inside out into the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29). And in that we can rejoice (see James 1).
Could it be that he turns this barren and depressing wilderness land we find ourselves in into an oasis? Can he not bring forth streams in the desert (Isaiah 35)? I think so. I believe so. He has done so for me innumerable times in my life, even in the situation mentioned above.
Maybe he is going to use us to cultivate a garden in the barren land we now find ourselves in--right in this very spot. As we take our cue from him and joyfully follow him (obey him) it will transpire. Perhaps we will see seeds sprout sooner than we imagined. May we ask for eyes to see!
God wants us to trust him so that we can flourish where we are planted...so that everything our lives touch is blessed. In turn, we will be blessed in ways we cannot right now imagine. Isn't interesting how God used Joseph's captivity to bless him?
With Dallas Willard I say:
"First we must accept the circusmtances we constantly find oursleves in as the place of God's kingdom and blessing. God has yet to bless anyone except where they actually are, and if we faithlessly discard situation after situation, moment after moment, as not being 'right,' we will have no place to receive his kingdom into our life. For those situations and moments are our life."
Dallas Willard in The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering the Hidden Life in God. pp.348-349
Jan 1, 2011
God's Power and Goodness. Answered Prayer. Faith. The Life of George Mueller.
Below I am going to include a little story about him from Streams in the Desert (August 17 for those who have this devotional classic) by L.B. Cowman and edited by James Reiman. I am encouraged every time I read it. I hope you are too!
I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me (Acts 27:25).
A number of years ago I went to America with a steamship captain who was a very devoted Christian. When we were off the coast of Newfoundland, he said to me, "The last time I sailed here, which was five weeks ago, something happened that revolutionized my Christian life. I had been on the bridge for twenty-four straight hours when George Mueller of Bristol, England, who was a passenger on board, came to me and said, 'Captian, I need to tell you that I must be in Quebec on Saturday afternoon.' 'That is impossible' I replied. 'Very well,' Mueller responded, 'if your ship cannot take me, God will find some other way, for I have never missed an engagement in fifty-seven years. Let's go down to the chartroom to pray.' "I looked at this man of God and thought to myself, 'What lunatic asylum did he escape from?' I had never encountered someone like this. 'Mr. Mueller,' I said, 'do you realize how dense the fog is?" 'No,' he replied. 'My eye is not on the dense fog but on the living God, who controls every circumstance in my life.'
"He then knelt down and prayed one of the most simple prayers I've ever heard. When he had finished, I started to pray, but he put his hand on my shoulder and told me not to pray. He said, 'First, you do not believe God will answer, and second, I BELIEVE HE HAS. Consequently, there is no need whatsoever for you to pray about it.'
"As I looked at him, he said, 'Captain, I have known my Lord fifty-seven years, and there has never been a single day that I have failed to get an audience with the King. Get up, Captain, and open the door, and you will see that the fog is gone.' I got up, and indeed the fog was gone. And on Saturday afternoon George Mueller was in Quebec for his meeting."
Thank you O LORD for a strong reminder of your goodness and power. You are at work. Amen.
Repost from earlier in 2010.
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