Happiness has been the subject of much scrutiny and debate for centuries. It seems like everyone under the sun has tackled this subject with little or no progress in curing this perennial malady of the human condition. Either it has gone from one extreme to another or the Voice in the balance has been drowned out by the noise of the former. However, it can be found, I tell you, it can! Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: Christian, Christianity, Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiastes 2:4-9, experiencing God, finding happiness, God, God living, happiness, hearing God, intimacy with God, Jesus Christ, Knowing God, life of God, Matthew 5:17, personal relationship with God, pursuit of happiness, relationship with God, seeking God, Solomon, stoicism, walk with God, walking with God
When it comes to choosing which religion we will follow, what rarely comes into view is the god, which we will serve when that religion is selected. All too often, the act of choosing a religion is similar to selecting which organized group of followers whom you will spend your time much like the Rotary Club, Tennis Club, Chess Club, the Lion’s Club or even the Boy’s and Girl’s Club of America. They are chosen in like manner based upon how they will service the needs of the chooser. It must have rules and guidelines to follow so that the personal pleasures of the chooser are met with comfort and class. After all, if I am to play a game like chess or tennis, there must be rules whereby I am able to find my enjoyment in defeating my opponent. Even in an institution like the Rotary Club where the motto ‘service above self’ is held in high esteem, this must also service the servicers by serving their need to serve. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1 Corinthians 2:4, A Generous Orthodoxy, Ahab, Bombay Riots, Brian McLaren, Buddhism, Coexist Foundation, Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Emergent Church, Exodus 18:9-12, Exodus 20:2-3, Exodus 20:5, Hindu, jealousy of God, Jethro, Judeo-Christian, Knowing God, many gods, Mark 12:28-29, Matthew 5:17, Muslim, Nazareth, Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, redemption, relationship with God, Satanism, seeking God, Slumdog Millionaire, theology, Wicca
It is easy to venture forth down a path for the truth and end up using the wrong criteria to validate your relationship with God. When you feel as though you are wandering through a desert season in your life, it is tempting to look around for signs of life that are as intangible as an amoeba. It is there but your senses say otherwise. It is the same with God. Sometimes he keeps us in the dark for purposes that extend past the boundaries of our immediate thinking but nonetheless, this will happen and you may feel as though you have been forsaken. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 1 Corinthians 13:2, 1 John 3:9, 1 John 4:16, 2 Peter 1:5-8, discerning the voice of God, Genesis 1:28, gifts of the Spirit, God, God knowing, how to hear from God, I want to know God, James 3:11, John 14:6, John Eldredge, Judges 16:1-3, Knowing God, Luke 10:17-20, Matthew 7:21-23, prophetic dreams and visions, relationship with God, Revelation 13:13, seeking God, sex in Bible, sexuality, spiritual growth, the discipline of spiritual discernment, Wild at Heart, will of God
Have you ever been in a dark forest? A really dark forest? I have and I can tell you that it is a strange feeling when you wave your hand two inches in front of your eyes and cannot see anything at all. Imagine that you are in this forest and an absence of moonlight puts you in such a position where the five senses are rendered as useless and you must now find your way out. Remember the five senses? Sight, touch, hear, smell and taste. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: a priori, atheist, dark forest, existence of God, experiencing God, finding God, five senses, God, hearing God, Holy Spirit, Knowing God, science, unbeliever
There is an esoteric line in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that has always stuck out to me. It is where Lady Montague asks her nephew Benvolio if he has seen the missing Romeo. He responds,
“A troubled mind drave me to walk abroad;
where, underneath the grove of sycamore
that westward rooteth from the city’s side,
so early walking did I see your son…” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: ani l'dodi v'dodi li, dampness of the night, experiencing God, God, hearing God, I have taken off my robe— must I put it on again?, I slept but my heart was awake, intimacy with God, Knowing God, lover, lovesick, lovesickness, relationship with God, Romans 2:4, Romeo and Juliet, Song of Solomon, Song of Solomon 5, Song of Songs, Song of Songs 5, Song of Songs 5:2-6, sycamore, walk with God, walking with God
In the heart wrenching biography, Schulz and Peanuts, David Michaelis offers fans of the beloved comic strip a rare look into the life of the deeply wounded and troubled man, Charles Schulz. He recounts on one occasion when his wife Joyce, upon noticing his unhappiness, suggested that he see a psychiatrist to which he responded, “No, I don’t want to go to a psychiatrist because it will take away my talent.” (p.385) I do not think that anyone would have wanted to take away his talent for drawing cartoons, just the hurting that served as the impetus for the Peanuts. Much of his strips centered on loneliness, depression, sadness, anxiety, worry and a whole host of other maladies. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Charles Schulz, Christian, Christian living, Christianity, church, experiencing God, forgiveness, God, healing, heart, intimacy with God, Jesus Christ, Knowing God, Peanuts, personal relationship with God, relationship with God, Romans 8:7, shame, walk with God, walking with God, will of God, wounds, wounds of the heart
One story that has absolutely captured my fascination over the years as it pertains to a knowing relationship with God is in Matthew 12:1-8: “At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, ‘Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.’ He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1 Chronicles 21:13, Christian living, experiencing God, find God, hearing God, Hosea 6:6, how to develop a relationship, intimacy with God, King David, Knowing God, knowing God personally, love of God, man after God's own heart, Matthew 12:1-8, personal relationship with God, pharisees, relationship with God, spiritual help, temple, walk with God, walking with God, will of God
In a world where so much advice is given on how to develop an intimate relationship , I thought I would explore this avenue by way of a via negativa of sorts. Instead of shedding a little bit of light on the subject, I thought I would shed a little darkness. After all, isn’t it important to make use of the light when we can first acknowledge that we are actually in the darkness? The following treatise should then be sufficient provision in order to destroy a cherished relationship based upon centuries of these finely tuned inadequacies: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Christian discipleship, Christian living, experiencing God, God help, God knowing, hearing God, hearing the voice of God, how to develop a relationship, intimacy with God, know God, Knowing God, love letters, love of God, personal relationship with God, relationship with God, seeking God, spiritual growth, walk with God, walking with God, what is the purpose of life
At one time or another we have used the term superficial to describe someone that we know who is overtly concerned with anything of a shallow nature. They are concerned with their outward appearance to the hilt, what people they prefer to be seen amongst, the delightful luxuries they surround themselves and in general an absolute suppression of any emotional content. They are the Hollywood celebrities, those belonging to the “cool crowd”, church member cliques or members of the local country club who shmooze with sophisticated elitists like themselves. You know who they are and you want so much more because you know that life is lived out at its emptiest level among these. You want something that is real. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: becoming real, being real, crutch, discipleship, Essene, fake people, G.K. Chesterton, God, hide, homosexuality, Jesus, John 3:20-21, John 5:41, Keith Green, Knowing God, knowing God personally, Mark 2:17, No Compromise, official, Peter Pan, Pharisee, phony people, relationship with God, Roman Catholic Church, Sadducee, shame, superficial, terra firma, The Velveteen Rabbit, Unstrung Heroes, walk with God, walking with God, Zealot
I once was part of a church that taught that the sinful nature could be totally eradicated; that is, gone, wiped out completely. I find this strangely amusing in light of the fact that pastors often chuckle behind closed doors on the difficulty of their congregations. The jokes tell us something different. In fact, pastors in most denominations lament over the high stress nature of their jobs in which they must satisfy everyone, not to mention the damage that is done to their own wives and children. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Abraham, Christian living, condemnation, condemno, David, Death Angel, find God, freedom, God knowing, hearing God, hearing the voice of God, high places, intimacy with God, Jacob, Jesus Christ, Josiah, know God, Knowing God, Laban, Leah, love of God, pain, passover, personal relationship with God, Rachel, relationship with God, Roman Catholic Church, Romans 2:4, Romans 6, Romans 7, sanctification, Solomon, theology, walk with God, walking with God, where is God, will of God