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Monthly Archives: December 2008
…so he got up…
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.
I’ve been spending time reading through John 13-17 lately. I hope that one day a team of us can spend some time meditating on this in community, but for now you get my ramblings about something that I’ve found significant.
Anyone who begins to follow Jesus and is pursuing to be like will (hopefully) begin to desire to serve like others like He did. I know that as I read through the Gospel’s account of Jesus life I can’t miss how serving was a significant piece of His ministry. After reading through John 13 a number of times, I realized something that I hadn’t ever seen before…
Jesus serving is preluded by an intentional observation of John’s: that Jesus knew who he was and that he was from God. There was no insecurity present and it was out of his total security of identity that Jesus could wear a towel around his waist and ‘take the very nature of a servant’. Many times in my life I’ve found myself wanting to serve to create my identity…not because I understood my identity.
I believe that this is why service could (or should?) be a clear product of our faith…only when we are certain in who we are in Christ, and discover that we have everything that we need in Him, are we free to truly give our lives away.
Onion Article…
I should be packing right now…or at least making coffee, but instead I found myself clicking around blogs and saw this on the blog of a friend from college…thanks Chad, didn’t know you had a blog until today!
But this is article is really funny…and should be read…if you don’t get the irony of this, please, after reading this, read the Bible more.
I’m Not One Of Those ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ Christians | The Onion
A Post Worth Reading: The Bible and communitas : The Forgotten Ways
I read a lot of blogs…read is an overstatement..I browse a lot of blogs. But this post is worth reading:
The Bible and communitas : The Forgotten Ways.
If you don’t know what the heck Alan is talking about with words like ‘liminality’ or ‘communitas’ or ‘Apostolic Genius’, you should take some time to learn what they mean. They are not just buzz words for a new fad in church talk. His books do a great job of defining these things…the titles of them are: The Shaping of Things to Come, The Forgotten Ways, and a new one called ReJesus. They aren’t in a series, and I’ve only read the first two (until I get to the states and get a copy), but it’s good to read them in the order above as they build on each other.
Imagine what the church is going to be in 20 years if things continue the directions that they are heading. If we merely do more of the same we’re fooling ourselves to think that we’ll bring about the change we hope for. These books, in a gentle way, point us in a new (yet old) direction…check ‘em out.
The Edge’s Live Gear Setup
I have often…literally often…thought about what gear The Edge from U2 uses. His sound has become legendary and nobody comes close to his sounds. I have tried…and failed miserably…and have just decided to practice more!
But here is a video that answers my questions about what the Edge plays…or better yet, what the Edge doesn’t play. Let’s just say he takes 45 guitars on tour!
Here’s the video…and if you’re a guitar player…you may need to watch this a couple of times (like I did) to get all the wonderfulness that is going on here.
Thanks to Gerry at Worship Guitar Guy for finding this!
Facebook in a Crowd – NYTimes.com
I found this article online today and thought it made some good observations about connecting in our culture today and how Facebook plays a role in our ‘relationships’. It’s worth a read if you’re into social connectivity stuff…or just want to feel better about no one showing up at events you plan!