Monthly Archives: March 2008

March 27, 2008 · 12:23

the kingdom of God is (now with pix)

those words of Jesus struck me this morning… “the kingdom of God is…”

I’m just back from travelin… on this trip to visit friends and partners in Ukraine, I was privileged to meet with some awesome servants of God… they are doing such cool stuff for building the kingdom…

 This morning I was struck by Jesus words… here is the context…

“20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” (Luke 17, ESV) In the original language the phrase “in the midst of you” could be understood as “within you”…

think about that… a follower of Jesus, the kingdom of God is in you… the kingdom is real and alive in you… I suggest reading the chapter for additional important teachings of Jesus, click here

On this trip and the one last month, I was really encouraged by all the kingdom building going on… I think I should try to define kingdom building… I think that kingdom building is anything that invests in people that urges them on to a closer walk with Jesus… I have seen this in Doug and Lea, Mark and Laura, Joanna, Arden, Rob and Donna, Laci and Keri, Roman and Natashya, Ruslan and Anna, Luda, Tanya, Sergie, Anna, Leonid, Anna and many others… these folks are all followers of Jesus in whom the kingdom lives and who are living and serving the King in such a way as to invest in people in such ways that are drawing people to know Jesus, to have faith in Jesus, to trust Jesus, to refuse to let our brokenness get in the way of loving people…

this is building the kingdom of God… see pix from Ukraine

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March 16, 2008 · 18:45

Palm Sunday

This is the beginning of Holy Week, a.k.a. Passion Week. I hope you will reflect on this week in Scripture. I recommend visiting JR’s blog and downloading a guide for the week. CLICK HERE

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March 15, 2008 · 10:28

The Ides of March

I have a kinda bad past… my before-Jesus story is interesting to my students… but, there is controversy surrounding my telling my story… why? good question…

well, you see my story has lots of substance abuse and violence, car crashes, immorality, Asian temples and stuff… then I meet Jesus, and Peace is declared (through Grace)… so where is the controversy? you ask rightly [btw – have you ever noticed the way a BBC announcer (presenter) says controversy? its cool] ANYWAY… well, you see, it’s like this… I went through a lot of stuff in my life and made it safely into the arms of my Lord… but, what’s to guarantee that a student (or anyone), after listening to my story and its great ending/beginning when Peace was declared (through Grace), doesn’t say

“well, he did all this stuff and got forgiven and quit when he was old (24, ugh… old) and then he was okay, why can’t I do what the heck I want and get straightened out later?” Here is the problem…

who says we have a later?

On the ides of March, a day of warning, according to superstition based on the death of Julius Caesar… one should ask oneself… should I not make things right and good today? who knows if I have a tomorrow? Let me meet Jesus now so that I can have Him declare Peace (through His Grace).

Soothsayer: “Beware the ides of March.” (- Wm. Shakespeare: act one, scene two of “Julius Caesar”)

40:1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

6 A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever. (Isa 40, ESV)

He wants to declare Peace (through Grace) with us all… He does not wish for us to condemn or be condemned, he came to save, that’s the Good News on this Ides of March.

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March 12, 2008 · 20:07

yeah,

no pretentious spellin comnets, please!!! its a blog for cryin out loud…

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March 12, 2008 · 15:22

comment

Arden made a fascinating comment on yesterday’s post that I would love to hear the thoughts of you readers… all two of you!!!!! so please  scroll down a bit and read and think and then comment! Thanks.

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March 11, 2008 · 21:24

sorry, it’s been grading and grade time

and I’ve taken some intentional quiet time of late… because as my Fb profile says: I am contemplating my role in the Kingdom… more travelin? probably…

did a talk in chapel today about the woman in Luke 7 and used Jean valJean from Les Mis as an example… I mentioned my testimony and now all the kids want all the details of what happened to me, hc…

anyway, Les Mis has some amazing redemptive images… great story (the show not the book)… hmm… should I read the book??? ANYWAY… Les Mis has great redemptive stories… and they are a fine example of how art can illustrate the Gospel… this makes me think that this show that the Gospel is like this natural thing that should make sense… but for some, it doesn’t… As my Skype status says: I have reading the theological musings of my students… a sign of spring… and there are some sad things to read… it is sad when image bearers of God reject Him because of what “Christians” have done to people… sigh…

May the God of peace break through… so that these image bearers of God may understand it when Jesus says… your sins are forgiven… go in peace…

 Peace from Grace

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