Charis

I’m writing from my “junior suite” at the Ross Bridge Resort about 20 minutes from our house. I’m in a wonderful leather chair (with ottoman) looking out at a beautiful golf course and marvelling at the goodness of God…

Today’s entry from My Utmost for His Highest is well-timed for me. Chambers says that if we want scientific understanding, go for intellect, but if we want spiritual understanding, we must obey. (I should note here that as far I as I can tell, Chambers was not anti-intellectual; rather, he recognized that God’s economy works […]

One of the lessons of David and Nabal is that if we wait, God will bring justice. When Abigail intercedes with David, she says, “the LORD has restrained you from saving with your own hand.”

How often do we—do I—seek to save with my own hand? In an argument, do I defend myself, or trust for the Holy Spirit to bring perspective to the other person? When I’ve been wronged, do I, like David, “strap on my sword” (1 Sam 25:13), or do I wait on God?

I’ve had varying success with this since I learned the principle of waiting on God, but lately I’ve found it more of a challenge, so this seems like a good time for a refresher. Here are some verses to consider…

Reading Adrian Warnock’s blog yesterday, I saw that he strongly endorses the English Standard Version (ESV), and he offers some sound reasons for making it the text from which he studies and preaches. I’ve had the ESV on my handheld for several years, but I have looked at it only occasionally; I primarily read the […]

I took Isaac and Anna to see The Wild this afternoon and really enjoyed it. It has a number of similarities to Madagascar, but I think The Wild is better. I’ll leave reviews to the professionals; what I want to comment on are the father/son relationships presented in the movie. (I should note, too, that my comments will probably contain spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the film and don’t want any surprises ruined, then read another post.)

The story focuses on the lion Samson, the pride of the New York Zoo, and his son Ryan. Samson regales Ryan with stories of his fearlessness back in the wild and is teaching him to roar; unfortunately, Ryan can’t pull it off, producing only loud meows. Feeling like a failure compared to his father’s immense reputation, Ryan heads off to find “the wild.” Too late, he changes his mind, and Samson follows to rescue him. As Samson and his friends pursue Ryan, we discover that Samson’s not as fearless as he appears, and we learn that he has a secret. At a crucial point in the story, Samson, reunited with his son, tells Ryan that he never lived in the wild, and that he failed to roar when he most needed to as a cub. In the flashback, we see Samson separated from his father, and we see the disappointment of the father as well….

My wife Teddie is in both the August issue of Southern Living and the 2006 Christmas with Southern Living book.

Teddie sewed all the fabric work in this photo from the magazine article (table skirt, napkins, placemats, cushions, even the check in the cabinet doors)…

I’ve been in a rather negative frame of mind for the past week, which is one reason why I haven’t posted much; I couldn’t think of anything good to say. This morning, I started off writing about making excuses, but I quickly realized that I couldn’t think of a way to bring life to the subject, and I stopped.

Then I remembered verse 4 of 2 Corinthians 5, which I noticed when I was reading the entire chapter for yesterday’s post. Here’s what it says: “For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”…

Over at kendallball.net, Greg has taken John Donne’s “No man is an island” concept and pushed the issue of self- and group definition to consider how the Christian sees himself in relation to the rest of humanity:

In Jesus we are called to be new creations, and perhaps part of this new creation is the cultivation (through certain practices) of the idea that I am a part of the continent of humanity… Maybe then we will shift our focus from ourselves and become builders of peace, seekers of justice, and lovers of all mankind. Those sorts of things just don’t seem possible as long as we’re deriving our self-identity from a source other than our status as children of God and followers of Christ.

I think the Apostle Paul’s teaching about new creation is worth considering here…

I’ve been having a hard time deciding what to write for the past couple of days, and I thought that perhaps it was from lack of thought or stimulation, but this morning I’ve concluded that it’s the opposite: too much thinking and too much stimulation. Beside my chair I’ve got Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster; Swear to God by Scott Hahn; Poems and Prose by Gerard Manley Hopkins; Crafted Prayer and another book by Graham Cooke; Bread in the Wilderness by Thomas Merton; two books by Creflo Dollar—and these are just the ones I can see (there are at least 5 more in the basket underneath). When I sit in my recliner, looking at my shelves, I can see a host of books I have yet to read: Andrew Murray, Joyce Meyer, Bill Johnson, C.S. Lewis, a biography of Pope John Paul II, and the list goes on….