August 2006

the loving gaze of Christ

August 26, 2006

In her book The Open Door, Frederica Mathewes-Green writes about coming under the gaze of Christ, letting ourselves be known in the way that David describes in Psalm 139…

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a heart set free

August 24, 2006

I run in the path of your commands,
for you have set my heart free. (Psalm 119:32, NIV)

I’m tempted to add nothing, and let this verse speak for itself. If we were together, I would ask you to tell me what you think when you read this. Does it excite you? move you?

I’m not a runner–I’d rather walk two miles than run one (supposing I could even do that!). Still, this verse speaks to me. I remember the first time I read it…

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the good shepherd

August 23, 2006

I’ve been thinking about Jesus calling himself “the good shepherd” and wondering why He added good. In John 10, He identifies the various players in this picture of sheep and shepherd: there’s the gatekeeper, the stranger, the shepherd, the hired hand, and the thief.

As He sets up His illustration, Jesus makes clear that the shepherd enters by the door or gate and that the sheep know his voice; the shepherd is legitimate. He makes clear that only the shepherd has the true interest of the sheep at heart. Then He brings it home, declaring…

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an amazing picture of God

August 22, 2006

I love Psalm 18; there’s so much to like here. Several things stood out to me this morning as I read. First, David begins unabashedly: “I love you, O Lord.” As far as I can tell, this is the first time in Scripture that someone declares his love for God. The Amplified translates this, “I love You fervently and devotedly.” Then, in verse two, its as if David can hardly contain himself as names pour out…

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praying to the Father

August 20, 2006

Even if you didn’t grow up saying the “Our Father” every Sunday, it would be nearly impossible to grow up in church and not hear God called Father. Because of this, it never occurred to me that Jesus was doing something radical when He presented God Almighty as Father. I knew Jesus called God Father frequently, but I wondered about the Old Testament. A quick search revealed that the term doesn’t occur very often. Not even David, who had an incredibly intimate relationship with God, used that term, though he gave us such vivid terms as Rock, Fortress, and Stronghold…

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of prayer books, thorns, and forgiveness

August 19, 2006

The Little Book of Hours: Praying With the Community of JesusAs part of my effort to pray more intentionally (instead of just more frequently), I’ve committed to use The Little Book of Hours, which provides morning, midday, evening, and nighttime prayers for thirty days. I bought it almost two years ago and started with it several times, but I never lasted more than a few days. I started with it (again) last Sunday, and it took me until Wednesday to manage all four prayer times. Now that I’m in this mode, I’m very much enjoying it.

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action: first steps

August 17, 2006

In yesterday's post, I talked about the need to pray for our culture, and I promised to offer some ways to act…

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