Joy Weaves Through

Like a brilliant golden thread, joy weaves in and out of our lives. It weaves through the bright days—the orange and yellow moments. The poppy-red delights. The verdant, green, fresh-growth days.

It weaves through the gray days—the blah-blah, mundane moments.

And it even weaves through the dark. Through indigo grief. Through rusted, worn-out umber seasons. Through thunderous, slate gray periods of anger or bitterness. Through jet black discouragement, heavy-weighted with a sense of hopelessness.

A shock of brilliant joy dances through it all. Woven in and out.

Because, for the Christian, joy has a name.

And he has other names too.

“I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).

“I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me . . . rivers of living water will flow within them” (John 7:37-38).

“I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).

 “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

We can choose joy in our life when we purposefully cultivate habits of worship, of gratitude, of intimacy with God. But we cannot manufacture joy. It’s more than a feeling or a state of mind.

Extra! Creation Care Week 3

I’m really, super duper, majorly excited to share this extra with you this week!!! Can you sense my enthusiasm? This is really a fantastic resource!

Check out this video called “Our Father’s World” – it’s a brand new, short, 27-minute documentary all about environmental stewardship. It features some really important evangelical Christian leaders today, including Bill Hybels of Willow Creek and others.

This is worth your time, friends. It really is. And once you watch it, share it with others . . . and pop back in to let me know what you think!

Meditate and Act: Creation Care Week 3

As we focus on answering the Bible’s call to steward God’s created world, consider this Scripture to guide a time of meditation and pick an action step to try.

Meditate: Genesis 1:26-28 from The Message

God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them

reflecting our nature

So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,

the birds in the air, the cattle,

And, yes, Earth itself,

and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”

God created human beings;

he created them godlike,

Reflecting God’s nature.

He created them male and female.

God blessed them:

“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!

Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,

for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”

 

Respond with Action:

• Enjoy your own piece of caretaking and stewardship by starting a backyard garden, potting a tomato plant on your porch, or tending a houseplant. Have fun with both the joy and the work of this process. Consider what God might be teaching you through it.

• Think through practical steps you can take as a steward by using this free worksheet from Blessed Earth. Pray about the ideas God may be leading you to implement.

• Commit to reduce the amount of trash your family sends to the landfill. You can do this by: buying less, utilizing more reusable containers, composting biodegradable waste, and recycling. What’s one gradual step you can implement to curb your trash production?

• Read and consider several more ideas in the article I wrote last year highlighting “7 non-weird and non-political things you can do to care for creation.”

Embrace Scripture’s Call

In Genesis 1-2 we find a beautiful poetic narrative full of imagery, sights, sounds, colors, light . . . wonder. Here, at the beginning of the Story, we also find the starting point for some of the deepest and most enduring questions of the human condition: How did we get here? Who am I? Is there a God? Why am I alive? Do I even matter? What is the purpose of life?

Bible-believing Christians may draw different conclusions about the scriptural genre and interpretation of Genesis 1-2. For some it is a literal, historical, scientific account describing exactly how God created this earth. For others, it is a divinely-inspired literary, historical, symbolic, and poetic description of critical theological ideas and ultimate Truth. (If you’re unfamiliar with this literary interpretation of Genesis 1-2, you can read more about it from pastor and author Tim Keller here.) And for some, it’s somewhere in between — understood as partly literal/scientific and partly literary/symbolic.

Whatever one’s view of the scriptural genre of Genesis 1-2, however, all who uphold Scripture’s authority and primacy in our lives can find compelling common ground and agreement in the call God immediately placed upon humanity from the very start: to “rule over” and “subdue” the earth and it’s creatures (Genesis 1:26, 28). It’s restated in Genesis 2 as the first man’s first job in the Garden: to “work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15).

And how ought humans do so? Should we “rule” as sin and selfishness entice us to? Should we model ourselves after the rulership of many human kings and leaders—domination, power-grabbing, destruction, self-centeredness, greed? Is it all about taking what we want when we want it?

We find a clear and sonorous answer to this question before we even ask it. Right smack dab in the middle of God tasking humanity to rule and subdue the earth is this statement:

Meditate and Act: Creation Care Week 2

As we focus on experiencing God through his creation, consider this Scripture to guide a time of meditation and pick an action step to try.

Meditate: Psalm 19:1

The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Respond with Action:

• Stargaze one evening or get up early to watch a sunrise. Focus your heart on how God is demonstrating his existence and his wonder through what you see.

• Pray, praise, sing, worship! Thank God that he speaks and affirms biblical truth to you through his “second book.”

• Pause to see God in nature by viewing the stunning images captured by my friend Dorothy Greco, a writer and photographer. Where do you see God in these snapshots? What is revealed about God’s character? (And if you feel inspired, grab your camera and shoot some of your own snapshots. Nature provides an abundance of divine beauties to ponder!)

Trust the Sovereign One

When we choose to practice trust, it’s not about a confidence that our circumstances will magically become pleasant or our troubles will go away. God certainly answers prayers and, many times, “comes through” for us to rescue us from trouble or make wrong things right. But a quick browse through the Bible also reveals that God’s people aren’t guaranteed a life of problem-free bliss!

Trust challenges us to focus not on our circumstances but on the God behind the scenes — to tune our hearts to his song, to let his grand Other-ness put our current worries or hurt of pain into perspective.

God is sovereign. He is still at work, behind the scenes, even in those times when circumstances may lead us to feel we’ve been abandoned. We haven’t been. His power is greater than any human foe or seemingly disastrous circumstance. His love is stronger than any hateful word or hurtful situation.

Meet My Friend . . . Amie Hollmann

Today you get to meet my friend, artist and writer, Amie Hollmann. She did something creative with Scripture that I find really inspiring and that I’ve asked her to tell you about.  (FYI: Amie’s also the cool hipster who created the graphics for my site!)

Amie, Thanks for stopping by so I can introduce you to my friends. Can you tell ‘em a little bit about yourself?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved making stuff, dabbling and doodling and messing around with glue. That same childlike curiosity still propels me to keep exploring and creating. I’m a freelance writer and graphic designer. I live with a fabulous 5 year old son/superhero, a wonderful husband and a growing collection of Russian nesting dolls.

How do you find time for your own passions or ministry interests?

It’s hard to find time with everyone’s endless to do list. I try to be intentional about incorporating quiet space into my day. Space to think and read and pray. That more than anything helps prepare me to see and seize all the small opportunities to serve, create and encourage. But it’s still hard. It’s a work in progress.

You’re a bit of a jack-of-all-trades: artist, photographer, writer, and more. How does your creativity connect with your faith?

Creativity leads me down a path of awe and wonder and humility – opening my eyes to the amazing handiwork all around. Other people’s creative gifts help me see glimpses of God in the day to day. I admire writers, artists, designers and musicians – anyone who takes the lump of clay they have been given and molds it into something new, something that holds the shape of truth, and shares it with others.

A few years back you dove into a creative endeavor–using art to portray Scriptural truths. Tell us about what you did and why.

I started the Verse Project (click here to see it) as kind of a New Year’s resolution. I wanted to read the bible more and I wanted to get back into the rhythm of drawing and painting and creating on a regular basis. I had a stack of 3×5 cards and I set a goal – I would take a verse a day every day for a year and try to portray some aspect of it on paper. I didn’t reach my goal, but I did find a new way to spend time meditating on the scriptures and see passages that I thought I knew in a new light. I’m going to be drawing my way through Lent again this year and posting it online.

The Best Book Ever

If you have kids, here are ideas for ways you can help your kids develop lifelong habits of devotional reading of Scripture like lectio divina and contemplative reading. All you need is a children’s Bible.

When you next read a Bible story to your child, introduce him to one of the ancient methods of scriptural learning described below that combine prayer and meditation with Bible reading. (And try it out yourself too!)

Lectio Divina (or “Holy Reading”)

This ancient approach to Scripture traditionally has five parts:

1) silencio (quietness and preparation)

2) lectio (slowly reading a Bible passage)

3) meditato (reflection and meditation)

4) oratio (prayer about the passage)

5) contemplation (quiet waiting and prayer).

Your child isn’t likely to connect with these Latin terms, so bring this method down to your child’s level and do it together in a simple way.

1) Say something like “Let’s quiet our hearts and minds before we read this story.” Allow about 5 to 10 seconds of quietness.

2) Read the story aloud with emphasis and emotion, perhaps even doing different voices for the various speakers.

3) Reflect on the passage aloud together by asking, “What do you think this means?” or “What stands out to you about this story? Why?”

4) Say, “Let’s ask God to help us understand more about what this passage means.” Then briefly pray aloud, naming your child’s ideas he shared in step 3 and asking God for further understanding.

5) Say, “Let’s keep praying but without words now as we listen to God.” Allow about 30 seconds (or more if your child is very focused on prayer), then say “Amen.”

Contemplative Reading

In his Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius of Loyola outlined a process of contemplative reading. In basic terms, Ignatius encouraged Christians to imagine themselves into Gospel stories. Children are experts at this! In fact, they could teach us logic-bound grown-ups a thing or two!

Read a story to your child from one of the four Gospels. Next say, “Let’s pray and ask God to help us imagine what it was like for the people in this story.”

The Jesus Storybook Bible

Some old friends visited us this fall and passed along a fabulous recommendation: The Jesus Storybook Bible. I bought a copy and have been reading it to my children before school every week day. There are lots of great resources for kids out there, but this one is really amazing. The short narrative retellings of biblical stories portray Scripture as one big story (which it is). The idea of the book is that “every story whispers his name.” Each Old Testament story somehow builds toward the idea that God has a big “Rescue Plan” and the Rescuer (Jesus) is coming. And the art in the book is amazing. If you’ve got kids between 3 and 8 or 9, this is an excellent resource for helping them learn from and love God’s Big Story.

 

Formation 15: Enter Ruth’s story

The Formation 15: Do you feel drawn toward spiritual disciplines and long to spend time in spiritual formation, but your life feels more like a circus than an abbey? I know how you feel! You may not have hours of quiet, but hopefully you can carve out 15 minutes. Here’s a short idea you can use this week to prompt a meaningful soul-connecting time between yourself and God.

Bible study is great.

Let me say that again: I believe studying the Bible is a great thing. It’s wonderful to dissect the text, verse by verse. To explore the context, history, and original language. To learn from commentaries. To join in with great Bible teachers through helpful Bible study tools and discussion guides.

Bible study is great.

But there are seasons in our life in which it’s difficult to find the time to really study.

And, in addition to that reality, sometimes we miss out on Scripture’s message to us by over-studying things. Analysis has it’s place — but sometimes the best thing to do is just step into the narrative and read it as a story. Let the events, the voice, the words and actions of the “characters” (aka real, historical people), the amazing plot twists draw you in. Rather than asking “How can I apply to this to my life?” sometimes we simply should just take it in. Enjoy it. Let the story have it’s natural, life-changing effect on us.

Have I convinced you? Maybe, maybe not.

But my formation 15 suggestion for this week is simple. Take 15 minutes to read through the book of Ruth. It’s just 4 chapters long, so you should be able to do it. Or, if needed, take two days to read this story. Imagine you’re watching it all happen — like you’re reading a novel, seeing a play, or watching it as a film. Let the story of Naomi and Ruth’s journey affect you at a deep, emotional level.

And don’t study a thing. Just live in the story.