Martin Luther
My Heavenly Father, I thank You, through Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, that You kept me safe from all evil and danger last night. Save me, I pray, today as well, from every evil and sin, so that all I do and the way that I live will please you. I put myself in your care, body and soul and all that I have. Let Your holy Angels be with me, so that the evil enemy will not gain power over me. Amen.
O Lord, grant that my heart may be truly cleansed and filled with Thy Holy Spirit, and that I may arise to serve Thee, and lie down to sleep in entire confidence in Thee, and submission to Thy will, ready for life or for death. Let me live for the day, not overcharged with worldly cares, but feeling that my treasure is not here, and desiring truly to be joined to Thee in Thy heavenly kingdom, and to those who are already gone to Thee. O Lord, save me from sin, and guide me with Thy Spirit, and keep me in faithful obedience to Thee, through Jesus Christ Thy Son, our Lord.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
This Mornings Prayers
Attributed to St. Patrick
I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.
I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a mulitude.
Christ shield me today
Against wounding
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of creation.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
O God, early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.
In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me…
Restore me to liberty,
And enable me to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.
Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised.
I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.
I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a mulitude.
Christ shield me today
Against wounding
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of creation.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
O God, early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.
In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me…
Restore me to liberty,
And enable me to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.
Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Zen Sarcasm
· Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me alone.
· Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.
· Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
· Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
· If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
· Some days you're the bug, some days you're the windshield.
· Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
· The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put back in your pocket.
· A closed mouth gathers no foot.
· Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.
· Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
· Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.
· Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
· Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
· If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
· Some days you're the bug, some days you're the windshield.
· Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
· The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put back in your pocket.
· A closed mouth gathers no foot.
· Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.
· Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
What I need to pray
While away the other week I got up early most mornings to spend some time in prayer. It was easy to do and fruitful. Where we were staying had a small prayer chapel that was space dedicated to 24 hour prayer.
As you entered the chapel there was a bowl of water sitting on a table by the door to bring to remembrance one's baptism. Inside there was cross positioned in the middle of the room with some rugs, pillows and Scriptures scattered around. There were pictures, readings and even what looked like a confession with a chair and very thin veil. It was a quiet, still and dark place which made it easy to pray. I hate to use this word, but the way the room was "decorated” (arranged, setup, planned), made it very inviting to pray.
It was good to get up and pray each morning. It was weighty to walk in one morning, cup my hands in the bowl of fresh, clean water and pour it over my head. It was comforting to kneel at the cross and unload. It felt good to cry before God.
When coming home I resolved to continue this practice of getting up early and praying.
That was then and this is now. Admittedly, I have only prayed this way a couple days since being back. The timing is hard to manage. You see, on days I have to be at work early I just get up a half hour early. No kids to worry about. It is quiet, still and dark. But, I have to be more intentional about this time so I don't fall back asleep. Having some prayers to read or maybe just praying some Psalms would be better than just praying freestyle. On the days I off of work or don't have to be there early, I have to figure out how to get up before the boys. This can be quite a challenge not know when they are going to wake up. It seems once any one of them is up, all meditative and contemplative time or space disappears.
I can see why we are told in Matthew 6 to go into a closet or inner room to pray. To have a special space to pray, a space that facilitates meeting with the Godhead, a thin place between heaven and earth enhances prayer. While in the prayer chapel someone had created this space for me. Now, I need to figure out how to do it my self. It is not that prayer becomes more effective in these sacred places, but it makes it easier for me to give myself to the discipline of prayer. Prayer becomes more purposeful and deliberate. It becomes easier to prayer.
As you entered the chapel there was a bowl of water sitting on a table by the door to bring to remembrance one's baptism. Inside there was cross positioned in the middle of the room with some rugs, pillows and Scriptures scattered around. There were pictures, readings and even what looked like a confession with a chair and very thin veil. It was a quiet, still and dark place which made it easy to pray. I hate to use this word, but the way the room was "decorated” (arranged, setup, planned), made it very inviting to pray.
It was good to get up and pray each morning. It was weighty to walk in one morning, cup my hands in the bowl of fresh, clean water and pour it over my head. It was comforting to kneel at the cross and unload. It felt good to cry before God.
When coming home I resolved to continue this practice of getting up early and praying.
That was then and this is now. Admittedly, I have only prayed this way a couple days since being back. The timing is hard to manage. You see, on days I have to be at work early I just get up a half hour early. No kids to worry about. It is quiet, still and dark. But, I have to be more intentional about this time so I don't fall back asleep. Having some prayers to read or maybe just praying some Psalms would be better than just praying freestyle. On the days I off of work or don't have to be there early, I have to figure out how to get up before the boys. This can be quite a challenge not know when they are going to wake up. It seems once any one of them is up, all meditative and contemplative time or space disappears.
I can see why we are told in Matthew 6 to go into a closet or inner room to pray. To have a special space to pray, a space that facilitates meeting with the Godhead, a thin place between heaven and earth enhances prayer. While in the prayer chapel someone had created this space for me. Now, I need to figure out how to do it my self. It is not that prayer becomes more effective in these sacred places, but it makes it easier for me to give myself to the discipline of prayer. Prayer becomes more purposeful and deliberate. It becomes easier to prayer.
Lessons From The Skate Park
One of the best and scariest things about going to the skate park with my boys is not the huge 10 foot drop in (I stay away from that), nor is it the potential for a body mangling collision with another skater or biker, but is the exposure to culture my guys get.
Take language for instance.
It use to be that my kids heard most of their swearing in church (thats another blog entry in itself). But at the skate park they regularly hear, or at least I hear, F-bombs all the time. There is other colorful language too: sh*t, oh my G-d, ass*ole and even regular, but strange words like "rapist."
So what is a father to do? I could stop taking my boys to the skate park. I could ignore it. I could explain it. I could do what one dad did today and yell at the kids saying it. But I know yelling would only prompt more cussing in my direction. So, I have taken a different route.
I want to meet these kids on there grounds. I mean it is really a park for them and I have yet to see another dad (other the teenage ones) out skating in it. I know it is a public park, but still does a 36 year dude really need to be boarding around with his little punks scooter riding brats? At this point I don't yell. I haven't even said anything at all.
When the time is right, I will just ask them to not cuss around the younger kids. No big deal. I might even look them in the eye and say, "you're smart enough to think of another word to use, give it a shot." The bottom line is to not make a big deal out it. The last thing I want is to be another adult yelling at these kids. I am sure they get that enough other places.
Hopefully my way of handling the language issue will do two things:
1. build a rapport with the kids at the skate park.
2. model for my boys how to be Jesus to the world around them without being judgmental and condemning.
We will have to see how this works.
I know one thing, my kids are going hear this kind of language all their lives (both in the church and certainly outside it) and I would rather have them hear it with me around than not.
Take language for instance.
It use to be that my kids heard most of their swearing in church (thats another blog entry in itself). But at the skate park they regularly hear, or at least I hear, F-bombs all the time. There is other colorful language too: sh*t, oh my G-d, ass*ole and even regular, but strange words like "rapist."
So what is a father to do? I could stop taking my boys to the skate park. I could ignore it. I could explain it. I could do what one dad did today and yell at the kids saying it. But I know yelling would only prompt more cussing in my direction. So, I have taken a different route.
I want to meet these kids on there grounds. I mean it is really a park for them and I have yet to see another dad (other the teenage ones) out skating in it. I know it is a public park, but still does a 36 year dude really need to be boarding around with his little punks scooter riding brats? At this point I don't yell. I haven't even said anything at all.
When the time is right, I will just ask them to not cuss around the younger kids. No big deal. I might even look them in the eye and say, "you're smart enough to think of another word to use, give it a shot." The bottom line is to not make a big deal out it. The last thing I want is to be another adult yelling at these kids. I am sure they get that enough other places.
Hopefully my way of handling the language issue will do two things:
1. build a rapport with the kids at the skate park.
2. model for my boys how to be Jesus to the world around them without being judgmental and condemning.
We will have to see how this works.
I know one thing, my kids are going hear this kind of language all their lives (both in the church and certainly outside it) and I would rather have them hear it with me around than not.
A Poor mans mid-life crisis
So I bought a skateboard yesterday. The boys like going to the skate parks by our house and riding their Razor scooters. I get bored just watching so I bought a board. I got it cheap, so no big deal.
I figured I have more experience on a skateboard (albeit 20 years ago) than I do on a scooter. And you all know what happened last time a rode a scooter at a skate park. Yep, you got it, I broke my elbow last 4th of July. I was bored than too.
Maybe this will be a good way to hang with my boys.
Maybe this will be a way to meet and talk with some local kids.
Maybe this is a serious cry for help.
Maybe I am nuts. Debra just laugh when I told her the board was not for the boys, but for me!
Its not like I left my wife for a women half her age. Nor did I by a red convertible. Its just a skateboard.
Comments I heard about the board:
Debra: Did you get a helmet with the new toy?
Ben: Who's the skateboard for?
Dad: Me.
Ben: Oh dad you going to break again!
Kid @ the park: Hey, is that a brand new board?
Me: Yes.
Kid @ the park: Yeah, I could tell, it still has all the paint on it.
More from the skate park later...
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
What is our base?
A while back I blogged about 3 ways the church reacts to culture: Methodological, Philosophical and Theological. I maintained that methodical changes are a only superficial and theological changes are dangerous. It is when we examine why we do what we do that we can begin to make shifts in our core values and truly relate to culture.
So,what is the foundation of our philosophical change? Our basis for ministry is related to our theological perspective. Theology informs our philosophy, which in turn determines our methodology.
More specifically our theology should first be grounded in the person and character of God (prolegomena). The way we do ministry and how we are the church should not be based on our ecclesiology, but on our theology of God.
Here is how it breaks down:
Theology: What do we know from Scripture and believe about the character and qualities of the Godhead?
Philosophy: What are our core values and commitments based on our theology?
Methodology: How are we going to practically live out our core values and commitments?
Examples:
Theology: God is love. 1 John 4:7-10
Philosophy: We value others regardless of where they are on their spiritual journey or how they smell.1 John 4:11-14
Methodology: Care for the homeless downtown. Buying tires for someone who can not afford them. Baby sitting so a single mother can go to work.
Theology: God is a sending God. John 3 16:
Philosophy: Being missional (a foundational and prophetic call for the church to orient everything it does around the purpose of mission.) John 17:18, 20:21
Methodology: Commitment to being a small community of Christ followers in order to plant other church gatherings. Moving to the "wrong side of the tracks" in order to help create change.
Theology: God is just. Deuteronomy 16:19-20, Luke 18:1-8
Philosophy: It is the churches responsibility to fight injustice and promote justice through the world(in according with the character of God.)
Methodology: Giving of time and money to domestics abuse shelters. Protesting unethical government policy or action. Being a voice for those too young or to frail to speak for themselves.
This is why the study of theology and Scripture is crucial for the health and maturity of the church. When we move to basing our ministry on pragmatic ideas, we will eventually fail to live out the kingdom of God, create disciples and witness to the story of God in Jesus the Christ.
So,what is the foundation of our philosophical change? Our basis for ministry is related to our theological perspective. Theology informs our philosophy, which in turn determines our methodology.
More specifically our theology should first be grounded in the person and character of God (prolegomena). The way we do ministry and how we are the church should not be based on our ecclesiology, but on our theology of God.
Here is how it breaks down:
Theology: What do we know from Scripture and believe about the character and qualities of the Godhead?
Philosophy: What are our core values and commitments based on our theology?
Methodology: How are we going to practically live out our core values and commitments?
Examples:
Theology: God is love. 1 John 4:7-10
Philosophy: We value others regardless of where they are on their spiritual journey or how they smell.1 John 4:11-14
Methodology: Care for the homeless downtown. Buying tires for someone who can not afford them. Baby sitting so a single mother can go to work.
Theology: God is a sending God. John 3 16:
Philosophy: Being missional (a foundational and prophetic call for the church to orient everything it does around the purpose of mission.) John 17:18, 20:21
Methodology: Commitment to being a small community of Christ followers in order to plant other church gatherings. Moving to the "wrong side of the tracks" in order to help create change.
Theology: God is just. Deuteronomy 16:19-20, Luke 18:1-8
Philosophy: It is the churches responsibility to fight injustice and promote justice through the world(in according with the character of God.)
Methodology: Giving of time and money to domestics abuse shelters. Protesting unethical government policy or action. Being a voice for those too young or to frail to speak for themselves.
This is why the study of theology and Scripture is crucial for the health and maturity of the church. When we move to basing our ministry on pragmatic ideas, we will eventually fail to live out the kingdom of God, create disciples and witness to the story of God in Jesus the Christ.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)