My favorite Christmas song.

Desire for Reconciliation

Genesis 3 (The Message)

1 The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal God had made. He spoke to the Woman: “Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?”

2-3 The Woman said to the serpent, “Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It’s only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘Don’t eat from it; don’t even touch it or you’ll die.’”

4-5 The serpent told the Woman, “You won’t die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.”

6 When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it-she’d know everything!-she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate.

7 Immediately the two of them did “see what’s really going on”-saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves.

8 When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God.

9 God called to the Man: “Where are you?”

10 He said, “I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked. And I hid.”

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What I love most about this passage is the pursuit of Adam & Eve by God. God says, “Where are you?” Does God know at this point what has happened? Certainly. But, God’s first words here are not ones of punishment, shame, or otherwise. He simply asks, “Where are you?” We have been lost and God pursues us so that we might be found again. Yes, there are consequences. But it seems as though the ultimate concern is for reconciliation; for a return to the image in which we have been created.

No Man is an Island.

I read a few excerpts of Thomas Merton’s No Man is an Island online this morning … and I am very much compelled to run over to Barnes & Noble and buy a copy. I have neither the time or money to do so at the moment. At any rate, this picture is from the cover of that book. And it has captivated me so much, I found myself just sitting here staring at it. I can’t get enough.

Justice goes hand-in-hand with mercy.

Working. Progressively.

For my practicum this trimester, we had to spend some time reflecting/praying on what is most beautiful/glorious about our souls, most sinful/depraved in our souls, and how that will affect our ministry and ability to relate to people. This is my paper:

My time at Mars Hill has been a time of discovery. It has not been discovery in the sense of coming upon something new or unknown. Rather, it has been a time of becoming more conscious of things I already knew, but perhaps could not recognize clearly or formulate properly. This has been my experience in preparing for this paper.

As I went through my prayer time, I found it considerably easier to focus my time and attention on the sinful and depraved parts of my soul than to pinpoint that which is beautiful and glorious within me. I am finding that there is a vast disconnect between how I see myself and how others experience me.

I believe God has given me the ability to listen well and extend grace to people in all walks of life. It is a desire of mine to consistently meet people where they are, to love and accept them no matter their circumstances. I have a genuine interest in people’s lives, and I hope that is apparent as I engage them in meaningful ways.

This desire to be loving and accepting is so indelibly written in my heart, I think, because I yearn for these things for myself. My constant pursuit of love and acceptance, in some respects, has become my greatest downfall. It has generated within me a tremendous amount of insecurity in intimate relationships. The ways in which I am able to give grace are greatly limited by how hard it is for me to receive grace.

As I determine the ways in which these aspects of my soul affect my ministry, I am drawn back to the word “vulnerability.” If I cannot hold the tension of security and vulnerability in relationship, how can I expect others to do the same for me?