soma.life

"If I understand the teaching of the New Testament on this matter, I understand the role of the..."

Mon, 14 May 2012 01:49:11 -0400

“If I understand the teaching of the New Testament on this matter, I understand the role of the Christian as that of being neither a conservative nor an anarchist, but a subversive agent… We do not spend enough of our energies training undercover agents.”

- Lesslie Newbigin, Truth to Tell: The Gospel as Public Truth p82 (via newbigin)

CHURCH SHOPPING

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:42:00 -0400

“Church shopping is the spiritual equivalent of speed dating; me-focused and loaded with unfair expectations outside of relationship.”

Caesar Kalinowski

via @CaesarKal

"True spirituality is not a superhuman religiosity; it is simply true humanity released from bondage..."

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 01:04:19 -0400

“True spirituality is not a superhuman religiosity; it is simply true humanity released from bondage to sin and renewed by the Holy Spirit. This is given to us as we grasp by faith the full content of Christ’s redemptive work: freedom from the guilt and power of sin, and newness of life through the indwelling and outpouring of his Spirit.”

- Richard Lovelace

Dynamics of Spiritual Life

via Of First Importance

"Individual growth toward love and wisdom is slow. A community’s growth is even slower. Members of a..."

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:04:40 -0400

“Individual growth toward love and wisdom is slow. A community’s growth is even slower. Members of a community have to be great friends of time.”

- Jean Vanier, Community and Growth (1979)

LOVE THE ONES YOU'RE WITH

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:49:00 -0400

……………………………………………………………

Came across a great site this morning in my interweb ramblings: Screenshots of Despair.
One particular post (see above) got me thinking about my tendency to romanticize community and to desire for it to work a particular way, to look like this other community, to embody these traits, etc. Frankly put, this is usually sin. When I am discontent with the community God is forming, I force my expectations on him and, in seemingly holy and reverent prayer, ask him to change the people to suit my vison. In doing this, I am asking the God of Heaven and Earth to bow to my idol of community. What a twisted, sick disruption of reality!

Bonhoeffer reflected on this once:

“Innumerable times a whole Christian community has broken down because it had sprung from a wish dream. The serious Christian, set down for the first time in a Christian community, is like to bring with him a very definite idea of what Christian life should be and try to realize it. But God’s grace speedily shatters such dreams…Every human wish dream that is injected into Christian community is a hindrance to genuine community and must be banished if genuine community is to survive. He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial.

God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. The man who fashions a visionary ideal of community demands that it be realized by God, by others, and by himself…

God has already laid the only foundation of our fellowship, because God has bound us together in one body with other Christians in Jesus Christ, long before we entered common life with them…[So] we thank God for what He has done for us. We thank God for giving us brethren who live by His call, by His forgiveness, and His promise. We do not complain of what God does not give us; we rather than God for what He does give us daily…

When the morning mist of dreams vanish, then dawns the bright day of Christian fellowship.”

Sources:

http://screenshotsofdespair.tumblr.com/post/20076052021/via-cabgfx

http://www.sendrdu.com/2012/01/dont-let-your-vision-ruin-your-church-plant/

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back— Concerning all acts of..."

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 01:51:27 -0400

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back— Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

- Goethe

"There’s no such thing as “independently wealthy” at the King’s table."

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 19:53:04 -0400

“There’s no such thing as “independently wealthy” at the King’s table.”

- @john_starke

"‎Ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I think I am..."

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:56:49 -0400

“‎Ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I think I am living for, in detail, and ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully for the thing I want to live for.”

- Thomas Merton

My Argument with the Gestapo

From Alan Hirsch’s facebook post

"Christians need to be different enough to make a difference…"

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 01:21:59 -0400

“Christians need to be different enough to make a difference…”

- Dezi Baker via @CMAResources

PATIENCE, GRASSHOPPER

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 22:37:08 -0400

“There are long stretches of darkness and invisibility and silence that separate planting and reaping.” - Eugene Peterson

"To act on the light one has is almost the only way to more light."

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 01:16:57 -0400

“To act on the light one has is almost the only way to more light.”

- C.S. Lewis

via @CSLewisU

"Movement is a work of the Holy Spirit. Multiplication is a work of obedience."

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 13:05:07 -0400

“Movement is a work of the Holy Spirit. Multiplication is a work of obedience.”

- @chankilgore

CULTIVATE ZEAL!

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:49:00 -0400

“Beware of crushing zeal. Seek it. Cultivate it. Try to blow up the fire in your own heart, and the hearts of others – but never, never crush it. Beware of throwing cold water on zealous souls, whenever you meet with them. Beware of nipping in the bud this precious grace when first it shoots. If you are a parent beware of crushing it in your children – if you are a husband, beware of crushing it in your wife – if you are a brother, beware of crushing it in your sisters – and if you are a minister, beware of crushing it in the members of your congregation. It is a shoot of heaven’s own planting. Beware of crushing it, for Christ’s sake.”

JC Ryle

here

"It is utterly vain to say, as I constantly hear men say, that we desire to see spontaneous..."

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:31:00 -0400

“It is utterly vain to say, as I constantly hear men say, that we desire to see spontaneous expansion, and yet must maintain our control.”

- Roland Allen

The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church: And the Causes That Hinder It

via @sdesocio

"There are two kinds of people: those who live the adventure, & those who read about..."

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 02:06:16 -0400

“There are two kinds of people: those who live the adventure, & those who read about others’ adventures.”

- @Neil_Cole

BEHOLD, I SEND YOU OUT...

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 14:24:00 -0500

“If you want to find lost sheep, go where the wolves are.” @Neil_Cole

"He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no..."

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:45:15 -0500

“He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.”

- CS Lewis

via @CSLewisU

GOSPEL-ADVANCEMENT > SELF-SERVICE

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:09:00 -0500

Sometimes we have people come and hang out with us and our missional community, and they really like things for a while. They enjoy having meals with us, talking about faith, praying together, and so on. Then we start talking about really digging in— rooting out our idols, taking up our cross daily, reaching out and discipling people— and things change. It goes something like this: “Well, I really like you guys, but I don’t know about all this other stuff. I mean, I really just want to be fed, you know? I think I’ll go find a bible study.”

Enter Charles Spurgeon: “I would sooner bring one sinner to Christ than unpack all the mysteries of the Word. Salvation is the thing we are to live for.”

The way of the cross is hard, but it’s worth it. Jesus didn’t come to start a Bible study, he came to save the world from sin, death, and Satan. And we are his disciples.

The truth is, we simply won’t grow if we’re not faithful to God’s mission. We can do 100 hours of bible study huddling and it not do a thing for our souls. But if we read the word and respond by obeying the Spirit’s voice to go and make disciples of all nations, we will certainly grow in ways we can’t even begin to imagine, because we will learn to find our life in Christ as we lose it in service to others.

"In my deepest wound, I see your glory, and it dazzles me."

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 02:18:09 -0500

“In my deepest wound, I see your glory, and it dazzles me.”

- St. Augustine

"Spirit, lead me in my next step."

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:35:12 -0500

“Spirit, lead me in my next step.”