There is fullness of joy in the Kingdom of God. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. And on that note... this is hilarious.
Oh my. Take a gander. You won't regret it. Disclaimer: for the light of heart only aka lighthearted.
Why did Jesus call James and John "Sons of Thunder"?!
Because they had gas? I don’t know exactly what the disciples ate. If I did, I’d write a book called “The Disciples’ Diet.” It would contain all the secrets that Jesus taught His followers about keeping fit and trim. Actually, I do know they ate bread and fish (that’s how Jesus fed the 5,000) and they drank wine (Jesus turned water into wine at a party, and during the Last Supper, Jesus shared a cup of wine with the disciples after He had broken bread with them). I’m thinking they must have eaten beans, too. Those can cause flatulence in some people. Maybe James and John were affected. Perhaps their gas came out in a loud burst, like thunder. Perhaps I’d better move on to another reason.
May 13, 2014
Hole Made Whole
Have you ever heard of Richard Twiss?
I'm currently reading his book, "One Church, Many Tribes" in preparation for my job this summer, and it's absolutely incredible. I would heartily recommend it (as it focuses on the Church as a whole, as well as the greater concepts of missional living, evangelism and cross-cultural ministry). Richard Twiss has previously been a keynote speaker at The Justice Conference, and has been an influential voice as a Native American Christian. Incredible!
Here's a quote from the book - "Contrary to common belief, the European colonial practice of importing slaves to North America under the guise of serving the advancement of God and country did not begin with the importation of African tribal people, but in fact began with the enslavement of the host people of this land" (43). He goes on to share about an encounter with God one of his Anglo friends, David Tavernier, had: "Finally after many weeks of seeking the Lord, I simply asked, 'Holy Spirit, what is the root sin in the heart of America?' Several days passed by and to my surprise the words 'Native American Indians' began to resound in my heart. As I began to meditate on these words, something tremendous started to happen. Deep down on the inside of me I began to be burdened with grief. At first I had no idea why. I had no reason to grieve. I was deeply moved during periods of intercession to groaning, travailing (at times as in birth), weeping and actually mourning in the Spirit. For the next several weeks I was overwhelmed by an almost unbearable sense of loss, as though I had just lost a loved one. My heart was broken when I began to sense what must be the enormous depth of God's grief over the unchecked, unrepented sins of our forefathers and the devastation done to the Indians. It seemed as though I felt only a tiny portion of His sorrow, but even that was all I could bear. During this encounter the Lord opened my eyes and my heart and I began to understand with a deep bitterness of soul that generations past did not deal kindly with Indian people according to God's law of love and justice. It seemed the Lord showed me that the unchecked, unrepented sins of our forefathers have created a spiritual blockage hindering the move of God in our nation" (50).
May we desire to see reconciliation and wholeness in our hearts and in our world.
I'm currently reading his book, "One Church, Many Tribes" in preparation for my job this summer, and it's absolutely incredible. I would heartily recommend it (as it focuses on the Church as a whole, as well as the greater concepts of missional living, evangelism and cross-cultural ministry). Richard Twiss has previously been a keynote speaker at The Justice Conference, and has been an influential voice as a Native American Christian. Incredible!
Here's a quote from the book - "Contrary to common belief, the European colonial practice of importing slaves to North America under the guise of serving the advancement of God and country did not begin with the importation of African tribal people, but in fact began with the enslavement of the host people of this land" (43). He goes on to share about an encounter with God one of his Anglo friends, David Tavernier, had: "Finally after many weeks of seeking the Lord, I simply asked, 'Holy Spirit, what is the root sin in the heart of America?' Several days passed by and to my surprise the words 'Native American Indians' began to resound in my heart. As I began to meditate on these words, something tremendous started to happen. Deep down on the inside of me I began to be burdened with grief. At first I had no idea why. I had no reason to grieve. I was deeply moved during periods of intercession to groaning, travailing (at times as in birth), weeping and actually mourning in the Spirit. For the next several weeks I was overwhelmed by an almost unbearable sense of loss, as though I had just lost a loved one. My heart was broken when I began to sense what must be the enormous depth of God's grief over the unchecked, unrepented sins of our forefathers and the devastation done to the Indians. It seemed as though I felt only a tiny portion of His sorrow, but even that was all I could bear. During this encounter the Lord opened my eyes and my heart and I began to understand with a deep bitterness of soul that generations past did not deal kindly with Indian people according to God's law of love and justice. It seemed the Lord showed me that the unchecked, unrepented sins of our forefathers have created a spiritual blockage hindering the move of God in our nation" (50).
May we desire to see reconciliation and wholeness in our hearts and in our world.
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