Dance On

"One final word, Friends.

We ask you

—urge is more like it—

that you keep on doing

what... please[s] God,

not in a dogged religious plod,

but in a living, spirited dance."

I Thess. 4:1 (The Message)

Ash Wednesday Evangelism

"The imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday

is nothing if not bold."

Read Lauren Winner's story of letting Christ's light shine into the questioning darkness of Columbia University in

Ash Wednesday Evangelism.

In Our Hearts, Not Under a Bushel

Scripture Memorization:

"I've banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won't sin myself bankrupt." Psalm 119:11 (The Message)

"If I had to find one word to describe how belief came to take hold of me, it would be 'repetition.'" ~ Kathleen Norris, Poet, Presbyterian, and Benedictine oblate

Find out more information about the Navigators' Topical Memory System.

Evangelism:

"By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News." Eph 3:7 (New Living Translation)

"Our communication of the gospel depends not on human strategies or well-polished arguments ... but on divine initiative. It is the hidden work of the Holy Spirit that gives our words meaning and power that produces changed hearts." ~ Rebecca Pippert

"It doesn't matter whether you're selling Jesus or Buddha or civil rights or How to Make Money in Real Estate With No Money Down. That doesn't make you a human being; it makes you a marketing rep. If you want to talk to somebody honestly, as a human being, ask him about his kids. Find out what his dreams are - just to find out, for no other reason. Because as soon as you lay your hands on a conversation to steer it, it's not a conversation anymore; it's a pitch. And you're not a human being; you're a marketing rep." ~Danny DeVito (as Phil Cooper) on witnessing in the 1999 movie The Big Kahuna.

Jan 24-30 Suggested Lectio: Word-Centered Life

The passages below are for reading, meditation, and lectio this week. Feel free to post your comments or reflections. The prompts are also here for your use.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
2 Samuel 22:31-34
Psalm 1:1-3
Psalm 119:9-16
Psalm 119:33-40
John 1:1-5
Colossians 3:15-17

Read: Seek a phrase or verse that attracts your attention. Repeat the phrase and savor it.

Reflect: What meaning is offered to you as you consider the phrase or verse?

Respond: What response do you have to the word? What is God’s invitation to you?

Rest: Relax in God’s transforming power and presence.

Run, run as fast as you can...

As I attempt to "catch up" with bills, paperwork, cleaning projects, and other things before the year ends, I've been forced to face the reality that I'll never actually stay on top of it all.

I don't like this very much. I'd rather not file monthly statements. I'd prefer dust never returned to my bookshelves. I wish businesses owed me checks instead of the other way around.

But more than the bills and the dust, there is another thing I can never repay, never outpace. I'll never "catch up" with the grace that always runs alongside me, constantly available from the Lord who makes all things new.

This makes me feel awkward, too, I guess. I can never give enough back to God. It's simply me He wants. Not my organizational skills or my clever efficiency. Just the whole of the unfinished me -- disheveled closets, unkempt drawers, and all.

May we all rest in this reality as we enter the new year.

"To live accepting God's grace is to live in eternal debt. It demands that I wait, I accept, with no chance of keeping the score balanced. It's letting go of control. I'm forced to acknowledge I'll never even things up. I practice solitude, which means staying open to receive. Making time to be alone. Putting things on hold." ~ Cindy Crosby