As Father you feel quite demanding
Because you see Me as expanding
For your love to know
My Self I must grow
Far beyond past understanding
Tag Archives: father
12/15 Poem: Right Suffering
StandardThe real source of pain
It now seems to me
Is where I conflict
With reality
12/14 Limerick: Ad-Options
StandardWhen we felt we had no more options
Christ offered us God-adoptions
This security
Sets our hearts free
To love more like kings than like orphans
Limerick: Fathered
StandardIf we truly knew we were Fathered
Our hearts would never be bothered
For it was His choice
That gave us a voice
To re-joice the life He has authored!
Limerick: Dis-Grace
StandardThere’s a grace that comes from being dissed
When our quest for truth makes the world p*ssed
Though it may lead to sin
It still makes God grin
By incarnating Christ in our midst
Sex 206. Loving Father
StandardContinued from Sex 205. Loving Death
Prologue
I have been drowning my sorrows at the Bar of Hell.
Consumed by my own inadequacy and self-loathing.
Even Jesus seems to have abandoned me.
But just when I think I am completely, utterly, eternally alone, I hear a voice.
“Have a drink.”
Father
Continue readingPoem: Fishy Calling
StandardTis a dangerous thing
When our praises we sing
For the role that we play
When we stand up to pray
Tis a good thing to preach
And on Sundays we teach
Don’t you muzzle that ox
He’s worth gold from Fort Knox!
Yet we still must beware
Of putting on airs
When our jobs on the line
Representing divine
Jesus said to not bother
Calling anyone father
Have we screwed up our soul
By playing that role?
Or maybe the curse
Took a turn for the worse
When I paid one to be
The job He gave me
I must be the priest
To reach for the least
I must be the saint
Who goes where God ain’t
The jobs in the church
Are just so much merch
The real game is played
Where souls need be saved
The calling is real
He calls me to heel
And fish where He goes
In a world full of woes
So let’s pay the cost
To be one with the lost
Is it not worth the price
To share footsteps with Christ?
Limerick: Father Himself
StandardFor Father’s Day (From Andrew Williams)
StandardThis Father’s Day (and Juneteenth) I am reblogging a post from my friend and hero, Andrew Williams.

Dear Dad, I know it’s been since 2009 that you’ve been gone. My hope is to see you again in heaven some day. I am writing a letter that has been …
For Father’s Day: An Open Letter to My Father
Dream: Exterminate!
StandardFinally, the day has arrived!
Our garden has been infested with poke-lizards at least as long as my son has been alive.
A few years ago we decided to get rid of them.
First haphazardly, then more methodically, we have been trapping them, sealing up the boundaries of our yard, and destroying the warrens they live in.
Now there is only one place left for them to hide.
Time to set off the lizard-bomb.
Redeeming Ares, Part 7: Divine Judgement
StandardPrologue
Continued from Part 6
I gaze over the gods of Olympus
Awaiting their judgement
From a Son of Adam
Which would be a glorious event
To behold
If only the person doing it
Was someone
Other than me!
The Verdict
Continue readingA Call for Sonship in the Body of Christ
StandardHistorically, the Body of Christ has relied on three interdependent roles:
• Infants, who receive what they are taught
• Mystics, who seek their own truth
• Paternalists, who create the context for Infants
Matthew 23:9 And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
Continue readingUnsolicited Fatherly Advice
StandardBased on everything I have learned over the last several years, here is my current practice for how to confront someone I love that I am concerned about.
It reflects many painful learnings about what I have found to be counterproductive, but I am sure there is still room for improvement. Let me know your thoughts!
Continue readingDADS Confrontational Devotion
StandardDedicated to my Father.
DECLARE Truth
- God is in control.
- We are absolutely on track for the future He has for us and our loved ones.
- How quickly and thoroughly we yield to Him determines how fast and painful it will be to reach that future
ASK Better Questions
a) What in Ernie needs to change?
b) What in me needs to change?
DOCUMENT Listening
- Set a time to seek the Holy Spirit for answers
- Write down whatever you hear
SHARE Results
- Present it to me as “This is what I think I heard,”
- Not “This is what I think you should do.”
TGR-S5E6: Questionable Authority
StandardThis week on The Great Reset, Ernie argues that his apparent incompetence and immaturity is actually part of a brilliant plan to demonstrate the need for more Christ-like models of authority.
TED Summary
In this document, Ernie:
- Claims the authority structures he grew up with were built around the Law
- Acknowledges that they were (and are) necessary
- Believes those same structures hinder us from becoming mature in Christ
- Redefines The Great Reset in terms of searching for more robust authority structures built around Grace,
- Hopes that Season 5 shows us what that should look like
- Welcomes pointers, examples, suggestions, and corrections
- Apologizes to anyone he has confused, misled, or offended along the way
Draft 1, 14 Nov 2020
Continue readingTGR-02: 3-D Fathering
StandardFrom an interactive Zoom call at 10 AM Pacific on Friday, April 10th, 2020 AD for Episode 2 of The Great Reset: Becoming the Church Decentralized.
Question: How does God loves us? Why is that Good News?
A Few Words With The Old Man
StandardWe walk along the shore to our favorite fishing spot. I walk on the sand. He walks on the water… Continue reading
LEAD! A.9 Spirit’s Conviction
StandardIn Which Jesus Sends the Comforter, and We Are Convicted By Him
This week we move from the Father and the Son to the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. This also continues our theme of God restoring His Image by saving us from our rebellion. And as usual, there is a heavy price to be paid…
LEAD! Syllabus for “Theological Foundations”
Standard[NOTE: the official syllabus is now on the “Lead” page; this post is obsolete, but kept for the sake of historical continuity].
[Yes, I should probably have written this before the first lesson, but better late than never…]
In thinking about it, I ought to take my Curriculum one step further, and actually identify the passages and key learnings for each lesson. Not only will this help ensure I’m on the same page as my pastor, but it would enable others to write some of the lessons (since class starts on September 4th!).
I’ve also cross-referenced these lessons against two common systematic theology books:
- Wayne Grudem‘s condensed Bible Doctrine: Essential Teachings (under “Doctrine“)
- R. C. Sproul‘s classic of Reformed systematic theology, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith (pdf) (under “Essentials“).
In addition to providing a sort index to the topics covered, this allows students and teachers to use those as supplementary textbooks.
- Draft 1 – Sunday, 24th August
- Draft 2 – Tuesday, 26th August: Added “Doctrine” “Essentials” chapters for each lesson
- Draft 3 – Friday, 29th August: Added “Doctrines” chapters for each lesson
LEAD! Curriculum Reset for “Theological Foundations”
StandardSo, the good news is that our church is gearing up to start LEAD! on September 4th, and already taking applications! That’s also the bad news, since I’ve only finished three classes. 😦
Still, it only takes me about four hours per class, which is two late night waiting-to-feed-Rohan sessions (assuming he behaves), so I should be able to keep up.
The real problem is that my lesson topics have gone in a completely different direction that originally envisioned. More, my pastor has a slightly different vision for how things should fit together. Given the time timeframes, it is essential we get on the same page (and stick to it, if possible).
Here’s my current vision for what is now being called “Theological Foundations”. Hopefully my pastor and I can converge on this syllabus soon (once he’s no longer busy with his new grandson 🙂
[Updated and ratified 8/19 with John Isaacs]
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