James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds,
Jesus calls us onto His trial trail
To grow a faith that will not fail
For when we are tested
Our weakness is bested
By joy from the sorrow of His grail
Tag Archives: sorrow
Limerick: Good Evil
Standard‘Tis true that this world’s full of woe
And it feels like the further we go
In following Christ
We pay a steep price
And oft receive blow upon blow
Sex 202. Loving Terrorsaur
Standard[Part of a series that may never see the light of day, but this episode felt good enough to publish on its own.]
She is not an object of desire.
She is not even human.
Yet she is my next quest.
Pterosaur
Continue readingGrievable Losses: The Beatitudes, Summarized
StandardBlessed are those
Who grieve the loss
Of the historic context
That made them feel secure
LEAD! C.4 Fervent Fasting
StandardIn Which We Slow Down To Feast on the Lord’s Name
Throughout the Old and New Testament, God’s people have fasted to express sorrow, repentance, and desperation. In ways we only partly understand, these acts of physical denial open up our spirits to experience God in deeper and more powerful ways. For Christians, fasting is less an obligation than a privilege: the opportunity to enjoy a special time of intimacy with our Bridegroom despite his physical absence (cf. Mark 2:18-20).
Memory Verse: “‘Now, therefore,’ says the LORD, ‘Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.’ So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm.” —Joel 2:12-13 (NKJV)
Assigned Reading
-
Richard Foster: Celebration of Discipline
- 4. Fasting
-
Donald Whitney: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
- 9. Fasting
-
Eugene Peterson: A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
- 13. Humility: “I’ve Kept My Feet on the Ground”
-
Ruth Haley Barton: Sacred Rhythms
- 5. Honoring the Body: Flesh-and-Blood Spirituality
Radically Happy 