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A Little Lower than God! Part 7: Deepest Heaven, Deepest You
(Previous) Each of us is a kind of sovereign lord and, like all rulers, we have a territory we rule over. That territory is the inner space where we step back from the world to make decisions, imagine and create. Not even God himself trespasses there. As previously mentioned, he waits for us to invite… Continue reading
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A Little Lower than God! Part 6: Cooperating with the Spirit
(Previous) The most exciting part of the Gospel is often understated, that is, that the cross and its accompanying forgiveness were a means to an end and not the end itself. The purpose for which Jesus died was that God’s Spirit could fully inhabit human beings once again. This is the great truth of Pentecost.… Continue reading
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A Little Lower than God! Part 5: Open the Door, then Close It!
(Previous) In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol we’re introduced to Ebenezer Scrooge, a man “secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.” Individuality becomes pathological when taken to extreme. We’re made for love and love requires a community where we find others to love. Nevertheless, the spiritual life begins alone and requires a regular return… Continue reading
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A Little Lower than God! Part 4: The Door to Your True Self
(Previous) In this series we have been examining one of the most fundamental things that makes us human, the ability to step back into our own inner world and make decisions free from external pressures. This amazing power remains intact despite the most extreme circumstances as we see in the life of the Anabaptist, Mattheus… Continue reading
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A Little Lower than God! Part 3: How Could Samson be So Stupid?
(Previous) Many of you will know the story of the tragic figure, Samson, the biblical character whose prodigious strength could defeat whole armies. Samson, however, also had a prodigious weakness–an attraction to foxy Philistine women. One of them, Delilah, asks him three times for the secret of his strength and three times he gives her… Continue reading
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“A Little Lower than God” Part 2: The Crossroads, a Divine Place!
(Previous) In the previous post, I spoke of the Bible’s audacious claim that human beings are created in the image of God. Whatever progress I make in understanding that statement comes to a screeching halt the moment I take a good look at myself. When I consider God’s others-centered love, the contrast with my deep-rooted… Continue reading
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“A Little Lower than God” Part 1: Who Was I? Who Am I?
Back in the late 60s you would often hear people speaking about the need to “find yourself.” An incident involving a friend of mine and a university professor highlighted my desperate need to do just exactly that. We were in the office of my friend’s former professor visiting. After they chatted for a few minutes,… Continue reading
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Responding to the Spirit (excerpt from “Whispers that Delight”)
The Spirit of Our Actions is What Counts When we speak of responding to God in prayer, therefore, we do not mean an intellectual exercise of trying to discern our marching orders for the day (though he could direct us to specific actions, as we shall see). Our Father’s first order of business is not… Continue reading
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The Magnificent Mystery of Us
A couple of years ago I awoke in the middle of the night and, for some inexplicable reason, found myself pondering the story of Cinderella. As I did, I felt a distinct impression, “That’s you.” As when God speaks, it created delight in me. The glass slipper speaks of a beautiful realm that Cinderella was made… Continue reading
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Molly’s Mystical Smile
Henri Nouwen writes, “For Christian leadership to be truly fruitful in the future, a movement from the moral to the mystical is required.” This is true of everyone, not just leaders. By moral he means the human attempt to do the right thing on one’s own. While such an effort may evoke our admiration, eventually it saps… Continue reading