daddy4ms

Cross Vision What is your mental conception of God? Not what is your theology, but what goes on in your head when you think about God How beautiful is your conception of God?  If your conception of God doesn’t seem too good to be true, your view might be too low. Love is not just a verb God does, but also a noun about who God is. Hebrews 1:1-3-The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and exact representation (character) of his being (essence) All Scripture points to Jesus-John 5:39 1 Corinthians 15-everything in Scripture points to Jesus’ cross centered ministry The Bible is divinely inspired. How does the cross reveal the definitive revelation of Jesus? On the surface, the cross is ugly but the cross is beautiful in its depth as we see it by faith God loves us as we are so we can become who He wants us to be.

What questions are rolling around after the session? Jesus grew up in rabbinical system that asked a lot of questions.  Why does he ask so many questions? That’s what rabbis do. I learned more about the passage by asking 100 questions than trying to have the answers. (Story of Abraham and Isaac) Chuvruta-Hebrew process of asking questions To Ask Great Questions You have to be curious You need Wisdom (Holy Spirit, Emotional IQ) You need Compassion You need Courage There are four levels of questions. Level 1-Simple Facts Level 2-Feelings, Emotions, Motivations Level 3-Desires, Passions Level 4-Vulnerability, Intimacy How to get better at asking questions: Preparation What type of question am I about to ask?  Motivation? Is it worth it to ask this question? What have you done this week that has made you feel alive? Tell me your story. Does this person want to be asked questions? Right time, Right place How can I ask this question in an ...

The Magnificent Journey Early Christians called themselves people on the way. Journey-a good metaphor of the Christian life It is to be magnificent, epic. You can live in the available kingdom now not just in heaven. Robert Frost-The Road Not Taken-Metaphor as an act of surrender I am going to surrender the kingdom of Jim for the kingdom of God. Matthew 6:33-Seek ye first the kingdom-center of Sermon on the Mount Matthew 7:13-14-Jesus is telling the truth, there is something about the human person who does not like to surrender We live in a world whose values are very different.  They are telling us to stay in control. The key to the Christian journey, wrote Dallas is the “surrender of a lesser, dying self for a greater eternal one.” Put simply, the yes of surrender is greater than the no of self-denial. What is gained is far greater than what is lost. Two Prayers of Surrender Wesley’s Covenant Prayer St. Ignatius of Loyola “Suscipe” Pra...

Today, I am headed to Wichita to attended The Apprentice Gathering at Friends University.  I have wanted to attend this conference for several years.  I first heard about the conference when we were using the book Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith for a Sunday School class.  James Bryan Smith is a professor at Friends and will be one of the speakers.  I look forward to these few days as we focus on the theme-Journey: Living Deep in the Kingdom. Check back over the next few days for quotes from speakers.

Today's Favorite Book(s) Friday is a trilogy of books by James Bryan Smith.  I have enjoyed all three books especially the focus on the false narratives many Christians have and looking to the Jesus narrative.  Smith is a professor at Friends University in Wichita, KS and founder of the Apprentice Institute.