Making a Difference

I just finished watching one of my favorite movies "Amazing Grace", the story of William Wilberforce. This is a man who not only received a calling from God, but one who also allowed that calling to become the passion that drove his life. The movie itself really focused on Wilberforce's crusade to abolish slavery, but his passion went beyond that to many of the social issues of the day. What really excites me about this movie is not Wilberforce's calling, though I am very much intrigued with the issues of social justice and the social Gospel, rather I am moved by how William listened to God's call and then acted on it.

I have blogged about both these topics in the past and invite you to look back over past posting to see what I have said, but what I want to do today is once again invite you to recline your ear, still your heart and listen for that still small voice calling you to action, what ever that action may be for you. For each one of us this call will be different, in the broad sense it will be about serving God and/or serving others, but what that will look like in your life or mine could be very different.

Tonight I am struggling to hear, I am confused, I am overwhelmed. At times I seem to have great clarity in my call, at other times I feel quite lost. Now is a time of being lost. There seem to be to many paths, some leading in different directions other moving parallel to each other, separate yet together if that can be. Perhaps it is my Möbius band and sometimes I am on the inside and other times I am on the outside but always moving in the same direction. I need to be still, I need to listen, as William did I need to sit in the wet grass (ok its winter here so I would sit in the cold snow and look at spider webs) and wait upon the Lord.

What about you? What passion has God ignited in you? Have you reacted to it?

Thoughts on Community

I have reached a nice two week break from work with the Christmas holiday to celebrate. My thoughts will turn to a further study of 1 Peter and my doctoral studies. As the new year approaches I will be looking at the way to use different Web 2.0 technologies to engage people in the area of spiritual formation.

Part of this research will revolve around the idea of community in on the online or virtual world. I am currently conducting a research study to gather some data and thoughts about this think we call community. I would appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to complete a survey on "community." Just follow the link below to complete the survey. Thanks for your input into this study.

http://CTLSilhouette.wsu.edu/surveys/ZS86859

Where our HOPE lies

Times are tough right now. The economy is in a tailspin, unemployment, job cuts, recession, war, environmental issues, social issues. It is no wonder that a lot of people may have a sense of hopelessness. As Christ-followers we are not immune to these problems, we may even be swept up by them. Contrary to what some may claim, following Jesus does not guarantee a trouble free life.

Peter, in his first letter to the scattered tribes talks about standing firm in times of trials. It is not that we won't suffer, but the suffering will help refine or purify our faith. What we need to do is set our hope on what Peter calls "the goal of our faith, the salvation of our soul" (1 Peter 1:9). Ultimately it is not about the here and now, but rather it is about eternity.

So what can you do now to prepare for the trails that will come your way? The solution is not to bury your head in the sand or run away from them. No, Peter tells us to "prepare our minds, be self-controlled, set your hope fully on the grace to be give you when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:13). Preparing your mind may mean having the proper attitude about the situation. When we were in Colombia adopting our daughter, there was a couple there who was just miserable. They grumbled and complained as the went through their "trial" of having to spend five weeks in Bogota while the adoption went through the Colombian courts. Their problem was they had the wrong attitude. The didn't leave the hostel where we were staying, they didn't take advantage of exploring the country, they simply chose to suffer. The time to begin to prepare for trials is not when you are in the mist of them, rather start right now. Spend time in prayer, spend time in God's word, spend time taking the action you need to do to be ready.

We need to focus on our inheritance in heaven, the grace that Jesus Christ provided though his death on the cross and his resurrection, we are called to be holy just as God is holy. What are you going to do to prepare for your trials?

Bloggers Block

Writers get writers block so I guess bloggers get bloggers block. I haven't written for a while because I haven't had a lot to blog about. The business of life has intruded upon by pondering time. It's not that I don't take the time, but I am tired so sometimes I sleep or sometimes my mind just wonders away from what I thought I should be doing or thinking about.

My focus of late has been upon my doctoral studies and the idea of community. I read an article by Steve Sandage about community and I have been thinking about how to incorporate some of his ideas about community into the online world. His article focuses on community with regards to councilors. I am putting together a survey I will be sending out to get input about my thoughts and see how the virtual world and the face-to-face world compare. That is, what is ones perception in the virtual world vs. their perception in the F2F world. This seems to be a key factor in my studies and looking forward to how the church will reach and minister to the digital culture.