The Rewards of Ministry

I really enjoy Wednesdays, not because it is a 12+ hour day, but because by the end of it I am truly blessed. The first 9 hours or so are like any other day. Get up ponder, go to work but then the fun starts. First, I turn in my drivers license and get my photo ID, I then pass through a metal detector, scan my ID through one door (it closes), hand stamped with UV ink, through another door, walk a 1/4 mile across and razor wire enclosed compound and then meet with 19 men who have been convicted of various crimes. I then lead a study with them about integrity, authenticity, beliefs and values. What great conversations we have. These guys are intelligent, reflective and engaged in the conversation. To be honest, I don't think it is so much the material that we study, but rather the fact that there are a number of us from the outside who come in regularly to share with and minister to these men. On Wednesdays there are 6-10 of use who make this trek regularly. For me, it is my attempt to live out Matt 22 and James 1, verses about loving your neighbor and caring for those forgotten by society.

I believe the men are ministered to through my presences and I know that I am ministered to and blessed by them being a part of my life. My challenge I leave with you is how can you be a blessing to those people God has put in your sphere of influence.

Sunday Morning Reflection

Ah, the quite of a Sunday morning. Coffee, the paper, pondering. The church we attend has a couple of Saturday services which we like to attend. This frees up Sunday morning to attend to the resting, relaxing and spending a little more time in God's word or blogging. The rest of the family is busy getting ready to go and serve others in the church so I get a nice quite house. The perfect time to ponder and reflect on life.

By now you must be wondering if there is anything useful coming out of this posting, well I don't know. My words of wisdom for this post are take the time the God has given you to listen to that still small voice, ponder on what He says, and then put it into action.

Trinitarian Community

My thoughts of late have turned to the the relationship between God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. These thoughts are focused on how they relate to and with each other. I guess in part my thoughts are shaped by the images created in the book "The Shack" and how the author described the three sitting around a table talking, relating to each other. Their relationship leads then to a divine community built on these relationships.

My thoughts are now turning to what are the characteristics of these relationships? How do the Father, Son and Spirit interact? I believe that we are invited into this community, but we do not or can not fully partake in it. In Genesis Adam and Eve were living in this community, but then sin entered and the restoration process began. In John 10:10 Jesus talks about bring the abundant life to those who believe. How may of us fully embrace this abundant life, this divine community? Can we on this side of heaven? What would that look like? What impact would that have on our life? How would that affect our spiritual transformation? How would that impact the communities we are apart of?

I am sure there will be more to come.

A thought about Community and Relationship from Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Although my Doctoral research was to focus more on Web 2.0 technology rather than content, God has stirred within me exploration of community and now relationship within community.

I was reading a devotional book filled with classic devotional thoughts and I came across this writing by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was a German pastor and theologian who was killed due to his willingness to live out his beliefs and stand against Adolf Hitler. His best known book is probably The Cost of Discipleship.

The reading I was looking at was from another one of his books Life Together. In this book Bonhoeffer is exploring the ideas of community and faith. In one section Bonhoeffer writes "Therefore, the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God's Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth." You see we as Christ-followers need one and other to come along side our brothers and sisters when they have stumbled to help pick them up, dust them off and set them on path again. We do that for other and we need to allow others to do that for us.

Are you in a community where you are willing to help, come along side someone who is struggling? Are you willing to allow others to lift you up? Bonhoeffer puts it this way, "The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother's is sure." Be the voice of Christ who can speak into the life of others.