Reflexion, A Spiritual Community

Last Sunday, several people thanked me for asking Jake to speak What I noticed afterward, was not what I learned, but what I felt – a fresh awareness of how present God is to us • two specific moments stand out when Jake explained: ◦ “it’s not about leaving our physical world or our bodies, but the veil is lifted” and ◦ “the Psalms teach us how to talk to our nephesh [soul]”

Much of Jesus’ teaching remained a mystery for his disciples – during the time they were with him, they did not understand him • but after his resurrection, it all began to come together ◦ what the Scriptures said about Jesus and what he taught them (Lk. 24:44-45) ◦ and it all came pretty quickly (cf. Acts 2:16-21, 25-28, 34-35, etc.) • John wrote in two time-frames: ◦ first, within the period of...

There is no way to learn without getting on a bike and trying – that’s because our brains have to adapt to a new experience, that of balancing while on a bike • new connections have to made between brain cells ◦ these connections have to be integrated in different areas of the brain • balancing on a bike cannot be learned in a class or from a book or instructor ◦ to ask, “Please tell me how to do...

Start of the series of comparing John to the other gospels

 Once again I ask myself, how will I approach this familiar story? It won’t hurt if we start right here and now, in our own world – soon we’ll visit Mary and Joseph • but we’re 2000 years and a world away from them • why do we even bother with a story so old and distant? ◦ it is because we know this story was written for us – and that raises another question – Why did Luke tell the story of Jesus?...

First, I want to point out some interesting features of this story What I mean, is the way Luke puts it together – for example, Mary asks a question that divides Gabriel’s message in two • the first part in verses 30-33, he tells her what was going to happen • the second part in verses 34-37, he tells her how it will happen – both messages began with what would happen to her – “YOU” • then he expl...

Chuck walks us through quite prayer time

I did not know until recently that Christmas invitation cards are big business There are invitations to visit the home of a family member or friend, – invitations to Christmas dinners, office parties, fund-raisers, and so on • some of us get so many invitations this time of year, ◦ we have to decide which ones to decline • others of us may wish we had that problem – right now, I have three Christm...

But there will be no more room for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious by the way of the sea on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light;

I have been reading Resilience by Rick Hanson I don’t like it – the same way I don’t like taking medicine when sick – he said all the same things in a previous book I read • but I’m someone who needs to be reminded to do the work • so it’s okay that I’m going over these things again – “resilience” is the ability to recover quickly, to bounce back from negative emotions • one chapter in his book is...

Most everyone wants to know the future It holds a fascination for us that is hard to escape – fortune telling is an ancient practice that continues today • people still turn to psychics, horoscopes, palm reading, fortune cookies • for Evangelical Christians, the fascination centers on biblical prophecy ◦ people have come up with all sorts of calculations to pinpoint specific events – Jesus made re...

In chapter 5, A man begged Jesus to heal his daughter, In chapter 6 Jesus is teaching in the countryside, In chapter 7, the Pharisees called out the disciples for a purity violation, In chapter 8 Jesus fed another large crowd

Every Christian I know loves the Psalms, and each person has her or his own reasons. Some of the psalms provide us with reassuring comfort and security, knowing that our God cares for his weak and wounded children and that he is a rock and fortress in times of distress. Other songs inspire us to worship God and provides us with words that help us give expression to our praise and gratitude. There...

 I wasn’t here last Sunday – spoke to a church in Bellflower After I spoke, a woman told me how much she appreciated me being there – I told her that I enjoyed being with them, because I loved them • she said, “We know” ◦ that surprised me • I had not mentioned my concern for them, that I could not sleep Saturday night, ◦ and that I got up at 3:00 am to rework the message I had prepared – I guess...

I had a few extra hours with my grandson, Calum, this week He could not go to school, because he was running a temperature – I get nervous about fevers – two of our sons, when very small, had febrile seizures • so it makes sense to me that parents wanted Jesus to touch their children • what doesn’t make sense is that the disciples would block them – Jesus’ message, from his first spoken words in c...

I love the Bible and appreciate its diversity of styles (especially its poems and stories) James, however, is not one of my favorite books – there were followers of Jesus who believed, • to be a true Christian a person had to be Jewish (cf. Acts 15:1) ◦ this was the dominant opinion in Jerusalem ◦ those who held to it included some Christian leaders • the apostles, Peter and Paul did not agree wit...

Hebrews is a complex book It requires a good knowledge of the Old Testament, or else it’s easy to get lost – but Hebrews is well worth the effort to work our way through it • for me, it is like reading a fifth gospel • only it brings out the meaning of Jesus and his ministry – from the first three verses of the introduction, we know its message • Jesus is God’s final word to humankind ◦ in Jesus w...

At first it looks like this chapter is going to be about Jesus His compassion and his close connection with sinners – a connection that was very offensive to the religious people in the crowd • but Jesus tells three stories that introduces a different theme • the chapter isn’t about the scandal of Jesus’ ministry ◦ it’s about people who are unable to rejoice with Jesus in his work

How did we get started and where are we going? – the first question is easy to answer • in 2004 I visited a friend who had sequestered himself in a monastery ◦ while there, I met a monk whose spiritual depth and insight left a deep impression on me ◦ I continued to visit him for the next two years • he introduced me to contemplative spirituality ◦ simply put: contemplative spirituality is real-lif...

Jesus had announced to his disciples that he was going away He would soon leave them and the world of humans – and return to his Father – the dimension of God’s reality (cf. Jn. 8:21-23) • the disciples have completed their journey with him • but he is not abandoning them – they won’t be orphans ◦ their discipleship will continue ◦ from now on, it would be directed by the Spirit – so Jesus is prep...