Mission Faithwalk

                 God blessed them and said to them,  “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:28) Our very being still assign us to “rule” in our life circumstances, whatever they may be. If animals are in trouble anywhere, for example, people generally feel they should do something about it -- or at least that someone should. And we still experience ourselves as creative will, as someone who accomplishes things, constantly desiring to generate value, or what is good, from ourselves and from our environment. We are perhaps all too ready, given our distorted vision and will, to take charge of the earth. (Dallas Willard The Divine Conspiracy , p 30) One of the things that The Divine Conspiracy has been showing me is that I’m normal. I’m the way people are designed t...

                   Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”   So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:26-28) Sometimes, when we read this passage, we are tempted to think that God handed the world over to us to do with as we like. But God gave specific parameters. For instance, there’s nothing in this passage that suggests that man was given dominion over plants, ...

                Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near. (Philippians 4:4) In today’s reading of The Diving Conspiracy , one of the things that Prof. Willard points out is the availability of Jesus during His ministry on Earth. In fact, that was one of the things that irritated people most about Him. He was often so thronged with people that He and His disciples exhausted themselves. They had to find out of the way places to go to rest. People tore roofs off houses to get to Him and He didn’t object. He ministered to tax collectors, prostitutes, other sinners, and non-Jews. He spoke to women – and Samaritan women at that! He healed on the Sabbath.   People joke about children and pets not being willing to let them go to the bathroom in peace. But when Jesus was dying, He was accessible to a thief who was dying with Him, and He made sure that His mother would be cared for. I mean, really! B...

              ... but whose delight is in the law of the  Lord , and who meditates on his law day and night. (Psalm 1:2) fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2) I watched part of a talk Dallas Willard gave that turned out to have nothing to do with the subject I hoped it might. But he quoted this passage and asked a good question. How are we to do this? Or, as Christians, how do we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus? It might seem a little silly, but do look in a cookbook for how to roast a chicken, and in spite of what the words on the page may say, think “Jesus. Jesus. Jesus”?  As I’m driving down the street, do I ignore traffic signals because I’m thinking about Jesus or the Law? Wouldn’t that involve breaking the law? Would I want a surgeon to work on me who wasn’t...

  For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (II Corinthians 5:14-15)                     Christ came to earth, died, and rose again so that we might not only live but live in relationship with Him. His act of reaching out makes Him supremely significant. It was and is outwardly directed toward the good to be done. Today’s passage says that His love compels us to do the same. Our circumstances might not require that we physically die for others, but daily, we are likely to have to die to ourselves – to deny ourselves and our desires – to mirror His love for us in our love for others.           This question of significance v egotism is a huge one for me. What Prof. Willard says ...

                           The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding . (Proverbs 4:7) It’s a double whammy. I’ve started reading The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard, and my Sunday School class is reading Renovation of the Heart by the same author. I’m sensitive to the possibility that I might head in the direction of the Corinthians: “I’m of Willard,” but he does make me think. In the first chapter of The Divine Conspiracy , he mentions a lot of the recent and current ideas (keeping in mind that the book was published in 1998) about what he calls “Cute Wisdom.” This is what he calls such ideas as “Commit random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty” and “All I really needed to know, I learned in Kindergarten.”  He admits that they contain a tiny morsel of wisdom (p. 10) but if you tried to live according to those teachings,...

                  And my God will meet  all   your   needs  according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19) This is my Battle Bible verse for today. When I got home from Florida, my desktop computer crashed. I got it back yesterday but can’t find some files (especially my organizer files – my contacts, my to do list, my schedule. Basically, I’ve lost my mind.) A few weeks ago, Google decided that my author’s profile was my primary profile. That wasn’t so bad – two clicks and I was back to my primary profile. This morning, those two clicks take me to a new window, and the same place I was before I clicked twice. Some folks might say, “no big deal.” But if their car stopped working, or their microwave or some other piece of equipment they use for their work, they might better understand my perspective. Fortunately, with both a desktop and a laptop, I can limp along, switching to the laptop ...