Mike King

THE GRACIOUSNESS OF UNCERTAINTY

Here is Oswald Chambers entry from yesterday's My Utmost for His Highest.  So powerful.

"It doth not yet appear what we shall be." 1 John 3:2

Naturally, we are inclined to be so mathematical and calculating that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We imagine that we have to reach some end, but that is not the nature of spiritual life. The nature of spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty, consequently we do not make our nests anywhere. Common sense says - "Well, supposing I were in that condition . . ." We cannot suppose ourselves in any condition we have never been in. Certainty is the mark of the common-sense life: gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, we do not know what a day may bring forth. This is generally said with a sigh of sadness, it should be rather an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. Immediately we abandon to God, and do the duty that lies nearest, He packs our life with surprises all the time. When we become advocates of a creed, something dies; we do not believe God, we only believe our belief about Him. Jesus said, "Except ye become as little children." Spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, but uncertain of what He is going to do next. If we are only certain in our beliefs, we get dignified and severe and have the ban of finality about our views; but when we are rightly related to God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy.

"Believe also in Me," said Jesus, not - "Believe certain things about Me." Leave the whole thing to Him, it is gloriously uncertain how He will come in, but He will come. Remain loyal to Him.

ht to Beth Mercer

Breathe deep and live

Our world has become so accelerated and life so demanding there is little time to slow down and listen to our souls. It seems we are more invested in solving the small, the mundane and the often superficial problems of life, than in asking the more important questions. We are in danger of undernourishing our inner souls, forgetting to invite it to be an equal partner with our worldly egos. In the process, we find ourselves dragging our weary minds to work or school or to our parenting roles, while leaving our hearts behind. We’re exhausted, with no spark left for the deeper essence of life.   

Lance Secretan 

Wasting time

One of the greatest gifts you have to give is to waste time with the ones you love… Bruderhof Community (Daily Dig)

Learners vs. knowers

"In times of change
the learners will inherit the earth
while the knowers,
will find themselves
beautifully equipped
to deal with a world
that no longer exists.”
              Eric Hoffer

ht to Darren

I choose...

When despair tries to take me under... I choose life.
   

When I wonder what God could possibly be thinking... I choose trust.
   

When I desperately want relief from unrelenting reality... I choose perseverance.
   

When I feel oppressed by my disappointment and sorrow... I choose gratitude.
   

When I want to keep my feelings to myself... I choose vulnerability.
   

When nothing goes according to my plan... I choose relinquishment.
   

When I want to point the finger... I choose forgiveness.
   

When I want to give up... I choose purposeful action.

                            Carol Kent, A New Kind of Normal

All troubles...

"All of man's troubles come from his inability to sit alone, quietly, in a room, for any length of time." Blaise Paschal

A word from Bono

"God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them."

Bono at the National Prayer Breakfast last year.

Great Problems

"Great leaders create great problems.  If you're not willing to create problems; you're not willing to lead.  Leaders create problems by changing expectations.  Many churches that have been stagnant for years do not consider themselves to have any real problems.  Only when a leader begins to call them out of the status quo does it begin to be perceived as a problem." Erwin McMannus

Henri Nouwen

"More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets. It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn't be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them."   Henri Nouwen

Thanks to Jamie Roach for bringing this quote to my attention.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring — when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children — black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics - will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" 

"To our most bitter opponents we say: 'Throw us in jail, and we will still love you. Bomb our houses and threaten our children, and we will still love you. Beat us and leave us half dead, and we will still love you.
But be assured that we will wear you down by our capacity to suffer.
One day we shall so appeal to your heart and conscience that we shall win you in the process, and our victory will be a double victory'"

(Martin Luther King Jr., "The American Dream")