Do leaps of faith ever go wrong? Are they always positive? Does a leap of faith ever land us in a place we would rather not be? Lately, I overheard someone describe taking a “Leap of Faith” and how the result was better than they ever could have imagined. As they described it, taking this leap lead them into untold blessings, glories, and an acceptance of their God-given purpose. I try not to be cynical, but I have found that when one’s faith experiences seem too good to be true, it probably is.
prayer
Playing Spiritual Games
In 1937, a man named Frank Laubach described what he called “The Game of Minutes.” The game expressed Laubach’s desire to be mindfully focused on God’s presence “at least one second of each minute.” You read that correctly; one second every minute. Given that there are 960 minutes between the hours of 6am and 10pm, the Game of Minutes naturally calls us to turn our attention to Jesus 960 times.
Pray Simple
During university, I participated in a prayer walk for the city of Victoria. The intent was that each of us would to take our turn offering vocal prayer. I’m sure that everyone’s prayers were wonderful, faithful, and well-spoken, but I didn’t hear a single word of them. Instead, as everyone else was praying, I spent the time stressing about what I would say when it became my turn. As prayer passed from one person to the next, my mind raced through different phrases I could use, and scriptures I could refer to, to make my prayers both deep and eloquent. After all, no one wants to offer a messy prayer, right?
Hearing voices from above
Wouldn’t it be great if hearing Jesus was equivalent to listening to overhead announcements? Before we are too quick to say yes, I wonder how we would respond if Jesus’ spoke to us in that manner. Jesus, after all, doesn’t always say what we want to hear. His words of love and grace are paired with the challenge to repent, to serve, and to follow him to places we would choose not to go. These words, while necessary and life-producing, can be also upsetting and stretching. If Jesus’ voice was like that of airport announcement, would we not treat it the same way, an unwelcome intrusion into our pre-planned day?
Tethered to the Anchor: A Guest post by Mariel Davenport
“They say I’m having a heart attack,” came my husband’s breathless voice on the other end of the phone. It was mid-May, I was sitting in my morning quiet time chair, Bible spread open on my lap when the phone rang.
Why I Write what I Write
The Psalmists spoke of walking through valleys of darkness, ancient writers talked about the Dark night of the Soul; when did we adopt such an unbiblical assumption that our faith is never affected by the highs and lows of our existence. The Christian life that Jesus calls us to is never disconnected from our everyday lives.
The Blessing of Goodbye: A guest post by Reverend Theo Robinson
Saying goodbye is never easy. And some goodbyes are harder than others. But no matter how painful, saying goodbye is important. A lack of a goodbye can feel like unfinished business while the opportunity to say goodbye can be extremely healing
Jeff Probst is not God
A friend once asked me where God was during his turmoil. He was going through a large upheaval in his life; he couldn’t see anything beyond the obstacles he faced. He felt physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. “Is God even near me in all of this?” he grieved. “No.” I responded.
Death and Life
We sometimes forget the extremity of Jesus’ language. For Jesus, the cross is hard and cruel. It was not an easy thing to carry. For Jesus, the cross was the place of his rejection and death. It is to this place that Jesus bids us to follow. Is it any wonder, then, that the cross is hard reality in our lives? We feel it viscerally pressing against us. The cross upsets our lives. What is more, taking up our cross means we may need to walk with it for a while. This can be involve walking a difficult and sometimes lonely path. Yet despite all of this, taking up our cross is an act of radical hope.
Ask for that goat.
What are some of the good things of God that you would like to experience? What do you hope for? Do you seek those loving gifts from our heavenly Father? Or do you assume that such blessings will be withheld? Despite God making God’s way to you in the person of Jesus, and offering you the purest expression of love and grace imaginable, do you still assume that you must earn your keep?
Reverend Kyle Norman 