The Furious Longing of God

I am my beloved’s and his desire is for me.

(song of solomon 7:10)

Imagine if this was you story… an alcoholic, Catholic, ex-Catholic, and then Catholic again, former priest, divorcee and a sinner saved by grace.

What would you write about?

I’d hope no matter how many stories you told and no matter how many books you wrote, you’d always go back to reminding folks about God’s Amazing Grace. It’s “the larger and more important story. Only God, in His fury, knows the whole of it.”

Brennan Manning writes in his latest offering:

In my forty-four years of ministry, the furious love of God has been the dominant theme of my life. I’ve varied with titles such as Ragamuffin Gospel, Abba’s Child and The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus, but they are all facets of the same gem: that the shattering truth of the transcendent God seeking intimacy with us is not well served by gauzy sentimentality, schmaltz, or a naked appeal to emotion, but rather in the boiling bouillabaisse of shock bordering on disbelief, wonder akin to incredulity, and the affectionate awe tinged by doubt.

Continue reading The Furious Longing of God

Church-goers support torture

torture

A new CNN article today reports that the more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists.

More than half of people who attend services at least once a week — 54 percent — said the use of torture against suspected terrorists is “often” or “sometimes” justified. Only 42 percent of people who “seldom or never” go to services agreed, according the analysis released Wednesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Can someone please tell me why?

Is there something I’m missing along the way?

Photo by benab

We interrupt this broadcast…

I was debating on if I’d stay up and watch U2 on Letterman tonight, or simply let the DVR do all the work.

As I was thumbing through my Google Reader before heading to bed I’m glad I made another stop at Homebrewed Christianity.

Cornel West via WikipediaTripp shared a series of videos put together by Jamie Moffett, of Cornel West at Eastern University (the alma mater of both Jamie Moffett and Shane Claiborne ).

The videos are broken into 10 minute segments and will take you about an hour to watch all the way through – but I’m certain you’ll learn a lot and take a lot away from them. If you don’t… well….

Anyways, take some time to watch them. Chew on what Cornel West has to say. Think about Scripture and “how then shall we live.” Then share your feedback. I’m anxious to hear what you think. Good or bad.

One nugget that really stood out to me…

“The black freedom struggle is the best example of bringing together the quest for unarmed truth and unconditional love in the face of American Terrorism for 400 years. Instead of a Black al-Qaeda you get Frederick Douglas and Martin Luther.”

Thanks to Jamie for sharing the videos and thanks to Tripp for posting them on his site.

Helping a neighbor

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I’m amazed at the growing number of stories I continue hearing about people hurting financially. Recession or not, people are struggling. I’m not always able to help, like I want but I want to do more to share their stories and to find ways to help those who are able to help – to help.

Sometimes their needs might be financial, sometimes it might be warm clothes or a hot meal but I want to do what I can to share their stories when I can. Other times, it may be folks doing God’s amazing work around the world that can use a helping hand.

You’ll notice on the top of the sidebar a new “feature” that will highlight the latest way you can help others.

As Clive Parnell will mention on this week’s podcast, “We become so very isolated. As Christians we need to be about others. We need to be finding ways to reach out to others” (loosely quoted).

Today I got a text message and voice mail about a family living in Waxahachie in a mobile home. A family of seven (parents and five children) are living in a single-wide home with no electricity, no water and about to get behind on their rent. My friend took them three boxes of groceries today and found out they’re $930 behind on their bills.

So far my friend has been able to get $600 for them! God’s working quickly! I’m hoping folks will be able to help out and raise the remaining $330 in the next day or so and then we can go to work helping the family even further.

Let me know if you’re interested in helping.

Matthew 25:31-40
“When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'”

U2 – Stand Up Comedy

Loving this song…

“Stand Up Comedy” – U2

Love love love love love
Love love love love love

I got to stand up and take a step
You and I have been asleep for hours
I got to stand up
The wire is stretched
In between our two towers
Stand up in this dizzy world
Where a lovesick eye can steal the view
I’m gonna fall down if I can’t stand up
For your love

Love love love love love

Stand up, this is comedy
The DNA lotto may have left you smart
But can you stand up to beauty
Dictator of the heart
I can stand up for hope, faith, love
But while I’m getting over certainty
Stop helping God across the road like a little old lady

Oh, oh
Out from under your beds
C’mon, ye people
Stand up for your love

Love love love love love
Love love love love love

I gotta stand up to ego but my ego’s not really the enemy
It’s like a small child crossing an eight lane highway
On a voyage of discovery

Stand up to rock stars
Napolean is in high heels
Josephine, be careful
Of small men with big ideas

Oh, oh
Out from under your beds
C’mon, ye people
Stand up for your love

Love love love love love
Love love love love love

God is love
And love is evolution’s very best day

Soul rockin’ people moving on
Soul rockin’ people on and on
C’mon, ye people
We’re made of stars
C’mon, ye people
Stand up then sit down for your love

Love love love love love
Love love love love love
Love love love love love
Love love love love love

(HT @u2)

See all the lyrics from the new album.

Listen to the album

Pre-order No Line on the Horizon (and support your favorite blogger :-)).

19/365 for MLK Jr

19/365

for MLK Jr

There’s a great line from the West Wing’s Season 3 – Isaac and Ishmael. Sam Seaborn tells a class gathered at the White House during a "crash" that terrorists never win. They may die for their cause but they never win. They often make their enemy stronger and more determined.

Forty years ago a gunman decided he’d had enough of Martin Luther King Jr. and decided to gun him down outside a Memphis Hotel. Yet King’s dream lives on. Tomorrow, an African American will be sworn in as the President of the United States.

I hope he remembers that love wins. It always has, always will.

Those who choose hate — never win. Those who kill — never win. Those who choose to love — will always win.

"…we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice."

"But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force."


BTW for those who are curious I did this with two separate images – one with me standing still (2 sec shutter) and the other is the text, written with a green LED flashlight (25 sec shutter). I stacked the layers on top of one another in Photoshop and gave the text layer a pin light blend.

P.S. U2’s new song Get On Your Boots came out today. Yes — it rocks!