This is our guest speaker Vince Miller (www.vincemiller.net)
Registration still open. Don’t let money be an issue. Contact us if you have questions.
It is going to be an awesome weekend!
I don’t know about you, but I have little patience for some things. Especially in the morning. My brain is very foggy in the morning and it takes me awhile for it to clear up (i like to use this as my excuse for being impatient). So, if I have to look for something in the morning, or do a task or whatever, my patience level is quite low. From shaving, to cordinating my clothing so I don’t look like a chump, to even eating breakfast.
This past weekend, I have a story that goes to show my level of impatience. I took some students on a retreat down in Iowa, and we stayed in a sweet cabin. I recalled my conversation that I had with the owner and how he told me that there would be towels for us to use. So in the morning, I was the first one to get up and shower for the guys (the gals were already up…ya, we are lazy). So, I rummaged for the towels in the obvious places. Didn’t see them there, so, I thought I would have to become resourceful. So, I used my panjama pants to dry up (kind of gross, especially that I slept in them!!!). (more…)
I am amazed at level of genius that it takes to be a good author. The creativity, the imagination, the time it takes to write, the wisdom of authors. Think about it, they have to think of names, places, obstacles, scenery, different characters with different backgrounds and then have them all mesh together at the perfect time to create the perfect scene to create the perfect tension that gives the story it’s own character.
When I think of the Lord of the Rings series by JR Tolkein, I become amazed at the level of creativity it has. The names of characters is astonishing. The names of land and places and buildings is mind-boggling. I always wondered how the heck did they come up with those names. Was it a bad game of scrabble where they made up words??? But the thing that gets me the most, is how they see the end being and how they write to achieve that end. Also, with that, an author is soverign over his story. He/she alone has complete authority over the story, because he/she is the one who puts the pen to the paper to create. No one else can dictate that. No one can influence what they write.
interesting…God is also described as an author. In fact, He is described as the author of life (Acts 3:15), the author of salvation (Heb. 2:10), and the author and perfector of our faith (Heb. 12:2).
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Filed under: disequilibrium | Tags: craving, dangerous, experiment, holy spirit
In acts 8:26-40 (http://bibleresources.bible.com/passagesearchresults.php?passage1=Acts+8%3A26-40&passage2=&passage3=&passage4=&passage5=&version1=47&version2=0&version3=0&version4=0&version5=0&Submit.x=35&Submit.y=4) we see a story of a regular man, who got a prompting from God to go. But to go where? To do what? In the previous part of the story, Philip was part of a mass revival in Samaria, but now God wants him to get up and leave that, to travel some obscure desert road for some unknown reason. He had to face a decision, to leave what was happening in Samaria, to disciple the new followers of ‘the way’, or to listen to this prompting and obey.
I must wonder about this road a bit. I wonder what Philip thought about it. It was a desert road, like in Robert Frost’s words, a road less traveled. Did he contemplate his safety? Did he sit and pray to double check that this was God’s will for His life? We don’t see any of that. What we get is that he got up and went, without knowing the final destination or the reason for going. All he knew, was go! He went. (more…)
This morning I read in mark when you tell the young rich man to sell all he has to the poor. I feel like that has been referenced so much, and used so often that it loses its meaning. Here a man comes to You, asking for salvation. And You ask what he wants to hear. “You know the commandments, a-z. Have you kept them?” “Of course I have”. Then You look with love and say, “sell everything you own.” This is the Kingdom of God. This kingdom does not look like what we have seen before. It is something completely different. You tell the young ruler, “you want to be a part of my kingdom? Forget everything the World has taught you. Start over. And throw yourself completely unto Me.” And I have the guts to view the young ruler with judgment. We are all a ruler, we come to Jesus with our accomplishments and expect him to validate us and to tell us,” well done good and faithful servant.” But that’s not what He says. He says with a face full of love, “You do not understand.” The advice that I hear in this story is, “abandon yourself completely to Me. Give up everything you are holding on to, let go and trust in Me.”
Lord, these are tough words that you say. Help me to live this Father, help me to live in the light of this and not forget this. Your kingdom is so big, You are so big. Teach me how to live a life that enters into this kingdom.
i want to take a temperature of what hinders us from living dangerously for God. please take the time to vote. be honest. also, if you have another reason or factor, please leave it as a comment. thanks ahead of tme!
Filed under: disequilibrium | Tags: addicted, craving, holy spirit, longing
I ended up in the emergency room last week for some weird physical issue. It was a bit alarming for me, because it was a new sensation that was sort of freaky. As I was being examined by the nurses, they were asking me questions in regards to what I was feeling or going on. I had a difficult time trying to explain it to them, but they took it quite serious.
Before I knew it, they were poking me with needles and hooking me up to machines. They later told me what they thought was wrong with me, and it freaked me out. But when it was all said and done, they couldn’t tell me anything specific about what was wrong with me.
So, I was left with asking, “what now?” What am I to do, or is there anything that I can take to help cure this? They replied after finding out that I drink roughly 30+ ounces of coffee and like to smoke good cigars, to change my lifestyle. I laughed! What? Are you telling me that I am getting to that age, where I have to literally watch what I eat, excercise daily, and stop enjoying the things that I very much enjoy? There answer…YES!
So, I am sitting at Caribou coffee in Red Wing, MN, sipping on freakin DECAF coffee. My wife has told me that I have been a bit crabby lately, probably due to the fact that I haven’t been able to indulge in the things that I once was able to. Maybe, I was addicted?
hmmmm…am I addicted to God? (more…)
when i was engaged to my beautiful wife, i oftened wondered why so many marriages fall apart. I mean, if you are going to be with the most beautiful woman in the world (sorry fellas, I got her) for the rest of your life, how does that happen. Obviously there are many reasons why marriages fail, but one common reason is that they get bored, or they lose that loving feeling. Almost being desensitized to those emotions that once raged in you. The routine, the constancy, the every-day-ness.
disequilibrium in life is what enhances life.
i wonder, do we become desensitized spiritually?
