Sunday, November 29, 2015

Sunday Supplication - This Advent Season

Almighty God, we ask you to help us turn away from sin and darkness, and instead to embrace the light of your Son Jesus Christ who came to live among us in great humility. We look forward to the day when he will come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, and raise us to immortal life.

Help us in this Advent season to honor Jesus in thought, word, and deed.  Help us to follow him and to walk in the light as he is in the light. Thank you for the forgiveness and renewal you have given to us through Christ Jesus.  Make us able and ready to give forgiveness to those who have sinned against us.

Save us, O God, from trouble and help us to trust you completely. Grant us a deep sense of your loving presence when the troubles of life threaten to overwhelm us. Remind us of your faithfulness. Calm our hearts. Help us to be still and know that you are God.

Through Christ, we pray. Amen.

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Thursday Thinking - Vulnerablitily and Gratitude

http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability

BrenĂ© Brown studies human connection — our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW (Time 20:19)

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Wednesday Words - Now Thank We All Our God


Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.


Now Thank We All Our God, is a translation from the German "Nun danket alle Gott", written c. 1636 by Martin Rinkart, which in turn was inspired by Sirach, chapter 50 verses 22–24, from the praises of Simon the high priest. It was translated into English in the 19th Century by Catherine Winkworth.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Tuesday Tome - Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

I'm reading this over the Thanksgiving Holiday as part of my preparation for my new Advent/Christmas teaching series at Valley Christian Church. I'm mostly interested in the older historical sermons and will be skipping or just skimming over some of the newer things.

COME, THOU LONG-EXPECTED JESUS
Edited by Nancy Guthrie

Publisher's description...
An anthology of Advent readings collected from the writings and sermons of 22 classic and contemporary theologians and Bible teachers.

Between purchasing presents and planning travel, enjoying holiday pageants and attending parties, it is all too easy for Christmas to silence the sacredness and crowd out a quiet anticipation of the season's truths. So when editor Nancy Guthrie decided she wanted a reflective book of Advent readings that would help her pause and consider the riches of Christ come to earth, she embarked on what she calls "a sacred adventure," putting together such a collection herself.

The result-this special volume-draws from the works and sermons of classic theologians such as Whitefield, Luther, Spurgeon, and Augustine, and from leading contemporary communicators such as John Piper, J. Ligon Duncan, Randy Alcorn, John MacArthur, Francis Schaeffer, R. C. Sproul, Skip Ryan, and Joni Eareckson Tada to beckon you and your family into the wonder of Jesus' incarnation and birth.

With its high view of Scripture and its focus on the gift of Jesus, this lovely book is sure to ready your heart and mind for a fresh experience of "Immanuel, God with us" this and every Advent season. Open the cover and discover what Christmas was meant to be…

Monday, November 16, 2015

Blog Break for this Week


Cheri and I are Moving to Burnsville this Week! 
In order to keep my balance, I need to take a break from blogging this week. 
If time allows, I'll try to post a picture or two of us moving into the new place. 

Have a great week!

Monday Music - Morning by Morning

https://daveburkum.bandcamp.com/track/morning-by-morning

The Sovereign Lord has
given me an instructed tongue
to know the word that sustains the weary.

The Sovereign Lord has
given me an instructed tongue
to know the word that sustains the weary.

He wakens me
morning by morning–
wakens my ear to listen.

He wakens me
morning by morning–
wakens my ear to listen
like one being taught.

"Morning by Morning" from Fireside, words (adapted from Isaiah 50:4) and music by Dave Burkum, © Copyright 2006 by Dave Burkum. Listen or Buy.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Sunday Supplication - Bring Us Together

Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you for your promise and plan to restore all things through your beloved Son, Jesus, the Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords. In your mercy, bring freedom and unity to all people. Save us from sin and divisiveness and bring us together under your gracious rule.

Forgive us for the wrongs we’ve done and the good we’ve left undone. Renew us by your Spirit. Help us to turn away from what is worthless and make us able to do what is right. Show us how to live as Christ, and as you have forgiven us, make us merciful and ready to forgive those who have sinned against us.

O Lord, grant us a deep sense of your loving presence when the troubles of life threaten to overwhelm us. Remind us of your faithfulness. Calm our hearts. Help us to be still and know that you are God.

Through Christ, we pray. Amen.

Friday, November 13, 2015

Friday Favorites - Next Friday / Landmark Center


Red House Live: The Cactus Blossoms
Date: Friday, November 20 2015


Landmark Center and Red House Records’  popular concert series “Red House Live” from Landmark Center will return for the fourth year at the F.K. Weyerhaeuser Auditorium at Saint Paul’s historic Landmark Center.

Location:  
Downtown - 75 West Fifth Street , Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102

Time: 
7:00 PM to 10:00 PM




Thursday, November 12, 2015

Thursday Thinking - About Anxiety



FROM GREG BOYD OVER ON THE REKNEW BLOG...

The following is posted on the adapted from a prayer exercise that Greg wrote for his book, Present Perfect. If you’re feeling anxious today (or even if you’re not anxious at all) we encourage you to spend a little time with it.

As you read this, remind yourself that the only thing that ultimately matters is that you are submerged in God’s love right now. Remain mindful of the fact that the perfect love that God expressed by becoming a human and dying on a cross to redeem you engulfs you, right now. Remind yourself that you could not be more loved than you are this moment. You could not have more worth than you have at this moment.

Remain mindful of the truth that this is not because of anything you have achieved or ever will achieve in your life. It’s because of who God is and who you are, as defined by Calvary. Remind yourself that this perfect love never began, never ends, is never threatened, and never wavers. As you breathe your next breath, let it represent your decision to breathe in God’s loving presence and all these truths associated with it.

As you breathe in God’s love, exhale everything else. Because God loves you, trust that if there’s anything you truly need God will give it to you, just as Jesus taught us (Matt 6:32-33). Relinquish (exhale) all your possessions, achievements, reputation, future aspirations, health, beauty, relationships, and anything else that could possible be a false source of worth and significance to you.

As you relax in the sufficiency of God’s presence, see all the things that you exhaled evaporate in the light of God’s ever-present love, like a morning mist disappearing with the first rays of the rising sun.
Notice what happened to any anxiety you may have. When you are truly present, breathing in God’s love and exhaling everything else, you may find that your anxiety is lifting, even disappearing.

When God’s love becomes our sole source of Life moment-by-moment, we will have no regrets about the past and no fears about the future, for we are fulfilled and are trusting God in the present. We learn from our past mistakes, of course, and make ordinary plans about the future. But anchored in the fullness of God’s abundant Life right now, we’re freed from the pointless, idolatrous exercise of judging our past or stressing out over the future.

—adapted from Present Perfect, pages 69-71

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Wednesday Words - Death Be Not Proud

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

"Holy Sonnets: Death Be Not Proud" by John Donne (1572-1631) from Selected Poems: John Donne (Penguin). Today's post is dedicated to friends Paul and Donna with love and prayers from all of us at Valley Christian Church.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Tuesday Tome - New Book Club

A new book club at Valley Christian Church will be reading and discussing The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis. Brad Dewing will be leading the group which will be having it's first session on Wednesday, November 18, 6:30. Click Here for more information.

Publisher's Description...
C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce is a classic Christian allegorical tale about a bus ride from hell to heaven. An extraordinary meditation upon good and evil, grace and judgment, Lewis’s revolutionary idea in the The Great Divorce is that the gates of Hell are locked from the inside. Using his extraordinary descriptive powers, Lewis’ The Great Divorce will change the way we think about good and evil. 

From the Back Cover...
In The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis again employs his formidable talent for fable and allegory. The writer finds himself in Hell boarding a bus bound for Heaven. The amazing opportunity is that anyone who wants to stay in Heaven, can. This is the starting point for an extraordinary meditation upon good and evil, grace and judgment. Lewis's revolutionary idea is the discovery that the gates of Hell are locked from the inside. In Lewis's own words, "If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell."


Monday, November 09, 2015

Monday Music - Love the Lord


https://daveburkum.bandcamp.com/track/love-the-lord

Hear, O hear, O Israel–
The Lord, our God, the Lord is one.
Hear, O hear, O Israel–
The Lord, our God, the Lord is one.

Love the Lord, your God
With all your heart,
And with all your soul,
And with all your strength.

"Love the Lord" by Dave Burkum (lyric adapted from Deuteronomy 6:4-5), from This Is the Testimony, © Copyright 2005 by Dave Burkum. 

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN, BUY, OR DOWNLOAD

Sunday, November 08, 2015

Sunday Supplication - Heirs of Eternal Life

O God, we give you thanks for your Son, Jesus, who came into the world to overcome evil, and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life. Help us to become holy even as he is holy. And make us ready for the day when he will come again in glory to set the world right.

Gracious Father, in our weakness and selfishness, we often fail each other, fail ourselves, and fail you. We humbly recognize our need for forgiveness and restoration. We also recognize the hope and power we have in Christ.  Raise us and transform us by the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. Forgive us our sins, and make us ready and able and quick to forgive others, even as you forgive us.

You give us hope and salvation, O God. Save us from the forces and the circumstances that threaten to defeat us. Lead, teach, transform, shape, and strengthen us—that we might delight in your will and walk in your ways to the glory of your Name.

Through Christ, we pray. Amen.

Friday, November 06, 2015

Thursday, November 05, 2015

Thursday Thinking - Connected but Alone?


As we expect more from technology, do we expect less from each other? Sherry Turkle studies how our devices and online personas are redefining human connection and communication — and asks us to think deeply about the new kinds of connection we want to have.

https://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together?language=en


CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS 20 MINUTE TED TALK

Wednesday, November 04, 2015

Wednesday Words - Autumn


A touch of cold in the Autumn night—
I walked abroad,
And saw the ruddy moon lean over a hedge
Like a red-faced farmer.
I did not stop to speak, but nodded,
And round about were the wistful stars
With white faces like town children.

“Autumn,” by T. E. Hulme, from The Imaginist: Modern Poetry in Miniature (ed. William Pratt) © Copyright 2008.

Tuesday, November 03, 2015

Tuesday Tome - The Brain: The Story of You

Look what arrived on my doorstep late last week...

http://smile.amazon.com/Brain-Story-You-David-Eagleman/dp/1101870532/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446475647&sr=1-1&keywords=the+brain+david+eagleman
The Brain: The Story of You
by David Eagleman

Locked in the silence and darkness of your skull, your brain fashions the rich narratives of your reality and your identity. Join renowned neuroscientist David Eagleman for a journey into the questions at the mysterious heart of our existence. What is reality? Who are “you”? How do you make decisions? Why does your brain need other people? How is technology poised to change what it means to be human?  In the course of his investigations, Eagleman guides us through the world of extreme sports, criminal justice, facial expressions, genocide, brain surgery, gut feelings, robotics, and the search for immortality.  Strap in for a whistle-stop tour into the inner cosmos. In the infinitely dense tangle of billions of brain cells and their trillions of connections, something emerges that you might not have expected to see in there: you.

This is the story of how your life shapes your brain, and how your brain shapes your life.

(A companion to the six-part PBS series. Color illustrations throughout.)

Monday, November 02, 2015

Monday Music - The Wind

https://daveburkum.bandcamp.com/track/the-wind

There's a dry wind blowing a tumbleweed–
My heart, my soul.
There's a storm-tossed ship on a restless sea–
My heart, my soul.
There's a swinging arm on a weather vane–
My heart, my soul.
There's the aftermath of a hurricane–
My heart, my soul.

The Wind wills, the Wind blows;
I can hear it rushing through the trees.
The Wind comes, the Wind goes;
It's impossible for me to see.
But I feel its power,
I can feel it moving all around me.

There's a sound of chimes through the back screen door–
My heart, my soul.
There's a crashing wave on a rocky shore–
My heart, my soul.
There's a white cloud dancing across the sky–
My heart, my soul.
Red and yellow leaves learning how to fly–
My heart, my soul.

The Wind wills, the Wind blows–
I can hear it rushing through the trees.
The Wind comes, the Wind goes–
It's impossible for me to see.
But I feel its power,
I can feel it moving all around me.

There are rolling waves in the golden grain–
My heart, my soul.
There's a windmill spinning above the plain–
My heart, my soul.
There's a line of clothes hanging out to dry–
My heart, my soul.
There's an eagle hovering in the sky-
My heart, my soul.

The Wind wills, the Wind blows–
I can hear it rushing through the trees.
The Wind comes, the Wind goes–
It's impossible for me to see.
But I feel its power,
I can feel it moving all around me.

“The Wind” by Dave Burkum, from So Far to Go.
© Copyright 1993 by Dave Burkum.
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD / PURCHASE

Sunday, November 01, 2015

Sunday Supplication - Following Jesus

Lord God, we give you thanks for the Holy Scriptures you inspired to be written for our learning. Help us to hear them, read them, mark them, and learn them. Help us to take them in so deeply and apply them so personally that we become more and more able to live for you and hold fast to the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your promise to forgive and purify us. Forgive us our sins. Renew us by your Spirit. Show us how to act, think, and live as Christ.  And as you have forgiven us, make us merciful and ready to forgive those who have sinned against us.

Help us, O Lord, to know and understand the love of Jesus. Help us to experience it. Help us to share it. Help us live out love in such a way that it becomes clear to all around us that we are following Jesus.

It’s in his name that we pray these things. Amen.