We live in a time of sensationalism. It sells. We also live in a time of instant success. People want their needs meet and they want them meet now. Unfortunately, much of the world’s philosophy had crept into the church and has become ingrained in its presentation and thinking. A cross section of TV ministries and just church culture in general seem to depict this. We live in an entertainment culture and the church, in its effort to become relevant, often ventures too far into this area. Ii is great and necessary to be relevant; but we need to remain faithful to our calling to make disciples, which involves well-reasoned, scriptural teaching.
The following quote I was particularly drawn to this week. I would like to read Harrison Warren's book. I share this quote with you because I think it displays real Biblical wisdom and provides us with food for thought. In the often, mundane and regular activities of life we are built up and strengthened in our walk with Christ and one another. In the everyday events, we recognize and count our blessings. Our attitude is so important.
“In her excellent book Liturgy of the Ordinary, pastor and author Tish Harrison Warren describes an encounter her husband experienced while working on his PhD.
While my husband, Jonathan, was getting his PhD, he got to know a former Jesuit priest turned married professor—a holy man, a provocateur, and a favorite among his students. Once a student met with him to complain about having to read Augustine’s Confessions. “It’s boring,” the student whined. “No, it’s not boring,” the professor responded. “You’re boring.”
What Jonathan’s professor meant is that when we gaze at the richness of the gospel and the church and find them dull and uninteresting, it’s actually we who have been hollowed out. We have lost our capacity to see wonders where true wonders lie. We must be formed as people who are capable of appreciating goodness, truth, and beauty.
The kind of spiritual life and disciplines needed to sustain the Christian life are quiet, repetitive, and ordinary. I often want to skip the boring, daily stuff to get to the thrill of an edgy faith. But it’s in the dailiness of the Christian faith—the making the bed, the doing the dishes, the praying for our enemies, the reading the Bible, the quiet, the small—that God’s transformation takes root and grows.”
God bless you this day
– Pastor Ralph
“‘May The LORD bless you and keep you; May the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; May the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’ Amen (Number 6:24 - 26).
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