The Prodigal God

I am in the midst of reading Timothy Keller's book, The Prodigal God.   The subtitle is "Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith."

Though I have not completed the book, I want to suggest it is well worth reading.  Keller takes the parable of the prodigal son and opens up a variety of avenues for understanding the character of God, the implications of a father with TWO sons (since we have tended to spend most of our time on Son #1 who obviously is rebellious) and our need for a grace that is life changing, a grace that is given to both sons even before they've had a chance to clean up their lives.

Keller's perspective on the elder, "obedient" son is especially insightful for those of us who would maintain our love and devotion, our obedience and faithfulness should count for something with God.

As I continue to read and reflect on Keller's insights, I am hopeful that this journey will assist me to recover
a heart of faith that is rooted in the prodigal (extravagant, over the top) grace that only God can supply.
If you are encouraged to read Keller's book, may the journey for a rediscovered heart of faith be your's, too.

Grace for the journey,
Ben

Who has your back?

Just finished a youth group program using a clip from the film, The Blind Side.  A movie well worth watching.
The youth group, leaders and I brainstormed what it means to say, "I've got your back."

As you might expect, we talked about trust, caring, support, empathy, safety and comfort.  We talked about how important it is to have people who are actively supporting us, folks we can truly count upon to be with and for us.

I asked the group to go off by themselves and list those persons they believe have their backs and whose backs they have and watch over.

Then we looked at Psalm 138:7-8 and Psalm 139.  I asked them to simply circle the verses that speak to them about God "having our backs."

Through all this conversation, it reminded me how crucial community with one another and with God is for our very survival and well-being.  Such community is what frees us from a sense of aloneness, isolation, and despair.

One translation for Psalm 139:5 is "You pursue me,  behind and before, and lay your hand upon me."

So as you read this reflection on our journey with each other and God, consider:
             Where have you sensed God's pursuit of you?
              Who has your back?
              Who depends upon you to have their back?

Christ Behind Me

A devotional I read for March 8 reflected on a phrase from St. Patrick's breastplate, "Christ behind me."
The devotional piece noted:

There He walks in your past. He walks in all the dark rooms you pretend are closed, that He may bring light. Invite Him into your past. Experience His forgiveness, His acceptance of you. Offer all you are ashamed of . . . all you wish to forget . . . all that still pains and hurts you . . . all the hurt you have caused others. Walk there in the places you are afraid of, knowing that He walks with you and will lead you on! Celtic Daily Prayer, pg  348

I have pondered these lines, for they remind me that the love of God in Christ penetrates the dark, hidden places of our lives -- places we would rather deny and avoid -- with the promise of healing light.

My journey is marked with many such places.  Places where I fear to venture because of the pain caused me or the pain I created and left behind.

Yet,  I know in the depth of my soul that these places can only find relief and healing if they are lifted up and surrendered to the light of God--a presence I seek to avoid and yearn to know.

The promise of life on the journey is that God does walk into those dark, foreboding places with us.

Come, Spirit of Life. Break through our darkness and penetrate our lives with your Breath of Life. Cause us to seek and do your will with glad and generous hearts.

    

Journey Musings

Musing is an exercise in contemplation, reflection, imaginative pondering and breathing deeply of the life that unfolds around us.  For me musing upon my journey of life is a challenging undertaking.  I do not take a step back from my routines and experiences easily.  It is often easy for me to go from one situation to another without stopping to take a deep breath or to ponder what I have just experienced.

This last week, standing in a checkout line, I found myself behind a young mother and her two year old son. The mother stepped out of the little boys range of sight and stood right behind him.  Unable to see her, the little boy called out, "Mommy, Mommy, where are you?  Mommy, where did you go?"  So I just responded, "Did your Mother disappear?" He answered me, "Where's Mommy?" "She'll be back soon," I told him.  Of course, my response didn't do much to help his ill-ease. 

Just when I wasn't sure the little guy and I could handle the uncertainty much longer, his mother stepped back into his line of sight.  "Mommy", he beamed with delight, "where were you?"  "Oh, I was right here all the time," she assured him.

How often I am like that little boy with God's presence.  Just because I think God's signs are not visible and in front of my eyes, I act as if God is not present or near.  And when dark times seem to hide God's light, I assume God's light is not present or available.

I am not one who tries to see God's handiwork in every little event and activity around me.  There are many events that I would not even dare attribute to the gracious workings of God; yet, there are moments that are "thin spaces", when the things of God and the things of life interconnect in wonder, beauty, hope and restoration. Places where the stuff that makes life worth the living and bring out the joy of living it, just slip by my gaze.

It took a two year old little boy to remind me to be open to the truth of God's presence on my journey in living.

How do you experience the presence of God on your journey?