Thursday, June 9, 2011 at 11:58PM We are growing and changing as we see the need. Here is what is changing
1.We are going to our own host you can find it at www.mosaicxn.com/blog
2. In about a week you will be abale to subscribe to sermons on itunes and the like so you can always stay in the loop. More on that soon.
Best and happy following...
Will and Matt
Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 1:22PM Reading from book ("Preoccupations")
We modern Westerners are so busy with ourselves, so preoccupied with the question of whether we do justice to our own selves, that the experience of the "transcendent" becomes practically impossible....In this way of thinking there is scarcely room for Him who speaks whenever we are silent and who comes in whenever we have emptied ourselves. Instead of making ourselves susceptible to the experience of the transcendent God, we, busy with many things, begin to seek after the small flighty sensations brought about by the artificial stimulation of the senses.
James 1:2-4, 9-11 ("Wisdom and Joy")
My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing....
Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same way with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away.
Prayer:
Almighty God, help me joyfully to put "first things first" today. Forgive me when I have allowed the artificial concerns of this whirlwind life to overwhelm the space in my heart that should be prepared for your presence. When I become preoccupied with self, put me back on the track of commitment to you. Amen.
Lenten Action:
Give your energy today to holding yourself accountable for your actions. Promise yourself to give up just one self-indulgence for the day; for example, a morning cup of caffeine, the daily newspaper, dessert after dinner, or so on.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 10:15AM Reading from book ("Discipline: Preparing a place for God")
Discipline in the spiritual life is the concentrated effort to create the space and time where God can become our master and where we can respond freely to God's guidance. Thus, discipline is the creation of boundaries that keep time and space open for God--a time and a place where God's gracious presence can be acknowledged and responded to.
Sirach 32:14-17, 20-23 ("The Fruits of Discipline"). [FYI: Sirach is a book you may not be familiar with. It is a book found in the Catholic and Orthodox bible, but is absent from the Protestant bible.]
The one who sees God will accept his discipline,
and those who rise early to seek him will find favor.
The one who seeks the law will be filled with it,
but the hypocrite will stumble at it.
Those who fear the Lord will form true judgments,
and they will kindle righteous deeds like a light
The sinner will shun reproof,
and will find a decision according to his liking....
Do not go on a path full of hazards,
and do not stumble at an obstacle twice.
Do not be overconfident on a smooth road,
and give good heed to your paths.
Guard yourself in every act,
for this is the keeping of the commandments.
Prayer:
Holy God, give me the discipline it takes to keep my heart open to your word. Do not let the anger of resentment sidetrack me from the priority of seeking my true home with you. Please give me what it takes to recognize that any personal rejections, real or imagined, are only reminders of an imperfect world. Bestow your grace on me so that life's disappointments will bring out the best in me and not the worst. Amen.
Lenten Action:
Make it a point to retreat from life's fast lane for the duration of this Lenten observance in order to nurture and grow an attachment to the Lord's incarnation, passion, death, and resurrection. Select and set aside a prayer time to meditate and respond to God's gracious presence.
~Henri Nouwen
Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 12:30PM How is your Lenten season going so far? For some of us it's been an amazing spiritual journey and extremely rewarding. For others of us it's been a journey filled with bumps in the road. Perhaps you've found yourself struggling during this Lenten season and you wonder why. "Why is life throwing me curve balls, God? Especially when I am trying to discipline myself and participate in Lent! I just don't get it, Lord." If you find yourself struggling with things--mental, emotional, financial, spiritual, physical--here's a quick quote from our friend Henri Nouwen that might be of help. He reminds us that perhaps it is we who are struggling who have the greatest potential for benefiting from Lent:
"How often have I lived through these weeks [of Lent] without paying much attention to penance, fasting, and prayer? How often have I missed the spiritual fruits of the season without even being aware of it? But how can I ever really celebrate Easter without observing Lent? How can I rejoice fully in your Resurrection when I have avoided participating in your death? Yes, Lord, I have to die--with you, through you, an din you--and thus become ready to recognize you when you appear to me in your Resurrection. There is so much in me that needs to die: false attachments, greed and anger, impatience and stinginess.... I see clearly now how little I have died with you, really gone your way and been faithful to it. O Lord, make this Lenten season different from the other ones. Let me find you again. Amen."
Friday, March 25, 2011 at 10:22AM There have been times throughout my Christian journey when I have seemed to be unaware of my own sin. To be sure, I was very much aware of the sins of others, but paid little attention to my own. Have you ever experienced this? Sure you have. Sadly, but understandably, this shared human reality is often the foundation of a vast majority of sermons. Just show up to a random evangelical independent church on any given Sunday morning and odds are you will listen as the pastor tries to convince you of your sin, tries to get you to see your sin. And don't get me wrong. Seeing our sin is a vital part of our Christian walk. We need to come face to face with our fallenness, our humanity, our guilt. But there is something else equally as important, but more often ignored. There is a flip side to the coin, if you will. Henri Nouwen talks about this in today's reading:
Reading: ("When Guilt Becomes an Idol")
"There is an awareness of sin that does not lead to God but to self-preoccupation. Our temptation is to be so impressed by our sins and failings and so overwhelmed by our lack of generosity that we get stuck in a paralyzing guilt. It is the guilt that leads to introspection instead of directing our eyes to God. It is the guilt that has become an idol and therefore a form of pride. Lent is the time to break down this idol and to direct our attention to our loving Lord."
Prayer:
Dear God: Forgive me for those times when I have made guilt my idol. Will you help me, today, to make you and you alone the object of my gaze? Allow my eyes the grace to look through my sin to where you are, as a child looks through a bedroom window upon the lively world beyond the pane of glass. Amen.
~Matt Lybarger