Categotry Archives: Meanderings (look it up)

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I’ve Tried for a Long Time to Write This Post, But I Just Can’t

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Categories: Meanderings (look it up), random stuff

I don’t know why, but it seems like I just can’t write this post.

I’ve sat several times in front of this computer, trying to figure out what to say, or what’s on my mind. I have a few thoughts swirling around, but nothing right now that I can really verbalize. I have a few drafts sitting here and there, but nothing I feel is ready to publish.

This is a preview of I’ve Tried for a Long Time to Write This Post, But I Just Can’t. Read the full post (247 words, 1 image, estimated 59 secs reading time)

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Our Daily Bread (or "The Death of the Five-Year Plan")

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Categories: Meanderings (look it up)

My family and I are all creative types, which means we tend to not be very organized. Our schedules and routines stay very flexible, and it doesn’t take much to pre–empt them. We do a lot of things on the spur of the moment. (This drives my mother crazy, because she is the opposite and needs to plan things way in advance. But that’s another story…)

Anyhow, of the three of us, I’m probably the most organized and meticulous, and the least flexible. But even I have a messy desk and have a thread of chaos weaving through me.

This is a preview of Our Daily Bread (or "The Death of the Five-Year Plan"). Read the full post (656 words, 1 image, estimated 2:37 mins reading time)

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The Journey

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Categories: food for thought, Meanderings (look it up)

In a recent post, I ended with this remark:

“Sometimes it takes looking back just a bit to see how much God has used your experiences to shape you. Perhaps this is why the journey is every bit as important as the destination.”

I’d like to expand on that thought a little bit today.

When I was a teenager in a Christian school, I had to struggle through The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. I only recall bits and pieces of the story (not a leisure read), but what has stood out to me over the years is that it was a journey. All of Christian’s growth and change came as he traveled, and the people he met along the way and the experiences he had contributed to his growth.

This is a preview of The Journey. Read the full post (919 words, 2 images, estimated 3:41 mins reading time)

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Between Seasons (or, "The Decompression Chamber")

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Categories: faith, Meanderings (look it up)

It’s downright chilly outside this morning. Kind of unusual for Tulsa in early September. We don’t really start feeling cooler weather until nearer October.

It’s interesting how the weather fluctuates between seasons. When you are at the end of summer, but autumn hasn’t yet begun–some days it feels like summer, and some days it feels like fall, like nature can’t quite make up its mind.

This is a preview of Between Seasons (or, "The Decompression Chamber"). Read the full post (842 words, 2 images, estimated 3:22 mins reading time)

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September and October (and sometimes August)

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Categories: Meanderings (look it up)

This isn’t something I can really prove scientifically or anything…but it seems like God sort of maintains His own seasons in my life at certain times of the year.

Take the late summer/early fall months, for example. August, September and October. It seems like these are really seasons of harvest and change for us. If there is any sort of life change for us, it usually takes place during these months. October was the month we moved to Tulsa. October was also the month we moved to Broken Arrow. August was the month we married. There’s other stuff that’s happened during these months, also–extra blessings from God, stuff like that. I dunno. It just seems that way.

This is a preview of September and October (and sometimes August). Read the full post (251 words, 1 image, estimated 1:00 mins reading time)

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Jumping into Mission (or More Like, Easing into It)

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Categories: changing mindsets, Meanderings (look it up)

I want to share something kind of exciting that has been happening with our home church group the past few weeks.

For quite awhile now, we’ve been talking about becoming more missional in our approach to faith. The concept that Jesus is already working in the earth, and that we simply need to look for what He’s doing and step into that–this is a revolutionary concept to most of us. (Most of our backgrounds have to do with Jesus-as-a-sales-pitch evangelism, something that we all felt guilty for not doing, but avoided nonetheless.) So we’ve been praying for some time, both for God to show us how to be more aware of His mission in the course of our lives, and for some direction for how we could walk it out as a group.

This is a preview of Jumping into Mission (or More Like, Easing into It). Read the full post (1001 words, 2 images, estimated 4:00 mins reading time)

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Christian or Christlike

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Categories: food for thought, Meanderings (look it up)

A month or two ago, I dropped a hint that I was dreaming again.

Lots of what I’m dreaming about is still churning in the ol’ soul-incubator, so I’m not ready to spill it just yet. Vision is forming, but I don’t know what it’s all going to look like yet. What I do feel is that this whatever-it-is that I’m dreaming up needs to have a fresh approach to faith expressed in our culture.

This is a preview of Christian or Christlike. Read the full post (639 words, 1 image, estimated 2:33 mins reading time)

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The Supernatural In Perspective

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Categories: food for thought, Meanderings (look it up)

Catching up on my blog reader…a couple of days ago Co-heir posted a very insightful piece on “Falsetto Spirituality”, in which he discusses the tendency of many Christians to chase after supernatural manifestations, and how he is seeking to find God in the everyday. Go read it…I’ll wait… (actually, I’m kind of pressed for time this morning, so if you could hurry it up…)

Anyhow…I grew up in the charismatic stream, and there were often healings and miracles. Not only that, but I’ve also experienced a “season” of supernatural manifestation, when the church I served in was touched by the what some called the “laughing revival” in the 1990s. Yes, I know there were some carnal manifestations there (when is there not?); but I also sensed God strongly in my life and in the life of my family, and it was refreshing and healing for us.

This is a preview of The Supernatural In Perspective. Read the full post (941 words, 2 images, estimated 3:46 mins reading time)

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More About Leaning

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Categories: faith, food for thought, Meanderings (look it up)

So I’ve continued to ponder the subject of faith being a matter of trust more than just a matter of belief, and about what it means to lean oneself on the Lord. (Read here to catch the last post to know what I’m talking about.)

There’s actually something about the idea of leaning on God that can be a bit troubling to some. I’m thinking specifically about those who say religion in general (and Christianity, in particular) is a crutch for the weak. It’s true enough that the idea of faith being “leaning” signifies dependence, even need. Certainly not a picture of strength that would be obvious to the world. And there’s also the modern thought pattern that says we should not trust in anything we cannot see or prove through natural means.

This is a preview of More About Leaning. Read the full post (765 words, 2 images, estimated 3:04 mins reading time)

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Leaning

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Categories: faith, Meanderings (look it up)

A few years ago, when my religion was failing me, a lot of that season was actually about un-learning and re-learning the concept of faith.

Being raised with a charismatic, Word-of-Faith background, my whole picture of faith was to take Scripture that applied to my case, pray, confess the word, and believe with all my heart that what I wanted to happen, would happen. Despite all claims to the contrary–to me, it was a formula I worked. And if it didn’t work, I must have done something wrong.

This is a preview of Leaning. Read the full post (488 words, 1 image, estimated 1:57 mins reading time)
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