Against Nothingness

Chapter 5 of "Prayer in Practice," which is entitled 'Feelings in Prayer,' is perhaps the best piece of writing on the subject of emotions in the Christian life that I have read. Tugwell begins by noting just how unreliable feelings are: "I may feel inspired without being inspired; I may feel marvelous... but that may be caused simply by a good dinner and an insensitive conscience. Conversely, I may feel awful, but 'if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart." He points out that in our era of "romantic fundamentalism of experience, which will believe only what I can feel on my pulse" that we must realize that we can be seriously deceived about our own experience. Yet, we cannot fall into unending doubt and so we begin by realizing feelings are not infallible and then getting to know ourselves, our feelings, and the ways in which our feelings may 'misfire', well enough that we can discern when to trust. Tugwell lists...

Speaking on meditative, repetitive, prayer: "Of course, it is unlikely that we shall actually find ourselves totally devoid of thoughts! But in this kind of prayer the thoughts simply do not matter. Ignore them, and just get on with saying the prayer. Let them chatter away, accept them in the same way that you can accept any other kind of disturbance, without anxiety, without trying to suppress it, without even latching on to the desire to suppress it or even to the thought 'I am being disturbed'. Just let it be. As likely as not, without any deliberate intention on your part, you will actually find yourself chasing the first thought with a second one, such as 'I must stop this - I'm not supposed to be thinking.' That easily leads to an infinite regression, one thought trying to catch another. there is no need to take any notice of any of them! Thoughts are a bit like spoilt children trying to attract attention to themselves. If you ignore them, refusing to b...

Michael John Cusick, Surfing for God: Discovering the Divine Desire Beneath Sexual Struggle.  Thomas Nelson, 2012. 224 pgs.  Pornography is a plague of epidemic proportions among men right now. I seriously doubt I need to share with you any of the statistics. But you should know that it is not the widespread nature of this problem which made me request this book to review. No, two other reasons rose to the fore: 1. I am a youth pastor and so continually walking beside, praying with, and counseling young men who struggle with addictions to pornography. 2. I, myself, went through an addiction to pornography. At the time, the only book people gave me on the subject was Every Young Man's Battle. That was a fine book, in it's own way, but not all that helpful in dealing with sexual addiction in the age of internet abundance. By the grace of God I was set free without a better book on the subject, but that has not kept me from continually watching for such books.  Thi...

Top Post from May Life Change - Pretty good considering it went up yesterday. Just some thoughts on 'changing lives.' Three Most Visited Posts in May 1.  We're Sinking   - I like this post :)  2.    Heaven and Hell  - How long will this last? At least it regularly comes in 2nd now.  3.  Life Change  - See above.  Yes, it is now officially June. Can you believe? Me neither... 

Sometimes I wish I could manufacture life change. I day-dream of a formula, or a series of well-timed maneuvers, or a set of input points, and think that it would be nice if you just hit these things hard enough, threw enough energy, or talent, or money in their direction that things would happen. ........................................ You see, I'm a results kind of person. I take great pleasure in seeing the positive results of my efforts. They don't need to be quantifiable, but they need to be visible, at least to me. I don't care if others know, I don't care if I'm appreciated, but I do care if I have made a difference. And in 'my line of work' that means life change towards Christ. Or at least, it does to me. I suppose other pastors may use other measuring rods; whatever. But even if I were not a pastor, those would be the results I sought more than anything else.  Unfortunately, there is a subtle and dangerous form of idolatry at work he...

The Critic Revisits the Monsters - Wonderfully insightful essay on the fantasy genre in our time. Caine's Arcade - Just plain fun. Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?  -  "We were promised a global village; instead we inhabit the drab cul-de-sacs and endless freeways of a vast suburb of information." That quote should make you want to read this article.  Understanding Amazon's Strategy   - Frightening... too much to keep track of and I like my kindle... but still.  Shift Happens -  Examining Kuhn's "Structures of Scientific revolutions." The last paragraph is stunning.  A/B Testing - Do you  wonder if this has ever happened to you? I do.  The Worlds Most Important Story - More to think about. TED Video:  How Small is an Atom? - - fun, entertaining, mind-boggling... it's like the high school science class I wish I had.  TED Video:  Reinventing Fire; a 50 year plan for Energy - - if this is real...

"Our No. 1 'job' in discipleship and ministry is to so live in Christ that we live and serve out of the fullness of Christ. Our No. 2 'job' is to do everything we can to make No. 1 possible. Our No. 3 'job' is not to do the things which hold us back from No. 2 and No. 1." - Darrell Johnson, Speaking at the 2012 Regent Pastors Conference 'Overflow' Response: This weeks pastors conference has been good in many ways. Above all, I have been reminded of the true nature of my position as pastor and the priorities which come with it. If this is not number one in my life and conduct then all else will fall apart.