http://www.blogsmonroe.com/christian Christian Reflections on Knowing, Proclaiming, and Demonstrating the Kingdom of God Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:21:35 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en IF YOU CAN READ THIS, THEN YOU ARE RICH The silly and heretical "prosperity gospel" (an oxymoron if there ever was one) tells us that God wants to "prosper us" in the sense of making us rich. Or, making us richer. For the "prosperity advocate" the cry "More, Lord!" has to ... http://www.blogsmonroe.com/christian/2009/11/if-you-can-read-this-then-you-are-rich/ DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR ANYTHING As Jesus hung on the cross he did not say, "Father, have them apologize, for they don't know what they do." This word "apology" has the sense of "making a defense," as in 1 Peter - always be ready to give a defense ("apologeo") to everyone who ... http://www.blogsmonroe.com/christian/2009/11/dont-apologize-for-anything/ BOREDOM "Boredom" is not having nothing to do; "boredom" is finding no meaning in what you are doing. A person can work at a job for hours and the time is dripping like molasses down the wall like a Salvador Dali clock. One student sits in class bored out of their skull ... http://www.blogsmonroe.com/christian/2009/11/boredom/ Hal and Mirja Ronning, from the Home for Bible Translators in Jerusalem, Israel, will be with us at Redeemer this coming weekend. Here's from their website: "The Home for Bible Translators and Scholars in Jerusalem, Inc. (HBT) is a nonprofit ministry supporting translators and scholars from around the world to deepen ... http://www.blogsmonroe.com/christian/2009/11/hal-mirja-ronning-at-redeemer-this-weekend/         To nourish my soul this week I'm going to: take much time alone with God re-meditate on John chapters 14-17 listen to music get outside and ponder God's creation remember blessings enjoy my family eat well exercise turn off the TV and read pray about struggles cast my burdens upon God (1 Peter 5:7) pray for others take pictures (always carry your ... http://www.blogsmonroe.com/christian/2009/11/nourish-your-soul-this-week/ "I'm an atheist. But I want to leave a legacy. I want my life to leave an impression, an impact, on others after I die." That's what one of my young philosophy students told me after class. I told her, "You won't." And, by the way, I won't either. Irregardless ... http://www.blogsmonroe.com/christian/2009/10/the-only-legacy-worth-leaving/ (Sterling State Park) Thomas Merton's New Seeds of Contemplation makes my personal top ten list of books I have read. I'm slow-reading some of this book this morning, and the result is that I'm being taken into the deep places of the heart where I meet Christ in me, the hope ... http://www.blogsmonroe.com/christian/2009/10/needed-deep-people/ (Monroe) I was recently sitting in a restaurant reading John chapters 14-17, looking closely at the verses where Jesus tells us to love one another with the kind of love Father, Son, and Spirit have in the perichoretic union. Then a person walks in that I have not seen in many ... http://www.blogsmonroe.com/christian/2009/10/my-love-need/ God is helping me get free of quantitative worry. Let me call this QW. QW frets about not having "enough." "Enough" is defined numerically. QW is worry over not having enough money, not having enough people in one's church, and not having enough time. QW agonizes over the past and ... http://www.blogsmonroe.com/christian/2009/10/freedom-over-quantitative-worrying/ (Masada) I'm preaching this Sunday on John 14:15-17: Jesus said: "If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him ... http://www.blogsmonroe.com/christian/2009/10/religion-the-fallacy-of-affirming-the-consequent/