Isaiah’s Economic Recovery Plan

“The kind of fasting I want calls you to free those who are wrongly imprisoned and to stop oppressing those who work for you.  Treat them fairly and give them what they earn.  I want you to share your food with the hungry and to welcome poor wanderers into your homes.  Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

If you do these things, your salvation will come like the dawn.  Yes, your healing will come quickly.  Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.  Then when you call, the Lord will answer.  ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

Stop oppressing the helpless and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors!  Feed the hungry and help those in trouble.  Then  your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as day.”

- Isaiah 58:6-10 (NLT)

The Fire

“Light is always costly and comes at the expense of that which produces it.  An unlit candle does not shine, for burning must come before the light.  And we can be of little use to others without a cost to ourselves.  Burning suggests suffering, and we try to avoid pain.

We tend to feel we are doing the greatest good in the world when we are strong and fit for active duty and when our hearts and hands are busy with kind acts of service.  Therefore when we are set aside to suffer, when we are sick, when we are consumed with pain, and when all our activities have stopped, we feel we are no longer of any use and are accomplishing nothing.

Yet if we will be patient and submissive, it is almost certain we will be a greater blessing to the world around us during our time of suffering and pain than we were when we thought we were doing our greatest work.  Then we are burning, and shining brightly as a result of the fire.

Many people want the glory without the cross, and the shining light without the burning fire, but crucifixion comes before coronation.”

-L. B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert

Easter Sunday

He is Risen by Michael Jothen

He is risen, Alleluia! Christ is risen from the dead.
He has ris’n to conquer sin, He has ris’n to save us.
All good Christians sing today!
Wipe the tears of death away.
He is risen, Alleluia! He has ris’n to save us.

Good Friday

“A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are surely coming when they will say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’”

- Luke 23:27-29

He is Here!

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone.”

- Isaiah 9:1

Memorable Quotes from Off The Map Live

“People with power never think about it; people without power think about it all the time.” -Thomas Friedman, quoted by Brian McLaren

“Unwillingness to hear, listen, and connect is a serious form of sin.” -Todd Hunter

“Remember that when the chips are down, the buffalo is empty.” -Richard Twiss (Rosebud Lakota/Sioux)

“The practice of Christianity, done well, is both dangerous and magnetic.” -Diana Butler Bass

“We are the survivors of the American imperial holocaust.” -Richard Twiss

“To deny that we have privilege is an abuse of our power.” -Brian McLaren

Lead On, O King Eternal

These days I find myself deeply weary of war, both the “war on terror” and the “culture war.” The second stanza of this lovely hymn resonates in my soul.

Lead on, O King eternal,
Till sin’s fierce war shall cease,
And holiness shall whisper
The sweet amen of peace.
For not with swords’ loud clashing,
Nor roll of stirring drums;
With deeds of love and mercy
The heavenly kingdom comes.

Praying for My Enemies – Part 2

When I decided to undertake the spiritual exercise 10 People to Pray for to Start Changing the Word, prepared by my friend John Lamoreau, I really didn’t think it would be all that difficult. After all, I think I’m a pretty nice person. And I don’t really have any “enemies.”

But John’s list was disturbingly practical – pray for the family member who bugs you the most, your most obnoxious co-worker, the most abrasive person in your church. And the guidelines said to not pray for these people to change in the way I want them to, but to pray for God to bless and guide them.

This exercise turned out to be more difficult than I thought. The list also included the politician you most dislike and the most evil person in the world who comes to mind. But it was actually harder to pray for the people in my own life that I struggle with, than it was to pray for a nasty dictator! Some of the prayers were said through clenched teeth.

Praying for My Enemies

On his new website The Jesus Gospel, my friend John Lamoreau lists 10 People to Pray for to Start Changing the World. John invites those of us who follow the Way of Jesus to join him in praying for our enemies each day for one week.

I’ve printed out John’s list and I’m going to start my week of prayer tomorrow morning. I’ll report back on how it goes…

Setting the Captives Free

“What a tragedy it would be if amidst all the movies and memorials celebrating the life of Wilberforce in 2007, Christians missed out on the chance to actually be Wilberforce in 2007—to be used of God to set slaves free, to bring an end to slavery in this generation, and to bring honor to the mission of Christ in the world.”

- from On a Justice Mission by anti-slavery activist Gary Haugen

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“Is this not the fast which I chose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” -Isaiah 58:6