I know no one is out there reading anymore, but I wanted to announce that we are back with more blogging! So all you non-readers can rejoice.
Be looking for some reflections on meditation and specifically some musings on Romans 8:28.
What does a phrase like this mean? How would we do it? Is it something you do? Is it something you would want to do?
I would love to hear your thoughts.
Hey all!
I just posted my plan for reading Scripture this year on the Discerning Mind site. Check it out here.
If you want to join me, pick up Ephesians and post a comment here saying you want to. Kirk and I have already started but would love company.
Michael
I posted this on the Discerning Mind site, but not all of you check that site so I thought I would post it here too.
Are you thinking about what you can do differently this next year? I know I am. It almost seems hard wired in me to evaluate my last year and to make plans to do better this next year. That can be both good and bad.
I have to constantly remind myself that according to the gospel, I am accepted even with the failures of this last year. Jesus covers it all! How comforting and yet humbling that is. I can start over knowing that it is not my performance that will get me closer to God. Jesus keeps me close. This makes me want to start over.
Having said that, it is a good time to evaluate and plan. If you are also in that mindset and want to systematically read through the Bible this next year, let me recommend a few plans by pointing to Justin Taylor’s blog Between Two Worlds. He has listed many different plans that might suit you. In fact, I would recommend his blog for regular reading. I check there often.
Another plan I have heard about that seems really helpful is this flexible one from Tim Chester on his blog. Check it out.
In the next few days I will lay out the plan I am going to try this year. Please pray for me to follow through and if you let me know what your plan is for this next year, I will pray for you.
Thanks and have a great New Year’s day! I know I will.
Hello family! Here we are starting the blog up again and I just wanted to ask for your prayers. The fact is that all the stuff that has been happening at Crossroads and the things that I have been studying for the last 6 months have been discouraging (in the sense that things are not going as I would have hoped), but they have also been wonderfully clarifying. The fact is that there is a great need for me to depend on our great God for security. While I have been wrestling with what we should do as a body and what has been wrong, it seems that at least part of it is because Crossroads is being led by me, a sinner. That means that things are not always going to go as they should. When we add to that equation the fact that Crossroads is made up of sinners, we are in big trouble. Except…
God leads and directs His church. He is the “Senior Pastor”!
Please join me in praying for our little local body. We have a great opportunity to display His greatness because we are so weak. He uses the foolish to confound the wise and that means He can use the likes of us. (1 Corinthians 1:26-31) My plea to you is that we really pray for His mercy and help. We must plead with Him to care for us because we will not survive if He doesn’t. This way we will be boasting in God and not ourselves. That is a good place to be.
The interesting part about this is that this is true of all churches, but we don’t always think about it that way. We all depend on Jesus and that is the way it should be.
Please join me in praying. Maybe even stop by my house and physically pray with me! I might do the same with you. I am so thankful for all of you. God is gracious to give us one another.
Your brother,
Michael