Preoccupied with God

When two rivers come together, I think it's called a "confluence." Like in Point Pleasant, West Virginia where the Kanawha and the Ohio Rivers meet. Over the last few weeks, there's been a "confluence" of ideas or thoughts in my life. I've been reading Brother Lawrence's "Practicing the Presence of God." Brother Lawrence worked for decades in the kitchen of a monastery and then wrote about his experience as he tried to think about and pray to the Lord in each and every situation. Then, I came across a quotation from A.W. Tozer who said that Christians are "called to an everlasting preoccupation with God." That thought has captured me in these days. What does it mean for me to have an "everlasting preoccupation with God"? How will that happen in my everyday situations and circumstances? How can I help that to happen throughout my day?

Busy Weekend

This weekend I've been given the opportunity to speak at a one-day retreat for about 50 people. One of the large Sunday School classes sets aside a Saturday every year to get together and learn, fellowship, interact, and pray. I'll get to speak to them on three occasions throughout the day. Plus, on Sunday morning, I will teach in their SS class. That means I'll be preaching or teaching six different times during the weekend. Three on Saturday and three on Sunday when you count the class, the morning worship service, and the evening service. That's a lot of speaking, but it should be fun. It doesn't happen like that very often...so every now and then, it's OK.

I was preaching this past Sunday morning [September 27, 2009] from the passage in Mark's gospel where Jesus says things like: "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off!" That's pretty strong. Pretty forceful and radical...even gruesome. One of the ideas that I tried to convey was about the seriousness with which Jesus understands sin. It's not something "tame" and "controllable" and "easily managed." The book has been around for decades...but I still love it's title...because it only become more and more profound...it's Karl Menninger's "Whatever Became of Sin?"
The "good news" is that God in Christ has provided the answer for sin. It was a terribly costly answer because it meant the death of Jesus...but it's also a wonderful answer because it makes our forgiveness and transformation possible.