my angel

"Lady Day got diamond eyes
She sees the truth behind the lies
Angel"

Ephesians

what a wonderful book…such a crucial addition to the christian worldview, providing major answers to the nagging question of “who am I?”

Ephesians answers this question with a resounding “you are a child of God, who right now, despite your feelings of brokenness and inadequacy, is filled to the fullest with what is really essential for life…JESUS.” Paul spends much time pounding home the point that we, as believers, have everything we need for “success” in life RIGHT NOW through Jesus. Our identity is secure IN CHRIST, not in our own efforts, strengths and accomplishments. Paul’s words to us through this book take our eyes off of our own accomplishments and failures, weaknesses and shortcomings and put them squarely upon a victorious Jesus, who through his death and resurrection has now ascended to THE HIGHEST place spiritually, and has now taken us there too!

In Christ the striving ceases as we all realize that we are as spiritual, as whole, as complete as we WILL EVER BE in THE area that matters..CHRIST JESUS. HE has given us everything we really need. What an awesome truth, for which I am thankful.

The challenge of Jesus

a few years ago NT WRIGHT wrote a book entitled "the challenge of Jesus" wherein, among other things, he underlines how impossibly difficult it would have been for any first century Jew to accept Jesus' claims to be the Messiah apart from the testimony of His resurrection. I agree completely. Jesus' life, mission, and agenda (aka "his Kingdom") was and is so "not of this world" that its hard to believe a word of it apart from the historical reality of his resurrection. And I'm convinced that his resurrection IS a historical reality. I think Lee Strobel puts it well when he says that he arrived, in his conversion experience, to a place where he realized that given the facts surrounding the resurrection narrative it took more faith to continue in disbelief than to succumb to the evidence. So now having found myself in a similar place, where the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that Jesus WAS and IS exactly who he said he was (living, eternal, God, Messiah) the challenge for me now is to accept the other more peripheral, but equally radical, statements he made...and Matthew's gospel is full of them.

"blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil things about you on my account. Rejoice and be glad..."

"don't worry about what you'll eat, drink or wear...your father in heaven knows that you need these things."

"dont store up treasures on earth...for where your treasure is your heart is there as well."

It occurs to me now that if Im as convinced as I say I am that his claims to be Messiah/God are legitimate, than I'm obliged to live like the rest of what he said is just as certain and trustworthy.

Fasting

Been thinking about the idea of fasting lately. It has come up several times recently as we've been plowing through the Old Testament with the students. Daniel fasted as he prayed for an interpretation for Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Esther fasted and prayed for favor with Xerxes. Isaiah and Joel both speak of fasting. Isaiah mentions it as he tells Israel to "fast" from sin instead of the empty ritual fasts some were engaging in. Joel incorporates fasting into his calls for repentance.

Personally I have never much liked the idea of not eating. "What's the point" I think.."I mean God hears me hungry or not right?" And I've got plenty enough Episcopalian in me to surely deny that there could really be something to the mystery of a fast; something about the power of God breaking into my current reality through ernest and consistent prayer. It's just easy enough to face an uncertain future hoping for the best, and call it good at the end of each day "trusting" that things will all pan out in the end. Whatever that means. My general posture has been to say "Oh, things will work out" and then rubber stamp whatever happens as God's best, and His ideal; His will. For just a moment recently the fog has lifted enough for me to notice that I may have lost the trail, and that if left to my own devices long enough, I'll hike around in circles forever feeling just "productive" enough to keep moving and never realizing that in some areas I'm aimlessly wondering through life without the power of God's presence, and mostly because Im too lazy to ask for it.

Just today I feel as though I've been jarred awake just long enough to notice that Life's doing 70 mph and I've fallen asleep at the wheel. the challenge now is to role the windows of my heart down fast before I slip back into the dangerous slumber that caused me to hit the rumble strips in the first place. I think fasting might be a good way to start. The hungry part of me hates the thought, but then again there's a part of me thats beyond hungry...down right starving...and food can't help me there.

another year over...

hard to believe we're about to end another year with the ESBS. It's been a great year. Worth it for sure! We're going to miss this years students. We've really enjoyed them. This picture was taken a few weeks ago as we all ate dinner together out on the back deck of the henson haus. We're gearing up for a full summer (4 weeks of summer camp work and then preparation for next years school). We have three students enrolled currently for next year's program.