Meditations of a traveling traveler

Thoughts of 2014/15Num 22:28  'Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth'

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We should not fix our desires on health or sickness, wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or a short one. For everything has the potential of calling forth in us a more loving response to our life forever with God. Loyola

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Those who are free to fail are most free. Fear of failure inhibits freedom; the freedom to fail encourages it. The life of faith encourages the risk that frequently results in failure, for it encourages human ventures into crisis and the unknown. When we are in situations where we are untested… or unaccustomed… we are sometimes going to fail, sometimes ignominiously. These failures, though, are never disasters because they become the means by which we realize new depths of our humanity and new vistas of divine grace. In the midst of our humanity and divine grace, the free life is shaped. “He who has never failed somewhere, that man cannot be great. Failure is the true test of greatness.

Eugene Peterson

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Jesus is subordinating his loudest desires to his deepest desires by putting them in the Father's hands.

Tim Keller - Mark Adams Principal’s Hour

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Real freedom is freedom from the opinions of others. Above all, freedom from your opinions about yourself

Brennan Manning

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Busyness is an illness of the spirit.

Eugene Peterson 

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Retreat from the world

Recently I’ve been reading ‘Disappearing Church’ by Mark Sayers looking at the rise of individualism that elevates anatomy and self-interest above commitment, institutions, community and responsibility. How in the west, freedom and individual expression have become the ultimate goal as we take authority back from externals and place them on the autonomous self-governing individual. A great insight into how as a society we have moved to worship the ‘cult of self,’ elevating freedom, experience and aesthetics above ultimate truth, responsibility, binding relationships, sacrifice and the ordinary. Yet alongside this, I have been listening to John Mark Coma  (Bridgetown Church) about the importance of retreat, empathising the personal experience of God through the practice of sabbath and isolation. I see the beauty of retreating from the world to focus on God. Yet also see how these ‘spiritual’ practices can be hijacked and used as another form of individualism as self-interest becomes the focus. Like any helpful practice, I can use this time to fuel my narcissism, to escape from commitment and accountability all in the name of ‘seeking after God.’ To go off by myself, to escape the messiness of people to acquire a ‘deeper’ more spiritual encounter with God yet often using this practice to be selfish and disinterested with others. Benedictine monks were accused of this as well, yet saw retreat from the world as a means to return to engage the world more richly. Retreating from the world, to stand outside the culture, yet ultimately to return to the world, yet I wonder if I am simply doing the first step. Retreating from the world to escape conflict, responsibility and commitments. Not retreating from the world for the world, but retreating from the world for me. Lord help me to love you, to love others better. Help me retreat from the world for the world.

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Aquinus thoughts from a desire

No finite good or set of finite goods can completely satisfy our desire for human happiness--only an infinite good (God) can satisfy this desire. Infinite human desires are only satisfied by an infinite God. 

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God needs to do a great work in you, before he does a great work through you.

Stuart Coulton 

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It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

Jesus (Mark 2:17)

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Spit to Manly, RNP, Cronulla and the silver fox 

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But He gives us more grace.

James 4:6

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July-Sep. Sem 2 of Smbc, Maloney’s Beach, Kangaroo Valley and Port Mac 

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Biblical orthodoxy without compassion is surely the ugliest thing in the world.

Francis Schaeffer

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Bare Necessities of life

I often wonder how great it would be to go off-grid, to leave the messiness of people, the business of life, the chaos of responsibilities, the time commitments, the traffic and everything else that goes with it. I get caught in the flow of the day to day checklist of things to do, people to see, even ways I should be serving God, whilst feeling more and more wore down, unmotivated, tired and guilty that I don’t have a greater capacity. So I dream of escaping it all to live off a generator with my Aunty in Tassie.

Yet I know escapism isn’t the answer, yet I know that God never called us to live crazy busy, restless, omnipresent lives. In fact the whole Old Testament laws, rules, commitments, Jesus boiled down to the bare basics, simplifying it all.

Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-40

Love God and love others. Simple.

Wherever you find yourself stay close to God and look out for others, that’s it. Two things, love God, love others. Not overly complicated, not burdensome, but manageable and applicable to all.

In a busy world that demands your time, energy, stress, money and attention. Jesus simplifies to the bare necessities, love God and love people.

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Incredible few months of family, friends and beaches. Winter break; Forster, Port Mac, Crescent Head. Beautiful Sydney and a research week at Maloney’s. So grateful to God for everything 

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Great start to the winter break 🏕🏰