I am writing each day on my inner world and the insight the Beatitudes are providing me in self-quarantine. I am hoping these words might be a place for you to reflect, ponder and help in some way.
“Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8).
“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.”—The Message
To read this particular Beatitude is a challenge for me this particular day. Why? Because I feel so impure—so conflicted on the inside. My “inside world” feels like a total mess.
Read moreThe fifty days following the first Easter offer us keen and vital insights into the implications of what happened on that first Easter. These fifty days combined invite us to see, experience and understand what Jesus’ own resurrection means for us today, in a pandemic world, and as we seek to lay a new foundation for our new normal which is ahead.
The Appearance to Mary Magdalene (John 20:10-18)
After the crucifixion of Jesus, we learn through John that the disciples huddled together in a locked home out of fear of what was going to happen to them. They had just witnessed the horrible death of Jesus. Forlorn and in deep grief, they sought the solace in each other’s company. It’s often what we tend to do when a crisis happens—we want the comfort and proximity of others. But, for Mary, we find a different way of finding solace.
Read more“Blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy.” -Matthew 5:7
“You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.” (The Message).
Mercy is about understanding first. It takes a degree of understanding before one can ever care for anything or anyone.
I am a witness to my own journey of becoming a merciful man. As a boy, as a young man, as a middle age pastor; I do not consider myself to be a man of mercy. I thought I knew a lot and I offered to everyone what I had amassed. I offered knowledge but I do not think I offered mercy.
Read moreGrace and Peace dear friends who are living out their Belovedness and Offering their Belovedness to a World in Crisis!
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.” (NIV)
This is a beatitude that builds on the previous three, so if you’re new to the post, I’d encourage you to stop. Go back and read the previous three posts. That’s important.
When we’ve become poor and at the end of our rope; when we mourn and are awakened to some of what we’ve truly lost in these days; and when we live in the new economy of meekness rather than power, prestige and position; then and only then are we really able to say, with reasonable certainty, of what can really satisfy us.
Read moreSoon, we will begin to start using this kind of language to define our lives: Pre-Pandemic and Post-Pandemic. What I mean by this is that the Corona Pandemic will be so life altering that this generation will be marked to speak of life either before the pandemic times or life after the pandemic times.
When you read the Old Testament we can clearly see great moments that divided people's understanding of God, life and a constantly moving "new normal." Think about the Great Flood, the Exodus, the Babylonian Captivity and life before the birth of Christ and life after the death of Christ, these all etched the epochs of time clearly by these definitive and life altering events.
Read moreGreetings dear friends across the world who are the very Beloved of God:
Today, let's look at "Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5.
The Message puts it this way: "You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you."
Crisis--this pandemic is bringing us to the new terrain of meekness. We find ourselves in this new terrain by loss. We do not end up here by strength; personality; ego or wealth. We become meek through loss. Loss that brings us into the land of meekness is the loss of what is most important to us. What could that be:
Read moreGood Morning dearly beloved and kindred souls:
We're going to take a look at one Beatitude a day for the next few days. Today, I want to focus on this:
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matthew 5:4).
The Message put it this way for us: "You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you."
I am thinking most of us are getting a deeper sense of all there is to mourn, all there is we've lost, and all we can lament. If you take a close look at this,
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