Weekend Reflections
Definitely had some fire shut up in my bones this weekend. Whenever I talk on the topic of dreams I get pretty passionate. I know talked a little louder and a little faster than usual. But I felt like I wasn't going to be able to say it all.
If ever there was a dreamer, His name is Jesus! And when we put our faith in Christ, we become part of the greatest dream ever dreamt--the redemption of humankind. Our Heavenly Father doesn't just want to save us from our sin. He wants to turn us into kingdom dreamers! And one way He does it is via the Holy Spirit conceiving God-ordained and God-sized dreams in us.
For Mother's Day we gave away lip balm made by the women of Magdalene--a residential ministry in Nashville for women with a history of prostitution and drug addiction. Really cool to be able to bless our moms while blessing this ministry that is seeing women's lives transformed by the grace of God.
Great day!
If ever there was a dreamer, His name is Jesus! And when we put our faith in Christ, we become part of the greatest dream ever dreamt--the redemption of humankind. Our Heavenly Father doesn't just want to save us from our sin. He wants to turn us into kingdom dreamers! And one way He does it is via the Holy Spirit conceiving God-ordained and God-sized dreams in us.
For Mother's Day we gave away lip balm made by the women of Magdalene--a residential ministry in Nashville for women with a history of prostitution and drug addiction. Really cool to be able to bless our moms while blessing this ministry that is seeing women's lives transformed by the grace of God.
Great day!
4 Comments:
Great message today at Georgetown. One thought. You said: "You need to know, when you serve in that ministry, write that check, go on a mission trip, you become part of that dream" (meaning 'Kingdom Dream' of Jesus). So true. But, must we not also acknowledge (as we reject the Gnostic dualism that plagues American Christianity) that all the other parts of our lives (work, art, learning, buying and selling, engaging culture) also have the potential of joining in that grand 'Kingdom Dream'. So many of us are too ready to think that the real heroes are those who do the stuff we associate with 'church'. Christ has come to redeem ('make right') all things (and loves to do this through his "Kingdom Dreamers'). "I have a Dream!" scott@overthewall.org
Scott,
Glad the message challenged you. I focused on connecting those dots because so often we get focused on "doing our religious duty" and don't realize that those church-related activities are part of the Great Dream becoming reality.
The Great Dream certainly includes all dimensions of life. I think I Corinthians 10:31 basically says that everything we do and every part of our life can glorify God.
I wish had more time to talk today. Would have loved going in some different directions. One of them would have been talking about culture-shaping professions as the mission-field of the 21st century. For what it's worth, it's one reason I write. It allows me to influence a larger non-church audience. And it's one reason I want to turn In a Pit into a movie. We've got to be salt and light in all corners of culture!
Blessings,
PM
Cool. I totally get it Mark.
A book plug: N.T. Wright's Surprised By Hope. Talk about a book to stir up Kingdom Dreamers! Wright insists that we must help one another to see that all of life and all that we 'do' has the possibility of becoming 'seed' for the God's amazing future yet to come and, even now having 'broken in'- works of justice, beauty, mission, generally work- all this becomes seed. Mark, like you, Wright urges the reader to release her or his God-given imagination to dream with God of the world coming (the new earth strangely mingled with the new heavens). We can participate in the great project of 'the redemption of all things'. God has acted in time and space (through Jesus) to put his Creation Project 'back on track'. This was done 'through the resurrection of Jesus, the firstborn of the New Creation'. And we, ...we are joining God in the 'redemption of all things'- doing Kingdom works flowing out of Kingdom dreams- planting seed for the future world that is His and, praise God, even ours. (Yeah, God! Our labor is not in vain).
Cool. I totally get it Mark.
A book plug: N.T. Wright's Surprised By Hope. Talk about a book to stir up Kingdom Dreamers! Wright insists that we must help one another to see that all of life and all that we 'do' has the possibility of becoming 'seed' for the God's amazing future yet to come and, even now having 'broken in'- works of justice, beauty, mission, generally work- all this becomes seed. Mark, like you, Wright urges the reader to release her or his God-given imagination to dream with God of the world coming (the new earth strangely mingled with the new heavens). We can participate in the great project of 'the redemption of all things'. God has acted in time and space (through Jesus) to put his Creation Project 'back on track'. This was done 'through the resurrection of Jesus, the firstborn of the New Creation'. And we, ...we are joining God in the 'redemption of all things'- doing Kingdom works flowing out of Kingdom dreams- planting seed for the future world that is His and, praise God, even ours. (Yeah, God! Our labor is not in vain).
Post a Comment
<< Home