I was reading this morning from Calvin Miller’s book "The Table of Inwardness" and came across a portion where Miller quotes Giles Fletcher on the all-surpassing sufficiency of Christ. As I read it, I really paused. While so simple, it also gets so lost in our busy world, and our task driven mentality. Read and chew for a moment:

He is a path, if any be misled,
He is a robe, if any naked be,
If any chance to hunger, He is bread,
If any be a bondman, He is free,
If any be but weak, how strong is He,
To dead men life He is, to sick men health,
To blind men sight, and to the needy wealth,
A pleasure without loss, a treasure without stealth.

What is most powerful about Gile’s words are that we never see the sufficiency of Christ until we see the insufficiency of self…when we begin to engage life in reality, we find the need for He that is beyond.

What also amazed me was how close those words were to a song I have been writing that focuses on the centrality of Jesus for finding life…the chorus I have been tweaking says this:

You are my heart when I can’t love,
You are my eyes when I can’t see,
You are my feet when I can’t move…Jesus
You are my hands when I can’t touch,
You are my lips when I can’t taste,
You are my song when I can’t sing,
Jesus…You’re the glue of everything

Hhmm…chew

Illuminate Deo,
MC

I was reading this morning from Calvin Miller’s book "The Table of Inwardness" and came across a portion where Miller quotes Giles Fletcher on the all-surpassing sufficiency of Christ. As I read it, I really paused. While so simple, it also gets so lost in our busy world, and our task driven mentality. Read and chew for a moment:

He is a path, if any be misled,
He is a robe, if any naked be,
If any chance to hunger, He is bread,
If any be a bondman, He is free,
If any be but weak, how strong is He,
To dead men life He is, to sick men health,
To blind men sight, and to the needy wealth,
A pleasure without loss, a treasure without stealth.

What is most powerful about Gile’s words are that we never see the sufficiency of Christ until we see the insufficiency of self…when we begin to engage life in reality, we find the need for He that is beyond.

What also amazed me was how close those words were to a song I have been writing that focuses on the centrality of Jesus for finding life…the chorus I have been tweaking says this:

You are my heart when I can’t love,
You are my eyes when I can’t see,
You are my feet when I can’t move…Jesus
You are my hands when I can’t touch,
You are my lips when I can’t taste,
You are my song when I can’t sing,
Jesus…You’re the glue of everything

Hhmm…chew

Illuminate Deo,
MC

The next journey experience begins this Sunday @SVA! As we have looked deeply into the areas that I believe God would have us major on this year:

1. Missionality
2. Commonality
3. Potentiality

It’s now time to discuss the ETHOS necessary to see life and world change through our community. This Sunday we will begin by looking at our first ETHOS statement for the Journey @ SVA.

Pray like it all depends on God…Serve like it all depends on you!

This will be a paradoxical conversation, and the 20/20 challenge for February will help engage you and all your senses deeper into the message and journey God has you on.

I don’t know about you, but in light of that ETHOS statement I tend to find myself vacillating between the two more than living in paradox with them both simultaneously.

Can you do that without be arrogant? Can you live that without offending God? Can you engage the world if you are on your knees? Does one negate the other? Am I going crazy trying to quantify the possibilities?

A heart aligned with the Creator’s heart will begin to journey into the paradox of freedom and sovereignty, of works and grace, of monism and synergism.

Start your engines, another journey has begun!

Illuminate Deo,
Monty

I loved the Lord of the Rings Trilogy…one of my favorite moments is in Two Towers where Gollum is having it out with himself…you get a vivid picture of the Old Man New Man imagery of New Testament.

The battle within every human who breathes to render or hang up the previous way of life and put on Christ, or the new way of life. This is perhaps one of the most frustrating areas of the spiritual journey…how do I put away the old and put on the new…how do I live and journey in the way of the master when my ego continually tries to resurrect and take control?

Do I work real hard and reform the old me? Do I work real hard and try harder to create a new me? But, this is the beauty of what it means to be "In Christ" the new you is already done…Jesus did it for you…you don’t create it or improve it…you become it.

Watch the clip and listen to the pod-cast when it goes on!  Download Gollum-Smeagol.mov

Are you ready to jump and exclaim with Smeagol/Gollum "Smeagol’s Free!" The journey to freedom is found "In Christ" He is your freedom, He is your ticket!

It’s time to stop creating your own super improvement program and begin moving into the transformation that is already yours In Christ…your role is to move into it through faith and mercy.

No formulas…no theological tricks…rather it’s an identity change… a new wardrobe…a new you! So celebrate the smallest of changes, thank God for His graceful transformation.

As you see and celebrate each small change…the eyes of your heart will begin to see spiritual sights that you have never even imagined!

This journey rocks!

Illuminate Deo,
Monty