Author Archives: storehaufovic

Considering…

11 Sunday Dec 2016

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  Two quotes i liked this week: someone asked me today what my favorite quotes, i came across, from this week were. I write down what friend’s say weekly when it feels true. Perhaps mine were two intense, but these were them…
  “Spirituality is the most basic human need, for it determines- identity, purpose and the power to live out your vocation with meaning. It determines how we interpret and live out the three basic human questions: who am I, what am I doing here, and how can I be empowered to live it out. So choose your spirituality with care and consideration.”
The other I liked from a local friend:
   “We need to make basic practical statements like: I won’t look at pornography, because, among other things, it corrupts my vision of Reality, and de-dignifies both genders-regardless of if I’m a woman or man; i won’t treat someone like an object for my momentary needs;  i won’t treat another person as if they were just their job or color, i won’t “it” them (race or gender) into my box; I won’t view my own worth based on what I have, or appear to have—these statements and this mentality,must become common among those who follow Christ.”
  I’m always shocked, in a good way, when friends share the truths they’ve learned so far. Challenges me to be a better person.
 considering

The Sky and Sea alone is enough to stun us to awake!

10 Saturday Dec 2016

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Few will focus on the sky and the sea. But both are sheer mysteries, which we cannot fully fathom. They are beyond the controllable elements unlike even creatures.. We think of the sky, the expanse made before us, on the second day, and are truly humbled. Each night, the moon stuns me. If we step outside our daily lives, and just behold those two alone, we will be truly humbled into being.

Spiritual growth and culture

09 Friday Dec 2016

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Spiritual growth and cultures…raw notes towards an article:
Discipling the nations would include thinking of how to grow the inner life regardless of the cultural outer life. In America, you see many who get stuck in immaturity of spirit; and some of theat is that we are not a post christian culture yet; in europe, you have to really chose to be christian. You look at debora or kerstin, and you see it is a weighty thing to follow Jesus, and there is lots of live out well. I ike america for it’s lightness of being, but at times her oppomions are so immature and not considering the whole. More teenager like, narcissism and solipsism are obvious traits. Plus, sort of a supermarket approach to their faith.
America is not quiet post christian yet; i would say we are more Christ haunted—that used to be just the south as Falnnery wrote, now it’s the he whole nation—more a supermarket spiritual nation—pick what works for you based on personal desire.
In many other countries it is much more a rick to follow Jesus, there are advantages to this—you have to take your faith more seriously. Yet, in both, you must learn how to grow spiritually, and be actually spirit led and learn to govern your inner lives—as St Paul taught us—to learn to take off, put on the new self—i.e. to be active in spiritual growth. There are different challenges to spiritual growth in different cultures; and different ways He is discipling the nations.
Of course cultural christianity can and does lead to complacency; or lack of discernment of the actual spirit of Christ moving. St John taught us ow to discern who was in Christ—it had to do with their deeds or actions. Are they living as Jesus lived etc. That was one of his keys to discernment. Yet, regardless of your culture, you are called out into a spiritual nation with a spiritual King; and to be growing in Him.
If your culture is largely atheistic, that is a unique challenge; if it is culturally or superficially christian, that is another type of challenge, and requires unique tools to spiritual grow and stay vibrant in being renewed in the image of Christ. For that is the goal for us all, as Paul taught—to be being renewed in our hearts into the image of Christ. Where there is neigether jew or gentle etc…Col 3.
Each culture presents unique challengies of being discipled into all Three Names of the Trinity. If you have an abusive father culture, you will have to find a truer image of The Father; if you have a culture which doesn’t believe in miracles, you may stumble over The Holy Spirit etc….
you see that african christians usually accept the Holy Spirit more easily than northern europeans, where the enlightenment was so strong, as well as marxist doctrine which choked out the supernatural.
You see africans being sent now into europe to help awaken her to The Holy Spirit among other things.
In america where the charismatic renewal began, you see less trouble finding the Holy Spirit, and I would say more problem finding God the Father—we are more like teenagers who don’t like to sit in the more patient I Am space in God, where Wisdom swells! So there are unique challenges in each nation of culture to true spiritual growth. But if we follow and are in Jesus, we must allow Him to overcome these cultural blinders, and actually be growing into becoming the sons and daughters of God. It is possible to become spiritually mature anywhere! Yet, it helps to know the cultural blocks around you which hinder spiritual growth. And if you are discipling others—to consider what they may need to grow past their cultural boundaries…sometimes that means actively going and serving in other cultures, just to get outside your comforts and blocks; or to constantly be vigilant as to the weaknesses of your own culture, and the places it blocks the life of Christ forming in it’s people.
My european friends have different struggles than my american ones in terms of spiritual growth. The europeans tend to take Jesus and a global view of His impact very seriously, and work actively to bring in the new creation in their fields. My american friends are often unaware of the whole global Body and needs, and can often get very solipsistic in their spirituality—or overemphasize the personal relationship with God, without being aware of His collective agenda.
Yet european often lack the levity of being in Him; the actual fun friendship part of Jesus.
It is often helpful to have a few americans in a circle to bring this levity and just do it-just be with Jesus part with no plan. They often move well in The  Holy PSIrit as well. Yet, lack a Father’s vision of the whole, and strategy for partnering in His Kingdom come etc. .
 The other aspects of spiritual growth are often situational; if you have a war in your backyard, you don’t have the luxury of complacency. Persecution brings acute spirituality. Yet, we can all grow even when not being persecuted! We just challenge ourselves to be growing daily into His Image no matter what our cultural milieu.
In the end, all nations will be baptized into  Him, or have a choice to do so.
But now, we must consider how to grow in Him where we are; and to be aware of the whole. My culture in america, though i was always in sub-cultures when here; generally struggles with solipsism and a lack of vision for the whole, even within the church. Yet, we have a servant hearts and i think are historically generous, especially to the oppressed. Yet, we often stop growing spiritually, by being as Keith Green put it, aaslpee in the Light —so religious spirit or mere cultural christianity. I think going and serving other cultures is one medicine for the american church. Get outside of your own culture and listen to God out there.
My european friends often need the impartational empowering of The Holy Spirit, which often comes through real prayer. They need to see demonstrations of His Power—we are more used to that in America, at least in  many parts of His Body.
We know He can do miracles, as the Africans already know; but we don’t always know The Ways of The Father. I would like us work together to form and become a fuller image of God globally. To co-disciple and stir up one another in the the Fullness of His Headship. Which parts are your cultures missing? What parts are needed from other parts of His Body, so we can built up together as His Spiritual House!
Regardless of culture we have the responsibility according to ST Paul to put off the old man, put on the new; to take off the old nature and be renewed in the new nature which is turning into the Image of Christ. Our spirituality is to be active, and we play a huge part in this partnership of becoming in Him. We must enter into the part of ourselves He is renewing daily; we cannot be paralyzed by Grace, nor can we be complacent in Christ. He is active and ever living to make intercession. His Word must be becoming life in us etc. Each culture has unique blocks to becoming mature in Christ, but we must scout them out, and put them to death in ourselves, in order to become mature followers of The Perfect One.  Spiritual growth is not an option for any of us; but a command to grow up in Him, to become matured brothers and sisters of Christ.
What are your culture’s blocks to spiritual growth? How have they played out in your own life and those around you? How can you take them off and move on in spiritual development? How can you pray for your culture to do the same? If you are called to disciple or spiritually parent another nation or culture, how can you help it get beyond these blocks and mature in Him?  I think this would aptly to sub-cultures as well, such as the art world, or the business world etc. How does your little or bigger culture block spiritual development, and what can you do to overcome these blocks to knowing and manifesting the Life of Christ in this world. For He is renewing us in the knowledge of the Image of His Son.  The already not yet of the new creation!
Apiritual obesity is caused by being overfed and not exercising enough. America struggles with this.
Spiritual growth is trans-cultural—neither greek nor jew; yet, our blocks to growth are often culturally determined. We need to locate the blocks in our own culture and other’s to spiritual development; and learn to walk past and through them to come into the Fuller Life of Christ.  If we are under atheism for instance, it is radical and sometimes just rebellious to claim that there is a God. If we are in a God saturated place, on the cultural level, we have to discern where the True God is behind the billboards. We fight forms of cultural christianity for instance.
In a nutshell, God is bigger than culture, and works through it. Each culture unredeemed however, has unique blocks to spiritual growth. Finding these blocks is a key to living out the abundant life regardless of where you are.
Cultures have redeemed and unredeemed parts. It’s helpful to notice where the unredeemed parts can block our spiritual growth.

Bury me standing, in Jerusalem

07 Wednesday Dec 2016

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Missing Jerusalem today. Just felt like writing her a post:
  When I lived in Jerusalem i would often nap up on the white rooftops of the old city, barter for matches and cantelopes at the evening market, and sneak into her many churches at night with my silly camera and sketch pad. Back then, i used to leave marbles around places I lived. My idea was that instead of losing my marbles, I would give them away, and later come back to see if they were still there. I left many in Jerusalem!
  Hopefully, this year, when i return, i’ll find a few of my marbles around town.
 I miss living in that city. It really was my favorite place I ever lived. And I’ve lived in some pretty cool places.
 Some religious people think of her, as too holy or symbolic to be encountered, lived in and with; but I found the opposite. She was made up of many nations and ethnicities and has a vibrant creative life. She is a very down to earth city, while obviously contexualized in something other-worldly.
 I used to go to her art galleries weekly, so many diverse voices going on. She has culinary and creative diversity at every turn. Miss that way—the way of Jerusalem. Each city has an identity and a way of being…I like and love many cities, but she’s still my favorite.
 I was teaching english to children when there. Little arab boys mostly. I remember all their names, and the little market their father ran near the Damascus gate.
  I often miss this special city. It really is my favorite place on earth, and not for all the clique reasons. I just really like it. People say it’s unsafe, but i worked with Arab kids lived with ethiopians and Jews, and attended a catholic parish. I felt right at home switching cultures quickly, and just being human.
  Every year about this time, i actually stop and make all my prayers about he Peace of this city. It’s not a religious thing, but rather a matter of the heart for me.
  When I started doing this (when younger), i didn’t realize it was a command in scripture, I just wanted to pray blessings for her, because i liked her. Turns out, now when i pray, i also find myself addressing global racism and all the other global issues we share in the human family, and the command makes more sense. When you pray for Jerusalem, you are sort of praying your way into The Father’s Heart for all nations, and peoples! So makes sense prayer would start or be centered there.
 It’s not so much a religious thing, it just happens in my heart. Bless my many friends in Jerusalem today, and the city itself. I always miss you when i’m not with you. If I was a tree, i’d definitely be planted in Jerusalem.
 I’ve lived all over the world, sort of from everywhere and nowhere; but that city was the place where the deepest part of me, just felt like it was home. It’s sort of like when you think about if you lost everything suddenly, where would you go. My city would be Jerusalem. I think we can have friendships with cities. Many blessings to you today friend. You never left me. And I always think and pray for you friend, especially these days.
 Bury me standing in Jerusalem, until then, i’ll write her love letters!

Standing on the Rock, considering standing rock…

06 Tuesday Dec 2016

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Standing on The Rock with those at standing rock.
(Just some raw thoughts and a sense of what is happening at Standing Rock; more later, but doesn’t feel like a time to remain silent.)
As the woman in this article says, this is a spiritual battle and, i think, an important symbol in our times, of dealing with root issues of racism and materialism (the two big ones in this nation). Unlike Woodstock and other symbols from previous generations, this one is a moral statement and cause (not just an anti-authority issue), and deals with generational sins overtly.
At a time when there is an obvious leadership crisis in government, i think this event will go down in history as a symbol of hope, and something which stirred hearts and spirits into action, rather than complacency, or withdrawal. Also unlike the occupy movement, this is neither an assault or withdrawal. It is a standing with the human family, and being mutually transformed.
And it begins with the risk of confession and forgiveness as all true movements do. MLK taught us that much. It’s time to stand, thus, be willing to kneel, again.
And the church cannot be silent on this one (as it was largely after 911), as it is dealing with the heart issues of your nation, which as it turns out, God is not done with. It has been said that America’s wounds would be brought fully to the surface in view of the world. That’s an act of Mercy!
Her church must get much less solipsistic and narcissistic in our hour and reach beyond denominational and generational division to actually move in action in the Spirit and Ways of God.
We no longer have the luxury of not being ecumenical. Ecumenism has to move beyond mere tolerance for one another, into actual unity of Spirit, and dialogue and listening conversation between the whole Body. If we are to be effective priest—salt (preservers) and light (interpreters-ie those who bring the Light of understanding)-for our nations and cities. I think this type of symbol is forcing unity of Spirit. And this is a necessary discomfort to cause the true church to stand in this nation.
Even as this election revealed the deep divisions in His church, so our times has one of the greatest opportunities ever to unify in His True Spirit and minister Peace Comfort and true Teaching and Love.
I had a dream that her red stripes were tattered from overextension. They were meant to bring sacrificial healing (red, blood etc), but had overextended in presumptuous leadership. In my dream, Jesus was lowering her flag to mend it. He was not burning the flag (the symbol of her destiny), but was carefully stitching it back together, in true tenderness: dealing with racism, materialism etc, but His Purpose is to heal her. And it is His Mercy and patience, and kindness to do so.
Through this event a national wound is clearly being surfaced.
And healing begins with contrite hearts willing to confess and stand with those who are suffering.
Much healing is needed, on many levels, and this is the path towards that. Mutual confession and actively loving one another, at the risk of our lives and our comforts. I think that this symbol is taking place at the heart of the nation, in a bitter winter is also a sign. And even as there is a transition of power in government. Watch the signs.
Also, makes sense that veterans are mobilizing—trained for war, but meant to bring Peace. Thanks friends for taking the risk to stand with our human family.
There is also something about the earth itself and hearing it’s groans. Unfortunately, the church has often been deaf in its relationship with the earth. Isn’t this the job of the sons and daughter of God. True intercessive stewardship. There is a great opportunity to stand with those who are trying to steward rather than abuse the earth. To me, this does not mean that we worship the creation, but rather guard and garden, cultivate and in wisdom make fruitful, and in this case, help heal the creation as it too, as life itself, is a gift from Above.
Interesting, also that the main voices on this one are from my own generation. Perhaps it is time to stand, speak truth in humility and love. Great challenge for us, and opportunity, to interpret, speak truth in love and be present in humility with our human family. Time to walk out the prophecies over us, while we are still here. Bless those who are trying.
I have many artists, veterans, and church leader friends who have traveled up to participate in this symbolic event. And each have said something like, this feels like a spiritual event more than a political one.
After a tedious, and at times embarrassing, and hard election process, it is nice to see the hearts of friends engaged in a bigger, and perhaps more important, human drama (and to see parts of the church, risk incarnation!), which I think will be remembered far past our time, and could be used to bring a deeper heart transformation which is desperately needed in this nation, and our world. It’s a time for root healing, and this is one of the poisoned roots which must be healed.

Standing on the Rock, with those at standing rock…

06 Tuesday Dec 2016

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Standing on The Rock with those at standing rock.
(Just some raw thoughts and a sense of what is happening at Standing Rock; more later, but doesn’t feel like a time to remain silent.)
  As the woman in this article says, this is a spiritual battle and, i think, an important symbol in our times, of dealing with root issues of racism and materialism (the two big ones in this nation). Unlike Woodstock and other symbols from previous generations, this one is a moral statement and cause (not just an anti-authority issue), and deals with generational sins overtly.
  At a time when there is an obvious leadership crisis in government, i think this event will go down in history as a symbol of hope, and something which stirred hearts and spirits into action, rather than complacency, or withdrawal. Also unlike the occupy movement, this is neither an assault or withdrawal. It is a standing with the human family, and being mutually transformed.
 And it begins with the risk of confession and forgiveness as all true movements do. MLK taught us that much. It’s time to stand again.
   And the church cannot be silent on this one (as it was largely after 911), as it is dealing with the heart issues of your nation, which as it turns out, God is not done with. It has been said that America’s wounds would be brought fully to the surface in view of the world. That’s an act of Mercy!
 Her church must get much less solipsistic and narcissistic in our hour and reach beyond denominational and generational division to actually move in action in the Spirit and Ways of God.
  We no longer have the luxury of not being ecumenical. Ecumenism has to move beyond mere tolerance for one another, into actual unity of Spirit, and dialogue and listening conversation between the whole Body. If we are to be effective priest—salt and light-for our nations and cities. I think this type of symbol is forcing unity of Spirit. And this is a necessary discomfort to cause the true church to stand in this nation. Even as this election revealed the deep divisions in His church, so our times has one of the greatest opportunities ever to unify in His True Spirit and minister Peace Comfort and true Teaching and Love.
 I had a dream that her red stripes were tattered from overextension. They were meant to bring sacrificial healing (red, blood etc), but had overextended in presumptuous leadership. In my dream, Jesus was lowering her flag to mend it. He was not burning the flag (the symbol of her destiny), but was carefully stitching it back together, in true tenderness: dealing with racism, materialism etc, but His Purpose is to heal her. And it is His Mercy and patience, and kindness to do so.
Through this event a national wound is clearly being surfaced.
  And healing begins with contrite (bruised and willing) hearts willing to confess and stand with those who are suffering.
  Much healing is needed, on many levels, and this is the path towards that. Mutual confession and actively loving one another, at the risk of our lives and our comforts. I think that this symbol is taking place at the heart of the nation, in a bitter winter is also a sign. And even as there is a transition of power in government. Watch the signs.
  Also, makes sense that veterans are mobilizing—trained for war, but meant to bring Peace. Thanks friends for taking the risk to stand with our human family.
   There is also something about the earth itself and hearing it’s groans. Unfortunately, the church has often been deaf in its relationship with the earth. Isn’t this the job of the sons and daughter of God. True intercessive stewardship. There is a great opportunity to stand with those who are trying to steward rather than abuse the earth. To me, this does not mean that we worship the creation, but rather guard and garden, cultivate and in wisdom make fruitful, and in this case, help heal the creation as it too, as life itself, is a gift from Above.
  Interesting, also that the main voices on this one are from my own generation. Perhaps it is time to stand, speak truth in humility and love. Great challenge for us, and opportunity, to interpret, speak truth in love and be present in humility with our human family. Time to walk out the prophecies over us, while we are still here. Bless those who are trying.
 I have many artists, veteran and church leader friends who have traveled up to participate in this symbolic event. And each have said something like, this feels like a spiritual event more than a political one. After a tedious and hard election process, it is nice to see the hearts of friends engaged in a bigger human drama (and to see parts of the church, risk incarnation!), which I think will be remembered far past our time, and could be used to bring a deeper heart transformation which is desperately needed in this nation, and our world. It’s a time for root healing, and this is one of the poisoned roots which must be healed.

05 Monday Dec 2016

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  My mom as she grows older and more beautiful, can’t sleep as well. So she wakes up last night, thinking of me, and hears this ancient poem, as she knows i love the creatures and meet Him through the earth. I hope that i age as well as that! Thinking of others, when I can’t sleep well!
  So, i too, sing poems to the sons and daughters when i, and we, cannot sleep well; here’s what she texted from an old hymn:
“For the beauty of the earth, For the glory of the skies. For the Love which from our birth over and around us lies; Christ our God to thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.
For the beauty of the the hour of the day and of the night, hill and dale and tree and flower, sun and moon and stars so bright. Lord of all to Thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.” Thanks mom, appreciate you and your prayer songs for us all. My mom is a cool lady! And sometimes, it’s good to hear the old songs…of love and appreciation.
Here’s the whole hymn:
1.    For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.
2.    For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale, and tree and flower,
sun and moon, and stars of light;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.
3.    For the joy of ear and eye,
for the heart and mind’s delight,
for the mystic harmony,
linking sense to sound and sight;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.
4.    For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.
5.    For thy church, that evermore
lifteth holy hands above,
offering up on every shore
her pure sacrifice of love;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.
6.    For thyself, best Gift Divine,
to the world so freely given,
for that great, great love of thine,
peace on earth, and joy in heaven:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.
  Not a bad text to get in the middle of the night from your mom! I like the older poems  and persons of thanks! They seem richer somehow.

How the symbolic works practically in prayer.

04 Sunday Dec 2016

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 How the symbolic works in prayer, worship and interface with the spiritual realm through Jesus. God is symbolic, and one strata of His communications occur through symbols. Dreams are an obvious form, but everything has a symbolic dimension of meaning. How we interpret symbols is part of how we interpret God.
Ministry to God comes before ministry to others. When we are ministering to God, we are lifted into His realm, as much as His Spirit guides us into it. We do not just take drugs and break into heaven, we are led there by His Spirit. Seated with Christ above. We have heavenly access because the Life and Ongoing work of Jesus.
  Now when we pray and worship we place ourselves in an orientation of entering the spiritual realm where He is. This is normal for a believer. It is not really mysticism, but we go where our Lord is, and we gain strength to return and bless from being in His Presence.
A lots of christians avoid the symbolic aspect of who God is. But when we do, we miss much of what even the bible is talking about. Jesus symbolized things. He modeled made patterns for us to live by. We need to read that symbolic dimension to understand who He is.
  Intepreting art is practice for interpreting the spiritual realm in its symbolic dimensions. Love is the center of all the realms, as God is Love.
He is also Light therefore wants to illuminate, to bring truer understanding. The Holy Spirit among other things, guides us into all truth. This includes an understanding of the symbolic dimensions. Again, dreams and visions and prayer impressions are all spoken in symbol.
 God likes to communicate through symbols. He symbolizes Himself! So we understand Him, and therefore love Him more.
Jesus taught often in symbols as well.
  I want to dymystify myticism. When we pray, we see things, get impressions, feel His Heart towards something. This is symbolic communion. We get to know God through symbols. It’s another area of meeting Him, tabernacling. All of life is meant to be a tabernacle of meeting God—marriage, taking out trash, going to work—the whole of life is a potential place of communion.
Spiritual perception is seeing by our spirit through His Spirit into the spiritual realm. God is Spirit, so we have to move in and by the spirit to understand something from His Perspective.
  Spiritual perception then, is seeing things more as they truly are. It’s not an uber mystical activity really, but it is supernatural.
  When we say we look at something spiritually, we are also looking at how the spiritual realm interfaces with the natural realm. God is incarnational, so He, who is Spirit enter into that which is natural. There is a way to two interface. When we pray, we start to see as Elisha’s disciple the spiritual realm in the midst of the natural realm. Elisha prayed his student’s eyes be opened to the spiritual realm, and the student suddenly saw the armies of heaven encamped above that place.
   Similarly, we pray to see. And as He opens our spiritual eyes, we start to see more present dimensions in this situation. We start to see the spiritual backdrop. From that vision, we can more wisely choose how to bless in the natural. Paul prayed that the eyes of hearts be ever more enlightened.
  Things must be revealed. Paul elsewhere in galatians said that the gospel was revealed to him, and that it was revealed to me to go do such and such. He was led by spiritual revelations.
   In this article, I want to also focus on why the priestly comes before action on earth. We must see what the Father is doing, before we know what to do on earth.
Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing. That took prayer, worship, retreat. Then He would return and teach and do things.
 He discerned their hearts, so that He could actually teach them what they needed to know.
 This was a common practice and pattern of Our Lord while on earth. He would stop pray and see, and then act. This is why spiritual perception comes before intervention.
Prayer by its nature engages the spiritual imagination. When we pray, we start to see things, get His Heart or impressions about whatever we are praying about. Afterwards, we understand the situation more clearly. This is one of the reasons for prayer. It’s a way of getting to know God, and then to be able to see more of how He is intervening in the situations around us.
  We must minister to God, before ministering to others. From that ministry comes all others.
  Where He is, we are also. The veil was torn at the Cross. Spiritual Reality is open to us who are in Him. We can already be getting to know His spiritual realm.
  The gospel did not come from man, it came down from The Father. The gospel was and is about His Son, and what He was offering through His Son to people. Paul says, that he did not make up the gospel, but that is was revealed to him. He went and tested it with the elders, and it was confirmed to have come from God.
Paul had many other, what we would call mystical experiences, even at his conversion. He gets a visitation from the Risen Jesus; and then at some point is lifted up into heaven and shown things. We are not told all he saw, but there was a type of mystical occurrence at that stage of his life, and repeatedly afterwards in his ministry.
  Spiritual perception governs how we interpret things. Peter was blessed because the Father had revealed to Him the true identity of His Son. So even to see who Jesus really is, requires a revelation, a new spiritual perception of things.
  How does spiritual perception work? How do we lose our own imaginations to find and be informed by more of His?
    Prayer seems like a key. When we pray, we place ourselves in an orientation which is receptive to Him, and He begins to show us things, sometimes in images, impressions or full visions, other times in words of sensations. In prayer, we are listening. We are overhearing and overseeing what God is thinking feeling imaging. We are coming into deeper communion with His Imagination—how God sees. This contextualizes what we are experiencing in our lives. It helps us interpret them better. And I think is part of what it means to be renewing our minds daily in the Light coming from His Cross!
  Jesus is The Light, so when we draw close to Him, everything is illuminated, made full of color and life. Therefore, our practice is always to be drawing nearer to Him. When we do so, we start to see things more in His Light.
So spiritual perception does involve Light. In Genesis, God made light, and saw that it was good. He illuminated things in order to make delineations. So must we.
     We have a crowd of those watching with us, as we draw above (Hebrews), so we are not on some disorienting trip, although it can be disorienting as it was for John when we are having open visions and visitations. Yet, God is not a God of confusion. We are meant to know things more deeply in Him.
        The prophets saw cities coming out of heaven, they saw beast and monsters of all kinds; they saw new temples and could measure their dimensions, they saw a reign of global peace at the end. They were shown many things. God knows how much we can handle, as we see in Daniel, when God tells him that is enough, you cannot see more in that area. God guides our perceptions, unlike in drug trips or ecstatic religions. The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth.
 And Love is there as well, for God is Love. That is one way to discern whether your vision is from God, does it have His Ways in it—is it Love centered.
      The prophets had activated imaginations, their spiritual perception was alive and in communion with Him. So, He could share lots with them.
  We often, in the church, have had a poverty of imagination-an un-activated imagination. We haven’t allowed our perception into our relationship with God. That’s tragic. For His Creativity is Life, and brings Life to us!  He wants to heal this, and awaken our spiritual perception so we can have a deeper communion with Him, and so we can be useful stewards and partners with Him on earth.

Generations of His Purposes

02 Friday Dec 2016

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Generations of His Purposes!
Working on an article considering generations, less as about physical age, and more about “generations of God’s purposes”. Looking at biblical characters like Joshua and Moses who got to walk in at least two generations in this sense. Fun meditation, which takes us out of the boxes of mere age, and into our chapters in God’s  long novel.
Each generation like a chapter in a book relates to the whole.
What’s your generational part in building the ancient spiritual house? What is your generation’s part of the overall structure, or spiritual building, or house, God is building to wear His Own name through the generations of His Purposes? He is writing a grand novel about Himself through all the generations; what is your generation’s chapter to add?
My own generation are namers, interpreters and authenticators. So…
Why authenticators now? Why have a generation of those who are manifesting and walking with Christ in a truly authentic manner. Why would He emphasize that now, in the overall building of His Church or expression on earth. Why authenticate Christianity now?
I often feel the generations of His Purposes, and try to seek out what He is emphasizing each generation. What is He highlighting about Himself through your generation? And why emphasize what your own generation carries now in the story? Lot’s of cool questions around generations, when you really consider the overall flow of the story. Each generation has its gifts and shadows, but allowing Him to write you into the big Story, is meaningful.
Through mine, it is authenticity. We are transparent and real about who we are, and who He is. There is no religious interruption, or ideological one.
I feel the chapters of His Story, and how we are uniquely included in the grand narrative. At times, i can step outside my own generational role and just enjoy the overall story. We each have our part to play, but the story is much bigger than us. May we build well on the foundation which is already laid.
 St Paul warned us to build our part well in the long spiritual saga, and to recall the foundations and be thankful that others built well before us. We test our building on whether we an see the foundation which is Christ, and then we move out with the Father and consider the whole structure, then we add our particular part, we are privileged to build with Him.
Generation is not just about age, but rather about generations of God’s purposes—i.e. what chapter of the story is your generation? You look at how Joshua walked through three generations of His Purposes. Most of us get two, if we are blessed. But knowing the generations of His Purposes, helps us collaborate in the true story of our times.  And how does your life and your generation’s gifts. fit into the grand novel? What is your generation’s part in the story? And why would you come now, in the drama? Again, it’s not just about physical age, but what generation or what chapter of His purposes we each are. And then how to work together, to make the transitions seamless.

Towards an ecological theology of the arts!

02 Friday Dec 2016

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Studying art and Nature and how the two relate today: It’s a pet topic for me—an ecological theology of the arts?!
NT Wright’s thoughts on beauty are helpful, as I’ve been looking at a true christian ecology and its relationship with the arts, over many years. There aren’t many great books on our relationship with Nature or the earth from a Christ centered perspective, which I’ve been interested in since living at L’abri. Shaeffer wrote a nice little treatise, but it doesn’t really include the earth’s groaning, and all of St Paul’s thinking of our collaboration with the earth.
He starts his thinking with the Resurrection and being part of the new creation. And we being included or first fruits in that experiment of making the earth whole again.
Quote:
 “When art comes to terms with both the wounds of the world and the promise of resurrection, and learns how to express and respond to both at once, we will be on the way to a fresh vision, a fresh mission….Art at its best draws attention not just to how things are, but how they will be—the hope for the earth is that it filled with the knowledge of God, and no longer be in pain…perhaps it will be the artists who are best at conveying both the hope and the surprise—the continuing approach of the new creation, overtly seen in the Resurrection”
Art must deal both with the earth’s current groaning, and it’s future glory and rest. That is part of our work as the sons and daughters of God in relationship to the earth itself and Nature. Much Christian art is sentimental because it has not heard the groaning of the earth.
Of course as he points out: “Creation is good, but it is not God. It is in pain, but that pain is taken into the very heart of God and becomes part of the pain of the new birth.”
I love thinking about the earth, and it’s relationship with God, and our role in the dialogue. God often addresses the earth directly in conversation through the prophets. Always interested me, the idea of prophesying healing to the mountains and rivers!
 Without worshiping the earth, we clearly have a unique priestly position of creative stewardship and a role in ushering in the new creation. St Paul seems to teach us that this also has to do with empathizing with the earth, not as our Ultimate, but as priestly artistic responsibility.
“To make sense of and celebrate a beautiful world through the production of artifacts which are themselves beautiful is part of the call to be stewards of creations, as was Adam’s naming of the animals.”
But this creative part of stewardship has been largely dismissed for much of church history. Still, as humans, it beckons and shakes us awake.
Lastly, “Genuine art is thus itself a response to the beauty of creation, which itself is a pointer to the beauty of God.” He speaks of Nature as like a chalice, or violin—participating but in potential form (groaning until the sons and daughters of God come forth more fully) with the Maker of the Music, and filler of the chalice. Nice thinking. Enjoying reading this section on aesthetics, from his book “Surprised by Hope”. Helpful. Wish it was around when i was in art school. Helps contextualize creativity, as part of stewardship. Nice.
Also his idea, that since we don’t live in the garden of eden, but in an earth which groans; an earth heading towards a city of God with a garden at its center—our art should not pretend the earth is not groaning. He suggest, as I would also that so much of Christian art lacks grit and truth, because it assumes it is a perfect world, so it is not in authentic dialogue with how things actually are. Or as Bono has pointed out—it lacks the blues of the Psalms, and becomes sentimental art. Sadly much christian art is simply not good art; could this lack of empathy with the groaning of the earth (Romans 8), be part of the reason?
I’m always trying to develop a theology of the arts and ecology. Fun researching this Scottish teacher’s thoughts on beauty and Nature, and our role in relation to it. That the earth is in pain is a given from scriptures, our relationship to its healing gets us caught up in the new creation. Good to consider that stewardship includes the arts!
One of my favorite artist—Christo; has done so many projects in direct relationship with the earth; I’ve always enjoyed his active dialogue with it.
Anyway, enjoying studying NT Wright’s theology of the new creation as a context for the arts. Helpful study.