Blog Archives - IRONSTRIKES

A Lesson Learned on a Boat with Jesus

5/11/2018

I recently spent some time talking to folks from our congregations about an event in the life of Jesus and His disciples. After a full day of healing and ministering, Jesus got in a boat to head to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Now the Sea of Galilee is not a sea but a lake. It is located over 600 feet below sea level. The Sea of Galilee is the lowest freshwater lake in the world. It is in places over 150 feet deep, and mountains surround it. Therefore it is not unusual for a storm to bear down on the lake and with little to no warning. The gospels tell us that this was no ordinary storm. The disciples were afraid they thought they were going to die. They went and told Jesus who was sleeping, master don’t you care if we drown? Jesus got up and rebuked the storm, “peace be still.” His response to the disciples is that rather than having a storm problem, they had a faith problem. After Jesus calmed the storm, the gospel records that the disciples were filled with fear. No longer were they filled with terror because of the storm, but a fearful realization that one more powerful than the hurricane was on the boat with them.

Often we believe the storm is the battlefield where we face our enemy. The battlefield is the other side of the lake. It is in the storm that we can have an encounter with the Lord. There will be no transformation on the battlefield if there is no transformation on the boat. My prayer is that we each one will have an encounter with Jesus in the midst of our storms.

Like the disciples, we are traveling in uncharted waters today. One thing we know for sure the future ahead of us will be nothing like the past behind us. We are living in a time of change. The first order of business in rapidly changing times is to decide what we will not change! We must not compromise the gospel message. As I look back over my life, I have experienced a lot of changes. Today we are a mission outpost. We must learn and understand the language and the culture of the places where we have been called to serve. We all love to gather and worship, but this can not be the end, we praise the Lord and are grateful for His grace and presence in our lives, and He compels us to go into our world with the gospel.

All around us are people who need the Lord. I am praying this week I will be sensitive to everyone I meet and that I can share God’s love with them. Having met Him in a few storms, I can say the Lord is the Peace speaker! He speaks peace to me today that I may take His peace into my world.

This post was written by Dr Ron Blake. You can find his original post here: wesleyshorse.com/a-lesson-learned-on-a-boat-with-jesus/

What Makes God Angry

5/10/2018

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient. Ephesians 5:6

Observation:

Paul continues to encourage the church in Ephesus to avoid the pagan practices of the world. This city was full of pagan worship, especially in regard to the goddess Artemis or Diana. The great temple was in the middle of the city, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Notice here that God is not upset at the sinner, but at the one who might, through deception, try to hurt those who are growing in their faith. These are the people who may have been mocking the new believers or trying to distract them into other types of worship. They had empty words, a faith that would leave people with nothing. The souvenir salesmen in Ephesus were furious because the Christian revival was cutting into their business. One can imagine that they began to come up with elaborate schemes to get the people back to Diana’s temple and to investing in worthless trinkets. These were empty words which drew people away to destruction and selfish gain for those hawking their goods. These were the ones who face the wrath of God; those who are willing to allow their own selfishness to bring about the fall of others.

Those who intentionally deceive God’s innocent children make God angry.

Application:

When we think about the salesmen of Ephesus we may nod our heads in agreement. Of course, that kind of behavior is extremely bad and they were bad people. The problem is that some of this behavior may be happening, even today, but maybe not quite as blatant. Whenever we sell someone on cheap Christianity, we are in danger of leading them down the wrong path, and of angering God.

It’s far too easy to tell people on a Christianity that doesn’t cost you very much. It seems that regular church attendance for discipleship isn’t that important anymore. Nor is tithing. Nor is helping other people come to Christ. Five minutes or less in prayer and devotions will cover you — no problem. Engaging in the practices of the world won’t be a stumbling block to you or to other vulnerable individuals!

Why are we believing these lies? Because we live in an instant and disposable world that doesn’t have high expectations for followers of Christ. And, unfortunately we are believing the lies and going astray, and this makes God angry. But it’s those who are perpetuating the lies that are frustrating God. Those in spiritual leadership in the church, both lay and clergy, need to be held accountable for the ways in which they are discipling others. There is a price to pay for serious discipleship; we are to take up our cross and follow Jesus. Empty words that sound easy will lead us nowhere.

Prayer:

Lord, the challenge to follow you faithfully remains before us day after day. Help us to follow you on this journey, living a life of sacrifice for your sake. Amen.

This post was written by Rev Carla Sunberg. You can find her original post here: reflectingtheimage.blogspot.com/2018/02/what-makes-god-angry.html

An Acceptable Sin

5/9/2018

Most Christians today like to say that all sins are “equal” in the eyes of God, that there is no scale of less or worse sins, that a white lie or a homicide alike would have been enough to require Christ to die on the cross. We say this in theory, but in practice, we know that a white lie won’t get you kicked off the church leadership team. And a homicide likely will.

In practice, there are some sins that are socially acceptable, even in the Church. There’s one sin in particular that has pervaded our society and churches so silently we hardly give it a second thought, and that is the constant hunt for more over what is enough. Or, in an uglier terminology, what is known as gluttony.

When I think about gluttony, I think about my desire to shove a dozen donuts into my mouth and wash them down with chocolate milk. Or perhaps it’s my tendency to mindlessly feed chips to a stomach that’s no longer hungry. Many of us can look at the sin of gluttony and think, “That’s not really my struggle.” Or, we think, “What’s the big deal?” After all, most congregations have compulsive over-eaters among them, and they’re not considered “less spiritual” or “backslidden” for it.

But gluttony has never been merely an addiction to food. And if we look at it in its original definition and context, gluttony becomes far closer to home than we’d like to admit.

At its simplest, gluttony is the soul’s addiction to excess. It occurs when taste overrules hunger, when want outweighs need. And in America, where upsizing has always been part of the American dream, it’s often difficult to distinguish what is hard-earned achievement and what is indulgent excess. In this sense, even the most athletic and toned among us can be gluttons. Any of us can be.

All desire for excess stems from a lack of satisfaction. I’m not satisfied with my portion—be it the portion on my plate, in the marriage bed, or in my bank account. Because I’m not satisfied with my portion, I then seek a greater portion. But because every portion is a finite part of a finite whole, I am constantly chasing an excess that can never satisfy.

This is the story of Genesis 3. What was the sin in the Garden of Eden if not a desire for excess? Adam and Eve were given beautiful sights and beautiful tastes in the absence of shame, but what made the garden a paradise was not any of this. It was a paradise because God walked in the cool of the day with them. And yet, Adam and Eve’s downfall was because they deemed even this as not enough. They weren’t content with their portion of paradise, and they reached out—to disastrous consequence—for more.

Like them, we are ravenous beings. We embody bottomless cravings that constantly paw at the next attractive thing. Our appetites are as strong as death, Proverbs 27:20 tells us. We are always on the move for the next thing that can satisfy and slake our restless thirst. This endless pull is the engine of gluttony. It propels our souls ever toward excess.

And yet, the desire for “more” is not inherently bad, but it is often misdirected. What we need is a relentless appetite for the divine. We need a holy ravenousness. Our craving souls can turn and become enthralled by a goodness that is found in the presence of an all-glorious God. There is only one infinite source of satisfaction that can satisfy our bottomless cravings.

A taste of His supreme grace is enough to lure an appetite long held prisoner to lesser portions. If stolen water is sweet, lavished grace is sweeter.

And here’s a strange side effect: The more we drink deeply of the endless love of an infinite God, the more our tastes will be changed. The deep bright marrow of grace will drip down into the restless souls of the ever-hungry.

In pursuit of lesser portions, our tastes have dulled. We’ve become numb to our real hungers, filling them with lesser fare. But when we return to the source, we taste anew.

Psalm 34:8 challenges us to see the difference for ourselves: “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” I think Paul understood this verse when he told the people at Lystra that God gives food and gladness so that our hearts would turn from vain things and turn to the ultimate satisfaction of who God is (Acts 14:15-17).

Consequently, if God has ordained that His goodness can be tasted and seen (and, I would submit, heard, smelled and touched), this has at least two direct implications. First, it means that every finite pleasure and satisfaction is meant to point us toward the infinite pleasure and satisfaction of God. My admiration for a sunset, then, need not stop at that horizon, rather it can curve upward into praise and gratitude. Second, it means that if our desire for "more" is misplaced, then certainly it can be redirected to something good as well.

Is the desire for excess sinful? It depends on whether the soul is addicted to a finite excess or an infinite excess. Do we ever think of gorging on God? Do we relish the chance to spend a few more minutes in prayer, hidden away from the world for just one more taste of the divine? When was the last time we lingered long over the pages of an open Bible because we just couldn’t stop admiring the honeyed flavor of an ancient truth? If the Bible is the story of the only infinite good, why do we spend so much of our lives at lesser tables?

We Christians have so tamed our enjoyment in God that we cannot fathom what such thrill-seeking would even look like. Feasting on God is as foreign to most Americans as an empty stomach. Why can’t we fix our souls on the only goodness who can handle our cravings? Why do we chase the more mild flavors of money, food and sex?

If only we would not stifle our gluttonous cravings, but turn them in the right direction. If only we would feast on an infinite God who offers fullness of life, rather than these lesser tables with the far milder flavors of money, sex, food and power.

As George MacDonald put it, “Sometimes I wake and, lo, I have forgot.” Sleep is like a reset button and my hunger is misdirected often. I think I’m hungry for the finite, but I’m really hungry for God. To remember, we need to taste daily, deeply and constantly of the goodness of God. So let us turn together, and feast rightly.

This post was written by Jason Todd of Relevant Magazine. For the original post with comments, go to: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/socially-acceptable-sin

Elitism in the Church

5/8/2018

I heard a prominent leader of a national movement of mostly white Christians give a talk in which he compared his group’s beliefs to various other Christian groups (including more ethnically-diverse groups). While extolling the virtues of his group’s beliefs he proudly proclaimed, “We have the best version of the Gospel.”Now I’m not interested in busting any one person’s (or group’s) chops, and in fact, I give him a lot of credit for saying publicly what many of us say behind closed doors and in our hearts. But as a minority group member sitting in the audience, I found his statement to be unfriendly to diverse voices.

Most blatantly, the statement violates the metaphor of the interdependent and multifaceted body of Christ. How can a gospel that is mostly (if not entirely) interpreted and articulated by a homogenous group of people (in this case, white, well-educated males) be the “best version”? But in a more subtle way, his statement sent a clear and powerful message to all of the diverse people in the room (e.g., women, people of color, people without advanced degrees, etc.). No need to join our movement; we don’t need diverse voices. We’ve already got the best version of the Gospel and we only needed white, well-educated men to figure it out. Diverse people need not apply.

Again, this guy simply said aloud what a lot of other people say privately or inwardly. But whether we make such audacious statements aloud or not, people of all cultures run the risk of alienating diverse people if they mistakenly believe that their homogenous group has basically figured out how to think, worship and live.

We might say we want diverse people to participate in our group but we are often too enamored with our own culture (e.g., our version of the Gospel) to invite diverse people to influence it. Rather, than actively seeking input from diverse people, we require them to assimilate to and bow down to the dominant culture. This approach might work to attract people who look diverse (in terms of race/ethnicity, etc.) but it will repel people who offer culturally-diverse perspectives.

Non-majority members who attempt to exert diverse cultural influence are often ignored — or worse, silenced and shunned. How dare they try to change our little utopian culture? we ask ourselves. How dare they challenge our perfect version of the Gospel? HOW DARE THEY?

I think we adopt a defensive and uninviting posture towards diverse others when we idolize our cultural group identity. When this happens, minority group members are not truly invited to participate in the community as valuable members of the all-inclusive we. Rather, they are invited to participate in the group as them—subordinate group members and second-class citizens.

Is cultural idolatry the source of this problem? If so, how do we avoid it? If not, what is the problem?

This post was written by Cristena Cleveland. For the original post with comments, go to: www.christenacleveland.com/blogarchive/2013/05/we-have-the-best-version-of-the-gospel-diversity-repellent?

Your Sins Are So Bad! Mine...? Uh...

5/7/2018

A temptation on the road to reverence is to stop and gawk at the wrecks in other people’s lives. Maybe it makes us feel better that while we may be struggling with one thing or another at least we’re not like that. Jesus tells a story of two men who go to the temple to pray. One was a gawker—that appears to be the audience Jesus intends this particular story to teach.

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 18:9-14, NIV).

Other people’s sins are much easier to confess than our own. Other people’s brokenness is much easier to mock than our own. But God seems to be seeking something other than “holiness police.” God loves those who, rather than sizing up the difference between themselves and other “more sinful” people, instead bow low in recognition of their own unworthiness compared to Holy God. The road to reverence is paved with humility.

Prayer Position

Notice the position of the two men in prayer. The Pharisee stands on his own two feet proud of his goodness but the tax collector “would not even look up to heaven.” One was confident in his righteousness and the other knew God was good and he was not. The tax collector trusted God enough, or at least was desperate enough, to cry out for mercy. Which one does Jesus say went home forgiven?

God desires honesty. God wants truth. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-12, NIV).

The Same Boat

We’re all in the same boat. We’ve all sinned. We’ve all fallen short of the glory of God. None of us are all we were created to be, but yet somehow we have the audacity to condemn others while seeking pardon for ourselves. Or do we think we are without sin? We sing, “Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me,” but then try to claim it exclusively. Saved a wretch like me, not a wretch like you, you’re the wrong kind of wretch.

None of this is intended to say that sin is not serious. It is. It is deadly. It separates us from Holy God. But God is greater than our sin. God is also greater than our neighbor’s sin. Remember what Jesus told Nicodemus? “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17). While we need to take sin seriously we must take God even more seriously.

Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin?

Sometimes Christians are seen as hateful when we point out the sins of others. But we claim this is not true. We “love the sinner and hate the sin.” I’m sure I’ve said that myself. But just this week I saw a quote by singer and humorist Mark Lowry with some important words to consider. They are helpful as we wrestle with sin and grace and how to live reverently. Mark said, “Love the sinner, hate the sin? How about: Love the sinner, hate your own sin! I don’t have time to hate your sin. There are too many of you! Hating my sin is a full-time job. How about you hate your sin, I’ll hate my sin and let’s just love each other!”

But too many of us are like the Pharisee in the story. We thank God we are not like those… fill in your blank here. Those drunks, those adulterers, those gays, those right wingers, those liberals, those “whatever we are not” people whose sins we want to highlight rather than allow the light of Christ to work in us. It is irreverent to do what God does not, to rank the sins of others as worse than our own. Since we are all in the same boat maybe we shouldn’t be so eager to see it sink.

Mercy Triumphs

James challenges us: “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’, you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’, also said, ‘You shall not murder.’ If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:8-13, NIV).

It’s stunning to consider we have broken the entire law. All of it! How in the world can we then turn around and point a condemning finger at others when their sin is ours as well? But if our guilt is stunning, this is more so. God has mercy on us. God casts our sin as far as the east is from the west. Through Jesus Christ we find not only pardon for our sin but power to become all we were created to be. Our response to God is worship. The appropriate response to others is mercy and love.

A Journey of Grace

Though we journey toward reverence we’re not there yet. We couldn’t have even started on our own. It’s all about grace. Grace, grace, grace: grace to draw us, grace to forgive us and grace to make us as we should be.

One thing I know is that gawking slows us down. Sometimes it even causes us to wreck. Let’s keep our eyes on the road.

This excerpt is from the book, Irreverent: Finding Our Way Home. Order the book here or the Kindle edition here.

This post is taken from Seedbed, provided by Rev John Leece. For the original post with comments, go to: http://seedbed.com/feed/noticing-other-peoples-sins/

Uncle Buddy: The Difference Between Abraham and Lot

5/6/2018

What was the difference between Abraham and Lot?

You know, they were blood kin and lived in the same country at the same time, and were in the same business.

But here is a part of the difference between them. Abraham commanded his house. Lot’s house commanded him. Abraham had a house of obedience. Lot had a house of disobedience.

Abraham pitched his tents toward Jerusalem. Lot pitched his tents toward Sodom.

Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked toward the mountains. Lot lifted up his eyes and looked toward the plains of Jordan.

Abraham went to the mountain and met God and blessed the world. Lot went to Sodom and well-nigh disgraced the human family.

Abraham chose grace. Lot chose grass.

And grace and grass tell the difference between the two men.

Robinson, Reuben A. (Bud). The Collected Works of 'Uncle Bud' Robinson (Kindle Locations 4387-4392). Jawbone Digital. Kindle Edition.

Cost of Redemption

5/5/2018

A little boy about ten years old was once bidden by his father to go and do some work in the field. He went as he was told, but took little pains about it, and made very slow progress in his task.

By and by his father called to him very kindly, and said, "Willie, can you tell me how much you have cost me since you have been born?" The father waited a while, and then said that he reckoned he had "cost him a hundred pounds."

The lad opened his eyes and wondered at the expense he had been. He seemed to see the hundred sovereigns all glittering before him, and in his heart determined to repay his father by doing all he could to please him. The reproof sank deeper into his heart than a hundred stripes.

When I read this story, it occurred to me, "What have I cost my Saviour?" Then I remember these precious words, "Ye are not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

G. Everard, page 23 in One Thousand Evangelistic Illustrations, edited by Webb, A. (1924). New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers

Vocations

5/4/2018

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy."
Acts 2: 17-18, NIV

God has always appointed people to speak for Him. We can see consistently in the Bible that God finds creative ways to speak, both directly and indirectly, and often appoints someone to speak for Him at a particular time or over a period of time.

The book of Joel reminds God’s people that this kind of appointment by God will become more normative in the future: “And afterward [after the coming of the Day of the Lord], I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days” (Joel 2:28-29).

This prophesy of Joel comes to fruition on the Day of Pentecost. In Peter’s first sermon after Pentecost, he declares as much, citing the Joel passage as being fulfilled by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:14-21). The time has come when men and women will join the chorus of voices throughout history to speak forth the wonders of God.

Today, all of us who have received the Spirit of God at salvation and who are responding to God’s sanctifying work in our lives have the opportunity to speak about God’s wonders, to dream dreams, and to envision what a world filled with God’s love and goodness would look like as we work toward that goal.

This promise of all people being granted this gift also comes with the promise that there will be those who are specifically called to vocations that focus almost exclusively on the proclamation of the Gospel: pastors, Christian educators, evangelists, chaplains, missionaries, etc. These men and women will have the opportunity to fulfill God’s Spirit-led vision in very specific ways – ways that define their life’s work.

As this new month begins, perhaps we should take time to pray specifically for those men and women who are called and who will be called to these kinds of vocations in service of God through the Church.

Those who serve us now need our prayers and encouragement. Those wrestling with a call also need people with whom they can talk, pray, and receive counsel. They also need opportunities to be trained in this calling and to share their gifts in the context of the community of faith. Let us pray for Christian vocations in the Church while we also pray that all of us will be a reflection of the light of Christ in our world.

Prayer:
Teach us, Good Lord,
To serve you as you deserve;
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed the wounds;
To labor and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do Thy will.
Through Jesus Christ Our Lord,
Amen. (Ignatius of Loyola)

This post was written b Charles W. Christian. You can find his original post here: holinesstoday.org/vocations

The Church, A Place of Nurture

5/3/2018

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13

Observation:

Gifts were given to the church so that she could fulfill her purpose of bringing all to “unity of the faith,” and this is to be seen in maturity, or perfection. The leaders in the church were to disciple the followers so that they could become more like Christ. The gifts to the church included the very first apostles, those who witnessed the resurrection of Christ. But the gift continues and includes the prophets who are those who can point toward a future, to the place where God is leading the people. It also includes evangelists who can speak about the past and bring the good news to a needy world. Pastors who teach are those who will equip the saints, God’s holy people, to be engaged in ministry. All of this comes to fruition in the body of Christ, the church, that continually leads people to spiritual maturity.

Application

When you think about the gifts that have been given to the church, in the form of people, it becomes a relational home of nurture and development. What’s important is that the gifts are all present. We have the foundation of the apostles on which to build, but today we still need the prophetic voice, calling us into a future that shapes us into the image of Christ. Evangelists are needed to preach the good news of Jesus Christ who transforms lives. We need to be reminded over and again of what Jesus has done for us. We also need pastors who will teach and equip those who are growing in grace.

There are some who argue that the church has become so focused on the pastor (shepherding) and teaching aspect that she has forgotten what it means to be prophetic and evangelistic. The reality is that we cannot simply nurture those who are in the faith, without helping others come to faith. As we grow and nurture, and become more like Christ, and we will want to become engaged in the evangelistic and prophetic mission of Christ. I would argue that if we don’t have those passions within the life of the church, the church is not truly growing in the ways in which God has intended. In this circumstance, there is no maturity, and the people are not being raised up to the “full stature of Christ.”

As a follower of Christ, and a member of the body of Christ, the church, we must all be engaged in the mission of becoming like Christ. The call to sainthood is for all, for it is to become clothed in the divine character of God, which is holy love. Again, Paul brings up the issue of unity. Holy love binds together the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and should also bind together God’s people. Unity in holy love is the reflection of God’s work in the world.

The church must be a place of nurture, where people come to Christ, are pointed in the direction of Christ, and become more like Christ. In this environment holy love begins to exude and the church becomes an incubator of Christlike disciples.

Prayer:

Lord, may your gifts be revealed in the church that reflects your kingdom on earth. Amen.

This post was written by Rev Carla Sunburg. You can find her original post here: reflectingtheimage.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-church-place-of-nurture.html

The Virtue of Flexibility

5/2/2018

Trees look strong compared with the wild reeds in the field. But when the storm comes the trees are uprooted, whereas the wild reeds, while moved back and forth by the wind, remain rooted and are standing up again when the storm has calmed down.

Flexibility is a great virtue. When we cling to our own positions and are not willing to let our hearts be moved back and forth a little by the ideas or actions of others, we may easily be broken. Being like wild reeds does not mean being wishy-washy. It means moving a little with the winds of the time while remaining solidly anchored in the ground. A humorless, intense, opinionated rigidity about current issues might cause these issues to break our spirits and make us bitter people. Let's be flexible while being deeply rooted.

For further reflection...

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom." - James 3:13 (NIV)

This post was written by Henri Nouwen. You can find his website here: www.henrinouwen.org