D – |ˈpäzit|
A look at earthly life with spiritual eyes.Listening to Gossip
“Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;
do you really want junk like that in your belly?”
Proverbs 18:18
There is so much gossip out there these days that we’re not even sure what’s gossip and what’s normal communication. Gossip in a simple sense is listening to or speaking about someone else’s life in a degrading way that in no real way involves you. One simple test to ask yourself if someone is telling you something (or you’re talking about someone) is, “Are these facts confirmed and am I a part of the solution or problem? Does our conversation lead to a healthy conclusion?” If you answer no to any of those then it’s probably best to cut the conversation off and talk about how great the Lakers are doing in the finals!
Repentence
I said something last night that offended a friend of mine. This morning my heart aches and I long for forgiveness. Psalm 51 has been my comfort:
Psalm 51
1-3Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.
Scrub away my guilt,
soak out my sins in your laundry.
I know how bad I’ve been;
my sins are staring me down.
4-6 You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen
it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
whatever you decide about me is fair.
I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,
in the wrong since before I was born.
What you’re after is truth from the inside out.
Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.
7-15 Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean,
scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.
Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don’t look too close for blemishes,
give me a clean bill of health.
God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don’t throw me out with the trash,
or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
so the lost can find their way home.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;
I’ll let loose with your praise.
16-17 Going through the motions doesn’t please you,
a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship
when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.
18-19 Make Zion the place you delight in,
repair Jerusalem’s broken-down walls.
Then you’ll get real worship from us,
acts of worship small and large,
Including all the bulls
they can heave onto your altar!
Good Will Hunting
About this time of year at Kairos we dive into a series called Hollywood and the Ancient Text. This series is devoted to the top 5 movies of the past year, by vote, within the Kairos community. This year we’ll be looking at Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, The Dark Knight, Wall-e, and To Be Decided (no really we haven’t determined this one yet).
But beyond those I’d like to talk about one of my favorites – Good Will Hunting. I watched it just the other day. Some of the themes that I find meaningful are friendship, mentoring, and romance.
The friendships that Will shared with the other three main guys were not really biblically centered, but they had a quality of fierce loyalty that I enjoyed. This kind of loyalty is attractive to me because it sends the message that no matter what you do (get thrown in jail for a few days) we’re by your side. Everyone needs people like that in there lives. Loyal-to-the-bone companions.
I also found the mentoring quality to be significant. Will and Sean have a powerful relationship. Sean cultivates a relationship of trust and a powerful breakthrough occurs. We all need someone older, wiser, more mature – who can point the way ahead and direct us along paths we have yet to tread.
Finally, the romance with Will and Skylar is intriguing to watch develop on screen. These two stumble through an awkward college relationship and all of it’s fun, idealism, and immaturity.
What does the Bible say to all of this? The triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exists in perfect relationship. Trust is the essence of the Godhead’s relationship and provides a basis and example for all other human relationships. Will Hunting’s problems dealt a lot with lack of trust in relationships. Powerful development and maturity occurs when he experiences trust. Developing trust comes first by trusting our Creator (Jesus who loved us with perfect affection), then by learning to trust and forgive others.
DVD Cover
Kobe and the Lakers
Well, this is not comedic in a stand up kind of way, but it’s just nasty watching Kobe slice up his competition. Enjoy! And root for the Lakers!!
Friday Week-In-Review
Fridays are great days for me. I just dropped off two of my friends, Don and Rob, at the LAX airport and now sitting at Panera working a bit online, drinking their good brew, and listening to favorite YouTube videos. Looking back it’s been a great week. Monday was Memorial Day and I had a really nice relaxing day. I took time to fast and retreat for prayer into the woods earlier this week also. My fasting was useful. A helpful by-product of fasting, beyond humility and closeness to God, is a kind of loss of inhibition. I find when I’m fasting I am less likely to think of myself. I am more apt to serve and love others without thinking twice.
I’m also working through a major decision in my life and have taken time to talk with 7 – 10 of my close friends and parents. It has been a time of growth for me as I talk with them. The reason is because I’ve asked for counsel, but have an openness of heart (vulnerability) and really want to ingest their responses before making my decision.
I also got a chance to share Christ’s love with several strangers this week. I hope God uses my feeble attempts to serve Him. This weekend looks to be fun. I’m going to see Star Trek tonight!
Silver Lake Event Tonight
Event happening tonight in Silver Lake, the Silver Lake Arts Festival featuring local bands(3 I think) and visual artists.
Our church[Garrett Mills] has been asked to host the event on our campus, the location is:
Silverlake Community Church
2930 Hyperion Ave
Los Angeles, CA
This event will be from 7pm to 10pm.
more info about it on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=56687052723
Silver Lake Arts
Proverbs for Tuesday
“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:22
I’m finding this to be a great source of guidance for my life this week. I took time to fast and pray – first seeking guidance from the Wonderful Counselor and then 7 – 10 of my closest friends and my parents. It has been a huge help as I wrestle through a major life decision.
Getting Back To LA
Wow, I woke up so happy and full of energy. I am so thankful to the Lord for all the good He has done in my world. I’m thankful for so much as I return. I have a great roommate who took care of my place for me while I was gone. Today in Los Angeles it’s been about 75 degrees. I’ve mostly been catching up on chores. I also had a chance to go get some new running shoes that I’m very excited about (thanks to my mom!). The only sad moment for me is that I miss my parents and some of my dear, dear friends in North Carolina/Virginia! I am getting back to blogging! Here goes…
Proverbs for the soul
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22
A blessing for you:
May you be blessed with the chance to laugh this week and enjoy the moments of simplicity. May you have close friends or family to share life with and may you develop a deep joy at the wonder God gives to all of His creation.
