The (Lieben)GOOD LIFE

    One thing I asked of the   Lord ,      that will I seek after: to live in the house of the  Lord      all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the  Lord ,      and to inquire in his temple.  Psalm 27.4 NRSV    I have asked one thing from the   Lord —      it’s all I seek:          to live in the  Lord ’s house all the days of my life,          seeing the  Lord ’s beauty          and constantly adoring his temple.  Psalm 27.4 CEB Beauty. More specifically, the beauty of the Lord. Is that what I want?  We get glimpses throughout the Bible where we are faced with the question, What's the one thing you want from God?  The first words of Jesus in the Gospel of John are, What do you want (John 1.38)?  Solomon asked for wisdom (1 Kings 3.1-15).  David asked to behold the...

  Made to Be Known, Known to Bring Peace.   We all come into the world looking for someone who is looking for us.   This is one of the most significant insights of neuroscience: our brains together with our bodies are made in such a way that they need others in order to function properly. In other words, at the very level of biology, physiology, and chemistry, we are designed to be interdependent; we are made to thrive by living in a community of vulnerability. We need to be seen by another, to be noticed by another, to be attended to by another, to be known, and to be cared for.   This is not a unique insight, of course. Genesis 1-2 tells us a similar story. It is not good for us to be alone. The world is an intricately ordered place of hyper-relationality. That is to say that all things function best when they are in right relationship with God’s ordering. Humans flourish when they are in right relationship to God, right relationships with others, have a prop...

  Proverbs 31.10-31; Psalm 1; James 3.13-4.3, 7-8a; Mark 9.30-37   Prayer of Invocation   Father, teach us to trust in you with all our heart, and to not lean on our own understanding, but in all our ways to acknowledge you and to live faithfully according to  your calling on our lives, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever. Amen.    Prayer of Illumination   Father, in your Son Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Open our eyes that we may see the wonders of your Word; and give us grace that we may clearly understand and freely choose the way of your wisdom; through Christ our Lord. Amen.   Proclamation   In our modern world, wisdom is different from knowledge. Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing that you don’t put a tomato in a fruit salad just because it’s a fruit! Wisdom is applied knowledge; it’s ...

Recently I was asked to speak at the national conference for the Association for Christians in Student Development (ACSD). The organizers asked me to give a theological account for the work of student development and to show how the themes of the conference connected to the good work of student life. Here is the final installment of the six talks I gave on June 10-13.  Session 6          The Good Work of Student Development   I’d like to thank Dr. Kristy Morgan, Dr. Steve Conn, the LETU Student Life team, and the executive team of ACSD for letting me be a part of this wonderful conference. Thank you for letting me share in your life and your work. It has been so enriching to learn more about what you do.  I would also like to give thanks to those of you who have engaged with me these past four days—for the hospitality that you have shown me through your attentiveness, which is perhaps the greatest gift we can give to one another...

Recently I was asked to speak at the national conference for the Association for Christians in Student Development (ACSD). The organizers asked me to give a theological account for the work of student development and to show how the themes of the conference connected to the good work of student life. Here is the fifth installment of the six talks I gave on June 10-13.  Session 5          The Good Work of Hospitality   Good morning! I hope you have been encouraged as we have been reflecting upon the good work that you do and seeing how it is connected to the ongoing work of Jesus! This morning I want to talk about the good work of hospitality. I want anchor our discussion on hospitality in what will at first seem like a really strange passage, Romans 16.1-16. Bear with me for a moment. Trust me, this text will preach!   As I read Romans 16.1-16, I want to ask you to listen for hospitality language (welcome), to pay attention to...

  Recently I was asked to speak at the national conference for the Association for Christians in Student Development (ACSD). The organizers asked me to give a theological account for the work of student development and to show how the themes of the conference connected to the good work of student life. Here is the fourth  installment of the six talks I gave on June 10-13.  Session 4           The Good Work of Identity Formation   For most of my time in college, I felt totally lost. I went to San Jose State, where I was able to pursue my life-long dream of playing football. Even with success, I was totally empty.   Strangely, the most profound feeling of emptiness came after one of the best games I ever played. I remember standing on the Orange Bowl logo at the fifty yard-line, shaking hands with Gino Torretta, the Heisman trophy winner that year. I was a freshmen; I got my first start; and we played the number one...

  Proper 8             Lamentations 3.22-33             Psalm 30             2 Corinthians 8.7-15             Mark 5.21-43   Prayer of Invocation Father, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together   in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.   Prayer of Illumination Lord, we rise to meet you this morning. Meet us where we are at with your word, that we may hope in you, trust in you, and bear witness to your faithfulness and goodness; in the name of Jesus. A...