“People nowadays take time far more seriously than eternity”- Thomas Kelly, A Testament of Devotion After reading these words, one would be inclined to think that ‘nowadays’ refers to the year 2012. But that is not the case. These words were written in 1941, with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States’ […]
“This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep. . . . Go your way, eat the fat and drink the sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved; for the […]
In Chapter 4 (A “Dee-Dah Day”: The Practice of Celebration) of The Life You’ve Always Wanted, author John Ortberg describes a time when he was giving his 3 young children a bath. One of his daughters was out of the tub and John was trying to dry her off, but she joyfully was running around […]
A blue felt Snoopy banner once hung in my dorm room at David-Jonathan Hall at Concordia (nee River Forest). Snoopy was asleep on top of his dog house (must have been painful!). The banner was captioned- “I think I’m allergic to morning.” At the time I was completely unaware that my theology major had such […]
In Chapter 3 of The Life You’ve Always Wanted, author John Ortberg tells us that rhythm is one of the basic laws of life. From a spiritual perspective, there will be times of consolation and desolation. During times of consolation, Pastor Ortberg notes, God seems close, prayer is meaningful and the Bible comes alive. Times […]
Activities that enable us to live in the fruit of the Spirit traditionally are referred to as “spiritual disciplines”. In Chapter 3 (“Training vs. Trying”) of The Life You’ve Always Wanted, author John Ortberg offers 3 distinctions between what does and does not constitute a spiritual discipline: 1. Spiritual disciplines enable us to grow in […]
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get […]
In Chapter 2 (“Surprised by Change”) of The Life You’ve Always Wanted, author John Ortberg describes 5 warning signs listed in the Gospel of Matthew that tell us if we’re settling for pseudo-transformation instead of the real thing: 1. Am I spiritually authentic or preoccupied with appearing to be spiritual? If we’re authentic, our spiritual […]
John Ortberg (The Life You’ve Always Wanted) tells us that the Greek word morpho is one of the richest words in the New Testament and in a sense forms the foundation for this book. The author goes on to explain the essence of this transformation: “When morphing happens, I don’t just do the things Jesus […]
In Chapter 1 of The Life You’ve Always Wanted, author Max Lucado states that transformation is part of our life’s story. We won’t always be the same people we are presently. In the future we either will be incomparably better- or worse. Pastor Ortberg quotes C. S. Lewis from his book The Weight of Glory. […]
John Ortberg begins Chapter 1 of The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People with a statement by his childhood hero, cartoon character and philosopher Popeye the Sailor Man: “”I yam what I yam.” Popeye would say this whenever he felt frustrated or had no idea what else to do. Pastor Ortberg notes […]
Brennan Manning (Ruthless Trust) compares how trust, over time, ripens into confidence with The Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29): 1. Just as the seed the farmer casts on the ground automatically brings forth fruit, the author notes that “the growth of trust into confidence is likewise ‘of itself.’ ” 2. The farmer is […]