My Commonplace Book

“The imagination is how things get done. You have to cultivate creativity.”-Russell Simmons
How do we lead faculty and students to engage mission as a way of life? As movement leaders, we’re always in the process of directing our movement’s imagination toward new possibilities and applications. Henry Ward Beecher once described faith as “spiritualized imagination.” David [...]

I wished I had written this. Recently discovered Jon Swanson’s blog, the Levite Chronicles and enjoyed it. Below is an example of thot-ful reflection. It suggest ways we can be more like Jesus as we seek first His kingly rule and reign and his justice.
One of my fundamental life questions comes from Luke 15. Why [...]

I’ve been wrestling with my reading plan for 2008. Usually, I choose a biblical emphasis and an author or topics or persons to focus on for the upcoming year. I’ll stay with the gospels for another year, with a focus on the Jesus’ commitment to justice. I’d like to research the role of Isaiah’s servant [...]

I’ve been listening a fascinating story about Atlantic deep-sea divers, Shadow Divers. It is the story of two men, who in pursuit of glory, mystery, and adventure, descend 200 feet to a sunken U-boat off the coast of New Jersey. They descend to re-ascend with historical artifacts and the knowledge to solve one of the [...]

(I ran across these lyrics from a song by Jackson Browne—a challenge to American evangelicalism.)
All the streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
They’ll be gathering around the hearths [...]

C.S. Lewis wrote the following letter to the mother of an American nine-year old who feared he loved Aslan more than Jesus.

“Laurence can’t really love Aslan more than Jesus, even if he feels that’s what he is doing. For the things he loves Aslan for doing or saying are simply the things Jesus really [...]

The stories in the Gospels, far from being soothing bedtime stories for baptized children, are the most dangerous element of the Christian experience. They are radical, daring, unsettling, disturbing, even frightening. . . The Gospels are replete with stories that shake us out of our preference for the levelheaded, reasonable memories that the church [...]

I’ve begun a year-long study of the four gospels. I started several days ago in John–probably not the best place to start, but it’s been awhile since I’ve read from the “book of glory.” Here’s the plan—John: January-March; Mark: April-June; Matthew: July-Sept; Luke: Oct-Dec.
Why the gospels?
Well, I’ve been wondering [...]