"So go for it," The Teacher declares, "knock yourself out! But understand you're fooling yourself if you think any of it amounts to anything in the random, self-serving world we create for ourselves when God is not the central value in the equation."
Life from day to day offers an ongoing opportunity to engage what is meaningful and to put everything else in its proper place.
There is no amount of money, no luxury, no accolade, no acquisition of power or privilege that could come close to the beauty and the satisfaction of an encouraging and affirming relationship rooted in God's kind of love.
There are two particular examples of insight I'd like to share. Both so disarmingly simple you may not realize how beautifully present God was in those moments.
We stand in this liminal plane, on the threshold of eternity, and we grasp for God.
"Jesus is a little more inclusive than some of his followers tend to be." Jesus is God's invitation; Jesus is the gate itself, not a "Check your ID at the door" gatekeeper.
How do we claim God's gift of beauty and sing songs of freedom without giving in to cynicism?
"It's the people, Derek. Nature is beautiful and the lake is pretty, but if you want to see God you have to open your eyes to the people."
the beautiful privilege of living in the light comes also with the responsibility to follow Jesus in such a way that others are invited into the story.
Do we own a faith so deeply rooted in the love of Jesus that we're not afraid to take a few risks?
