A Reading from Lamentations

The thought of my suffering and homelessness
is bitter beyond words.
I will never forget this awful time,
as I grieve over my loss.

Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!

For no one is abandoned
by the Lord forever.
Though he brings grief,
he also shows compassion
because of the greatness of his unfailing love.

For he does not enjoy hurting people
or causing them sorrow.

Chapter 3, verses 19-24 and 31-33


This passage gave me strange comfort last night as I was grieving for the loss of How Things Should Be. I pray that it brings you similar comfort.

Christianese-English Dictionary

Being new to the blogging world, I was scrolling through my friends' blogs. In the process, I ran across this post by my friend Matthew John (who was named after most of the disciples), in which he quoted one of my earlier Facebook notes that he found funny. I also found it funny and decided to post a partial list again on my fancy new blog. And the whole thing comes full circle.

This is a helpful guide to the strange dialect of "Christianese" that you might find spontaneously coming from the mouth of an acquaintance. When you hear one of the following phrases, you can refer to this list for the translation. Please read with a grain of salt:

1. I'll pray about it.

Translation: NO!

2. We need to pray for ______.

Translation: Guess what I just heard?!

3. I'm waiting for God to open some doors.

Translation: I'm living in my parent's basement.

4. God gave me a word for you.

Translation: I have advice to help you with your disaster of a life.

5. I'm going to have my quiet time.

Translation: Leave me the heck alone!

6. God is good.

Translation: My life sucks!

7. Bless his/her heart.

Translation: What an idiot.

8. I have the gift of discernment.

Translation: I can judge people without even talking to them.

9. I was having fellowship with them.

Translation: We had beer and pizza and watched the game instead of going to church.

10. I am saved by grace, not works.

Translation: I can do whatever the heck I want.

11. She caused me to stumble.

Translation: What a skank.

12. I kissed dating goodbye.

Translation: I couldn't get a blind date. Literally.

13. Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth.

Translation: I can't believe you said the real curse word!

14. I don't mean to judge but...

Translation: I'm going to judge.

15. I'm dating Jesus right now.

Translation: Are you kidding? I'm way out of your league.

16. God wants me to take some time off from this relationship.

Translation: I met someone else and I'm too coward to break up with you myself.

17. I'll pray about marrying you.

Translation: NO!

18. God told me that we are going to get married.

Translation: Maybe you will say yes if God is behind this.

19. I'm fasting.

Translation: Your spiritual life is miniscule compared to mine. Try to keep up.

20. God has called me to minister to her.

Translation: She's really hot.

21. I think you should pray about it.

Translation: You will see that I'm right.

22. We've decided to court, not date.

Translation: My parents have a death grip on my life.

23. Courting

Translation: Homeschool dating

24. Take this with a grain of salt.

Translation: I'm about to really offend you.

25. I'm feeling convicted about this.

Translation: One day I might change my actions.

26. Have I offended you?

Translation: Why are you treating me like garbage?

27. Who wants to pray?

Translation: I don't want to pray right now.

Books I Once Read

At the suggestion of my friend Dave, I have made this post. This is a list of books that have affected me positively, but I will say nothing about the theological accuracy of the content because I have not always been the theological stalwart you know today (ha!). 

Noticeably absent will be the Bible. That is a given. 

There is no rhyme or reason to the organization of this list. I am told I can do what I want with a blog and so that is what I have done:

Mere Christianity by Clive Staples 

-This book was foundational for me and laid the groundwork for much of my way of thinking about the world. I read it when i was about 15.

The Sacred Romance by John Eldridge 

-I began to understand God's love for me while reading this book on a beach in Florida. I have never been the same.

The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning

-Grace seeps tangibly from this book. I read it one summer while at camp and it has influenced my understanding of the relentless pursuit of God more than most other books.

Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton

-Don't be put off by the title. This book is a quick, funny and enlightening read. It helped to give me categories for thinking about the world. 

Season of Life by Jeff Marx

-Rethink competition. About a pastor/NFL player/high school coach/mentor. Fantastic.

The God Who is There by Francis Schaeffer

-The founder of the Christian Worldview movement has profound things to say, as it turns out. His way of looking at art dramatically aided the enjoyment of my recent trip to Denver Art Museum.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

-It's a fictional kids book. I've read it multiple times. As an adult. Sue me. It makes me feel happy inside.

The Source by James A. Michener

-A fictional, sweeping, mostly historical account of the history of Judaism. This helped me understand Jews and the history of their people profoundly.

Healing the Masculine Soul by Gordon Dalby and Wild at Heart by John Eldridge

-These books gave me permission to be a man.

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes

-The first historical fiction novel from my childhood. It made me love history and reading fiction.

The Watermark by Travis Thrasher

-A beautiful novella about forgiveness. I read it one day and thought it poignant, mellow and beautiful.

I will close my laptop and think of more immediately. That's the way of these things.

quiet advent

it is a time of whispers

of rumors and echoes

angels are unfurling their wings

stars are dancing new steps

and the universe is drawing breath

for now we live in the waiting time

let the darkness gather

let the seasons change

let the nights draw in

to their darkest moment

the light is on it's way

so come now

be a blessing to the frantic and worried world

come now

and find space

silence

stillness

for God is slipping into skin

and restless in the womb

it is advent

This is not my work. I heard it and thought it was beautiful and applicable to the season.

The Requisite Apologetic for My Blog

I have caved in and decided to add my small voice to the millions of voices out there and have started a blog. I tried this a while back and gave up because Facebook notes were easier. Thanks to my friend Nathan, who talked me into this.

At any rate, here it is. 

At first, I'm going to just re-post some of my favorite Facebook notes that I think are worth reading. Then I'll start making new ones. 

An acknowledged narcissist,

B-rad