Learning To Sabbath Pt. 1

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

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Anyone who knows me knows I do not spend a whole lot of time resting. Driven is a word used by parishoners from time to time.

Sometimes I think I am too busy but mostly  I just consider myself as an aggressive pursuer of  the harvest.

I also think that most of the things I am doing are in line with what God desires of me.

That said, I was asked by my District Pastor to read a book recently. The title of that book is, The Rest of God, by Mark Buchanan. It has me thinking a lot about a Sabbath mentality and how that may be lacking in my life.

Here is one of the first thoughts I meditated on as I began to read.

“Without a healthy theology of labor, we’ll have an impoverished theology of rest. We’ll find that both are hectic, sporadic chaotic. We’ll find no joy in either.” Buchanan p.18

Let me ask you…How does a person’s mindset about work affect their mindset about rest?

Pastor Wrinkles: A Road Through Romans 1:1:5

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

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Here we are five days into our Romans study and still on verse 1. I think we will be to verse 2 on Sunday; So just hang on.

If you have missed our previous conversations on Romans please find them on the

“Road Through Romans Page”

Today we are beginning to speak about one of the major themes in Romans. It is the idea of being “set apart”.

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.

Right from the get-go Paul tells us he is two things. He is called, which we already said meant he was “invited”; And he is “set apart”. The Greek word Paul uses here is “aphorizo”. It means Paul is-marked off from others by boundaries, he was limited, or separated from others.

Paul starts his letter by saying, “I am different from other people. I am limited in ways other people are not limited. I have boundaries within which I live that other people don’t have.”

Once again it is important to note that these limits were not imposed by God. Paul was invited into them by God. They were necessary but they were not forced. Paul needed the boundaries because they were good for him. In fact we will learn later in this letter that those boundaries are actually part and parcel of the salvation that comes from God. Paul needed the boundaries, the limits because only inside of them could he walk in the fullness of power.

Paul helps us to understand the idea of being “set apart” or limited in his first letter to the Corinthians when he writes,

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. 1 Corinthians 10:23

Paul was set apart not just as an apostle but as a Christian. What that means is that those of us in the rank and file are really no different from the apostle in respect to being set apart. If Paul was different from others, we should be different from others. If Paul had boundaries he had to live within, we should have the same boundaries. If Paul was limited in his choice of behaviors, we should have limits. If Paul had to separate himself from the world, we have to separate ourselves from the world.

Now what in the world do you think that means?

A Season Of Rest

Posted on by under The Stories

It’s the sound of water

Lapping at the dock

As my daughter dangles

Her feet in the midnight blue

Of a summer lake.

Walden Pond

Walden Pond

It’s a walk around the block

With my little dogs

And a grey rock

Steeple reaching for the blue heavens

On an autumn day.

Kylemore Abbey

Kylemore Abbey

As the moon sings

Her cyclic songs

Over all the world

I forget if only for now

That the world is loud.

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It’s the swish of shovels.

Snow piled high,

Plows hold the world hostage.

And I am in

A season of rest.

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Pastor Wrinkles: A Road Through Romans 1:1:4

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

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This is installment four of our verse by verse study through the book of Romans. At this rate I calculate we will finish the study sometime in the course of eternity. If you have missed the previous portions of our study on verse 1, they can be found on the “Road Through Romans Page”

Today we are talking about the word “apostle”

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— Romans 1:1

We have learned quite a bit about this man named Paul in only seven words!

Today we learn that Paul is an apostle. The Greek word means Paul considers himself-a delegate, a messenger, one sent forth with orders.

The classical Christian definition of an apostle refers to the twelve apostles of Christ but in a broader sense it applied to other eminent Christian teachers such as Barnabas, Timothy or Silvanus.

There were four biblical qualifications for apostleship: (From WebBible Encyclopedia)

  1. that they should have seen the Lord, and been able to testify of him and of his resurrection from personal knowledge (John 15:27; Acts 1:21-22; 1 Cor. 9:1; Acts 22:14-15)
  2. They must have been immediately called to that office by Christ (Luke 6:13; Gal. 1:1).
  3. It was essential that they should be infallibly inspired, and thus protected against error and mistake in their public teaching, whether by word or by writing (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Thess. 2:13).
  4. Another qualification was the power of working miracles (Mark 16:20; Acts 2:43; 1 Cor. 12:8-11). The apostles therefore could have had no successors. They are the only authoritative teachers of the Christian doctrines. The office of an apostle ceased with its first holders.
Some would argue the last point made in item number four by turning to Ephesians Chapter 4 and noting that “apostle” is listed as one of the enduring offices of the church. They would say that the office of apostle today is different from the office of the Biblical apostles. To me the point isn’t really worth arguing. The answer isn’t going to directly effect 99.999% of the church, because even if the office still exists most of us will never ever be called to it.
That said there is a part of apostleship every Christian does bear in their spiritual DNA. We might not bear the authority of the office but we do bear the authority of the message. All Christians are delegates of the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth and we have a message to bring to the nations. Further we have been given orders that whoever we are and wherever we go we are to share the message. We are called to remember, the order to share the message is not a suggestion but a commission!

Travel Theme: Frames

Posted on by under Photography

This week I am taking some time to tag along with Ailsa across the world to FRAME THE WORLD in my camera lens. To see how others have framed the world click the underlined link and rocket over to “Where’s My Backpack?”

Here are my frames:

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These folks are framed in flowers at Longwood Gardens

This wisteria makes an elegant frame on a rainy day.

This wisteria makes an elegant frame on a rainy day.

A steeple tower framed in the ruins of the Rock of Cashel

A steeple tower framed in the ruins of the Rock of Cashel

Pastor Wrinkles: A Road Through Romans 1:1:3

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

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We have begun our verse by verse study through the book of Romans. Today we mark our third installment of our time together. If you have missed any of our previous discussions they can be found on the Road Through Romans Page.

Now on to today’s thought

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— ” Romans 1:1

Today I simply want to focus on the word “called”. Paul declared himself to be a servant, a slave of God, and the scope of that was explained in yesterday’s post, but this word “called” defines the boundaries of that slavery.

The word “called” which Paul uses here in Romans 1:1 is the word kletos. It means to be invited.

You see Paul was a slave of Christ but he was not forced into slavery. He was invited into it. God’s servants are not servants by force. They are servants by free will. I do not serve God because he has made me serve Him. I serve Him because I have chosen to do so.

Slavery to God comes with its consequences. It has its price to pay. But I don’t serve God in spite of the price. The price is not my focus. The blessings are what I set my eyes on. I serve God because of the love that serving Him releases into my life and because of the incredible blessing walking in that love creates in the present and will create in eternity.

We are invited into this slavery not forced to it. Answering the invitation may remove certain “rights” from my life but I have to say you cannot beat the benefit package. I may endure a cross now and even more so in the future but there is a joy that is set before me that makes any cross worth it all.

Friday Fictioneers: All These Dusty Miles

Posted on by under The Stories

It is time for Friday Fictioneers again. This week my story is going out ahead of time! Even I cannot believe it.

Let me encourage you to read my story and then to hop on over to Rochelle’s page and follow the little blue frog to lots of other stories. Here is our prompt for the week

PHOTO PROMPT - © Connie Gayer (Mrs. Russell)

PHOTO PROMPT – © Connie Gayer …(Mrs. Russell)

All These Dusty Miles

by JE Lillie

“Just a little further.” Momma says.

Those words are her mantra. I know she is frightened, so I will not complain even though my feet bleed and my shoulders ache with the weight of the pack.

“She knows the way” I say under my breath. Still she has never walked the distance. We were city dwellers. Then the bombs fell, the soldiers came and we ran with nothing but these bags slung from our shoulders and the clothes on our backs.

“We are here!” Momma says.

The ocean opens before me. Suddenly I wish to go back to the desert.