31:15

In your hands - all my times,
all my hopes, all my fears;
holding my days, cupping my tears.
All my times are in your hands.

In your hands - pierced and torn;
all my sin, all my shame,
carried to the cross, borne away, buried,
by your hands, your feet, your side,
your heart.

How to be a Poet (Berry)

Wendell Berry says he wrote this to remind himself. It strikes me that it could easily be re-titled How to be a Preacher...

How to be a Poet

i 

Make a place to sit down. 
Sit down. Be quiet. 
You must depend upon 
affection, reading, knowledge, 
skill—more of each 
than you have—inspiration, 
work, growing older, patience, 
for patience joins time 
to eternity. Any readers 
who like your poems, 
doubt their judgment. 

ii 

Breathe with unconditional breath 
the unconditioned air. 
Shun electric wire. 
Communicate slowly. Live 
a three-dimensioned life; 
stay away from screens. 
Stay away from anything 
that obscures the place it is in. 
There are no unsacred places; 
there are only sacred places 
and desecrated places. 

iii 

Accept what comes from silence. 
Make the best you can of it. 
Of the little words that come 
out of the silence, like prayers 
prayed back to the one who prays, 
make a poem that does not disturb 
the silence from which it came.

Living in the (ministry) bubble

In a recent interview (here), Keeley Hawes said she didn't think her time in the limelight would last. “These are only very brief moments in our lives,..I don’t live in the bubble..I live in a world with three children and paying the mortgage, worrying about the world, my family, my friends. That’s the real bubble, your life."

Does the call to pastoral ministry mean that you do have to live inside the bubble? And that you take with you, inside its fragile, rainbow-tinged film, your wife and family and, ultimately, everything you have and all that you are?

Is any attempt to somehow live outside the bubble that is church and ministry a betrayal of 'the call' and its significance? Or is it necessary to retaining perspective and a truer service of the living God?

I think that's a complex but necessary discussion that needs to be had.

Jeremiah 30 in John 1

Their leader will be one of their own; their ruler will arise from among them.  (Jer 30:21)

"...He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." (Jn 1:11)

I will bring him near and he will come close to me— for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?’ declares the Lord. (Jer 30:21)

"...No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known." (Jn 1:18)

Instructing the church

Sometimes it can be hard to get your head around what needs to be said, to be prayed for and encouraged in the life of the church, gathered and scattered.

Here's a list of the instructions found in Peter's first letter, to scattered and diverse congregations, undergoing severe trials at the hands of an unbelieving world:

Set your hope on future grace - 1:13
Do not conform to previous evil desires - 1:14
Be holy, as God is holy - 1:15
Live your life in reverent fear - 1:17
Love one another from the heart - 1:22
Get rid of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy & slander - 2:1
Crave pure spiritual milk - 2:2
Abstain from sinful desires - 2:11
Live good lives among the pagans - 2:12
Submit to human authorities - 2:13
Live as free people, but not as a cover for evil - 2:16
Respect everyone - 2:17
Love believers - 2:17
Fear God - 2:17
Honour the King - 2:17
Slaves submit to masters - 2:18
Suffering for doing good & enduring it without retaliation - 2:20ff
Wives submit to husbands - 3:1
Husbands be considerate to your wives - 3:7
Be like-minded, sympathetic, loving one another, compassionate and humble - 3:8
Don't repay evil with evil but with blessing - 3:9
In your hearts, revere Christ as Lord - 3:15
Be ready to answer respectfully everyone who asks about your hope - 3:15
Arm yourself with readiness to suffer like Christ - 4:1
Because the end is near, be sober and alert so you can pray - 4:7
Above all, love each other deeply - 4:8
Offer hospitality without grumbling - 4:9
Use your gifts to serve each other, humbly & faithfully - 4:10f
Don't be surprised at suffering but rejoice you share in Christ's sufferings - 4:12f
If you suffer as a Christian, praise God you bear that name - 4:16
In suffering, commit yourself to your faithful Creator & keep doing good - 4:19
Elders: shepherd God's flock, humbly & willingly, without exploiting others - 5:2f
Younger ones: submit to your elders - 5:5
All of you: clothe yourselves with humility - 5:5
Humble yourselves under God's hand - 5:6
Cast all your anxiety on him - 5:7
Be alert & sober-minded - 5:8
Resist the devil - 5:9
Stand fast in God's grace - 5:12
Greet one another with a kiss of love - 5:14

Makes you think, eh.

too many to declare

Many, LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds
they would be too many to declare. (Psalm 40:5)

Jesus did many other things as well.
If every one of them were written down,
I suppose that even the whole world would not have room
for the books that would be written. (John 21:25)