Welcome to this blog about living as apprentices of Jesus!
One of Karen's favorite quotes is: "Whatever job we get and whatever task we are assigned can serve as a container for grace" (Eugene Peterson in "Practical Resurrection"). We pray that the words and sentences on this blog may also serve as "containers of grace" for its readers.
Joy and Karen
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Tag Archives: Jesus
Watch what Jesus Does
“God isn’t looking for servants. God isn’t looking for slaves, workers, contestants to play the game or jump the hoops correctly. God is simply looking for images! God wants images of God to walk around the earth…. God wants usable … Continue reading
Posted in From My Reading...
Tagged Jesus, Richard Rohr, the Kingdom of God, the Stepford wives, Things Hidden
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Writing and Vulnerability
I was reminded by someone recently that writing makes us vulnerable. It’s one thing to ruminate in your head, quite another to share those words anonymously, and even more threatening to put your name on the page – so that … Continue reading
Posted in Writing as an Act of Faith
Tagged false narratives, fear, Jesus, vulnerability, writing
5 Comments
Going Deeper with God: Romans 8:12-17
Eugene Peterson’s book Eat this Book teaches us to chew on a passage of scripture, digest it, and then put it to use in practical ways. Our early Christian fathers and mothers called this process Lectio Divina. This passage from Romans … Continue reading
Posted in Going Deeper with God
Tagged father, Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus, Our Heavenly Father, The Lord's Prayer
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Live off the Grid?
This week I wondered for the first time if it might be easier living “off the grid.” Wouldn’t it be more comfortable not knowing about Middle East intrigue, teeming refugee camps, and capsized boats full of desperate immigrants? Wouldn’t it … Continue reading
Posted in Living as Apprentices
Tagged compassion, cops and black males, Freddie Gray, Jesus, off the grid, suffering
1 Comment
Choosing Abundance
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; “I came that they [the sheep] may have life, and have it abundantly” John 10: 10 (NRSV). Were you raised in an atmosphere of abundance or scarcity? In my family, while finances were … Continue reading
Posted in Living as Apprentices
Tagged abundance, Jesus, scarcity, Stephen R. Covey
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Easter Thoughts
An empty tomb. Forgotten burial cloths. A rolled-away stone. Angel messengers. A sobbing woman. A “gardener” who calls her by name and changes her sobbing to joy. This is the Easter story. A resurrection story. Every year we read and … Continue reading
Dumbing Down Ash Wednesday
“Church is offering drive-thru option for Ash Wednesday” This is a headline on the Faith & Belief Page in today’s newspaper. Here’s the first paragraph: “You can use the drive-thru for your favorite fast food. You can use the drive-thru to … Continue reading
Posted in Living as Apprentices
Tagged Ash Wednesday, crucifixion, Jesus, Lent, the Kingdom of God
3 Comments
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Today we are reminded of the life and work of Martin Luther King and many other courageous men and women who fought, non-violently, against discrimination and injustice and for the right of all people to live in the reality of … Continue reading
Living as Apprentices 