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Clouds coming in over the mountains lend an ethereal beauty to the concrete landscape of Phoenix today. I love where I live and work, and am always grateful for the refreshment of rain. Yet, sirens testify that storms bring pain, too. Prayers for all to be safe and well.
The makings of a fine autumn evening. Yes, I’ve got that Carolina Gent loaded with C&D Autumn Evening tobacco
Anglican liturgical living, following the curriculum of prayer and Scripture found in the Book of Common Prayer, brings us straight to the point. Activities and crafts are fun and can be helpful, but they are not essential. The living words of Scripture, from which flows the living prayers of the saints — that is what is essential.
All Saints’ Day: An Unpolished Reflection about Prayer Book Liturgical Living written by Amanda
A THOUSAND TIMES YES
🖊 Journaling through Colossians 2:11-22 today.
God is indeed a God of righteous order, not only organization in itself.
God does not stand for any law for law’s sake, even laws that are just.
For instance, it is just (and thus necessary) that I should die for my sin. My sin naturally leads me to death and necessarily condemns me to die. Nevertheless God finds a way through that law in Christ to bring a deeper justice, and deeper righteousness, in making me right.
The just law stands–my sinful self will die–but somehow something else mysterious and profound also happens because of Jesus: I nevertheless live on, a new creation no longer tainted by sin, healed and whole.
God will always pursue the highest good, and people getting what they deserve is–according to God’s work in Christ–not the highest good. Rather, reconciliation, and restoration are what he is after.
This is Love, and Love is the highest and deepest law!
Any law that stands in the way of that deep justice, that deep righteousness, that deep love that makes me right–God has no problem nailing it to a cross.
I find that the way to right-ness, true righteousness, is not so much a matter of what I do but who I love. The only way to overcome the indulgences of the sinful nature is cultivate a desire than runs deeper, a desire for Christ, a willingness to let go of all other things and take hold of nothing but him.
More and more I am finding that believing in Christ and his healing work of mercy in me is the only way to rest.
I do not have to fight to have Christ.
He has already been blessed, broken, given. His Spirit has been poured out in me. I already have him, and he’s all there is to life.
I already have him.
Oh God, thank you.
Got this Topical Memory System to begin working through Bible memorization with my kids. Surprisingly they are pretty excited about it!
Really beautiful morning at church today.
Fr. Esau McCaulley, writing for the Washington post: ‘Jesus Is King’ and Kanye West is a tax collector
🎵 Fave track so far on the new Kanye album: “Use This Gospel,” cause lyrics…and the Kenny G sax solo.
🎵 JESUS IS KING by Kanye West
🎵 New original music: SYNTHS // GRIDS // SUNSETS ON IPHONE 🏎🌴🌇
“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” - Pablo Picasso
Image: The Old Guitarist
A moment of harmony. From my time at The Casa last week.
From Kenneth Robertson’s Facebook this morning:
I’ve always dreaded the repetitiveness of Psalm 119, and recently the daily lectionary readings I follow brought me to it again. I braced myself for the slog: but then I remembered when a seminary professor counseled us to substitute “Christ” or “way of Christ” for every reference to the law/testimonies/statutes etc, since Christ is the fulfillment of the law that the psalmist was praising. So I tried it.
New favorite psalm.
What a wonderful insight. It strikes me this could be useful throughout the Old Testament.
Apple removes app used in Hong Kong protests after pressure from China - The Verge Massive tech companies like Google and Apple aren’t just influential…they are powerful.
🍿 Joker (2019) micro-review:
An aesthetically beautiful film that’s difficult viewing at the same time; Joker is unsettling, sad, and shocking. There’s no apologetic for violence here. Rather, the narrative suggests partial explanations. Destined to be a comic book film classic.
Rwanda’s Mara X, Z are the first smartphones made fully in Africa
This is awesome! Would love to see these available to purchase in the USA!
🍿 Joker (2019). Highly anticipating this film.
Nothing is more perilous than to be weary of the Word of God. Thinking he knows enough, a person begins little by little to despise the Word until he has lost Christ and the gospel altogether.
—Martin Luther, Galatians Commentary (on 2:14–16)
Craig Brian Larson and Phyllis Ten Elshof, 1001 Illustrations That Connect, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2008), 24.
Seen on reddit
Median home value in 1950: ~$7,500
Median household income in 1950: ~$3,300
1950 median yearly earnings to purchase a home: ~2.3
Median home value in 2018: ~$325,000
Median household income in 2018: ~$63,200
2018 median yearly earnings to purchase a home: ~5.14
Average amount paid to CEOs over worker in 1950: 20x
Average amount paid to CEOs over worker in 2018: 360x
Would like to see sources.