Visit to India

During our recent visit to India (more information coming soon…) I was able to take this great photo of a woman outside of Nagpur. If you would like to look at more photos from our trip to India, head to our India 2007 gallery.

Upper Loft Meditation - Ian Darke (Guest Post)

“Take a moment and try a simple exercise. The results will tell you a great deal about the nature of your spiritual journey.

Imagine God thinking about you. What do you assume God feels when you come to mind?

When I ask people to do this, a surprising number of people say that the first thing they assume God feels is disappointment. Others assume that God feels anger. In both cases, these people are convinced that it is their sin that first catches God’s attention. I think they are wrong—and I think the consequences of such a view of God are enormous.”

That’s a quote from Chapter One of “Surrender to Love: Discovering the Heart of Christian Spirituality” by David Benner, published by IVP-US. WE know all about our petty failures and our silly fantasies. But:

“Regardless of what you have come to believe about God based on your life experience, the truth is that when God thinks of you, love swells in his heart and a smile comes to his face. God bursts with love for humans. He is far from being emotionally uninvolved with his creation. God’s bias toward us is strong, persistent and positive. The Christian God chooses to be known as Love, and that love pervades every aspect of God’s relationship with us.”

This Easter time may we all learn more of God’s love for us, seek our satisfaction only in Him, and learn to trust Him more in our daily lives.

Guest Blog by - Ian Darke, Letra Viva – San Jose Costa Rica

Podcast - April 7th, 2007

In this episode, Dr. Edward Bradley interviews two middle school students, (Carolyn M. & Georgia P.), about their work in raising awareness about Child Labor issues, Ian Drake from Letra Viva in Costa Rica shares a meditation and churches around the world are invited to participate in the 2007 Annual Day of Prayer for Children at High Risk.

Upper Loft Meditation - 1 Peter 2

“For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.” - 1 Peter 2:15

How do you respond when confronted by people who make outlandish statements, who know nothing about what they are talking about, and whose actions are 99% devoid of common sense?

Often we respond on the same level with a crass remark: “You idiot. How can you be so stupid?”

This verse gives guidance on how to react in a different way to those who do not know God and who act without reason or intelligence.

Notice, first, that the exhortation is not to give an eloquent response but to perform actions that all people would consider good.

Second, doing good should be a part of your daily life, not an action in response to idiotic inflammatory criticism. We should not be caught waiting to do good until the fool calls us to task.

Third, our doing good will honor the Lord and silence the fool. This means that they will be either speechless or so muzzled that nothing recognizable will be heard.

Finally, it is the will of God to do good (3 John 1:11).

Doing good must be more than a reaction to the foolishness you encounter. Doing good must be an intentional effort. Ask God each day to direct your path so that you might again and again find opportunities to do good.

The Message translation gives an appropriate modern twist: “It is God’s will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you’re a danger to society.”