What does it mean to Love God?
Dallas Willard died last week. His last public teaching was held at a conference in February 2013.
During one of the sessions Dallas explained loving God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength (the first commandment) as:
Loving God with your heart (ie your will) - Devoting your will to what is good for God
Loving God with your mind - Devoting your thoughts and feelings to what is good for God
etc...
That is worth thinking about, starting to figure out what it would look like for each of us, and then taking first steps in that direction.
The videos can be seen online for the next few weeks at
http://dallaswillardcenter.com/2013-conference/conference-videos/
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David Wanstall, 5/14/2013 |
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Why it is vital to think about what God is like
Have you ever been in a workplace where an old boss was replaced by a new one? Can you remember the uncertainty about what they would be like, what they would want and how they would interact with you? (If you haven't been in that position maybe you have had similar experiences with a new teacher, minister in a church or coach of a sporting team).
As you get to know the new boss - it shapes how you act - what work you do, how and when you do it, the way you ask questions (or not), the way you report etc.
What we think about what God is like shapes the way we act towards God in similar and probably more profound ways.
The converse is also true - how we act in our Christian life can reveal what we think God is like even if we haven't fully articulated that even to ourselves.
So take some time, to freshly think about what God is like as revealed through the bible, creation and preeminently in Jesus. And take some time to freshly think about what your actions and attitudes reveal about God.
Compare the two and find some way to regularly reflect on what God is really like - it will seep out through your life.
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David Wanstall, 5/7/2013 |
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Introverts and Missional Communities
Some of us are energised by being in groups with others (extroverts), while others of us sometimes find those experiences take some energy from us (introverts). Since Missional Communities are designed to be extended family experiences - how can introverts thrive and not just survive.
Here is a great article from Anna Robinson (an introvert)
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David Wanstall, 4/30/2013 |
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What if your prayer life was a little bit better?
When people mention prayer, often Christians start feeling some guilt about the state of their prayer life. They might remember hearing a sermon from a great prayer warrior or reading a book about a fantastic intercessor. And then the immediate reaction is - I could never be like them - not with my life and all the things going on in it.
The guilt about our current prayer life and the seeming impossibilty of being really good at prayer can join together to paralyze us and we try and forget about it as soon as possible - distracting ourselves with something else.
But what if we spent a few minutes to think about what our prayer life would be like if it was just a little bit better? Maybe you have seen some small thing in some other Christian that you would like to have a go at imitating. Maybe you can remember something you used to do in the past. The key is to look for something Good but small enough that you don't get paralzyed at the thought.
It is like the hint about starting something you don't want to do - cleaning, finances,..... If you have trouble getting started - just set yourself to do it for 5 minutes and see how much you can get done in that time.
LETS REFUSE TO BE PARALZYED ANY MORE
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David Wanstall, 4/16/2013 |
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How to see spiritual openness
This is a copy of an excellent post by Alex Absalom here.
Is it possible to recognize spiritual openness in another person? If so, how?
Actually it’s much easier to do than we realize – if only we will have eyes to see and ears to hear what God is already doing in someone’s life.
Hungry to meet God
When Hannah and I first met one of our dear friends, Lindsay, she presented as highly competent and successful – as a medic, a mother and someone who knew all about life. Yet in spite of having had no connection to church for several decades, her hunger for a deeper reality and sense of purpose shone through. She asked lots about how we were raising our children to know God without becoming messed up by religion. She expressed her inner turmoil over how she and her husband could raise their boys so they wouldn’t be caught up in the consumerist and selfish lifestyle that she saw all around.
When Jesus met Zacchaeus, He encountered someone who was extremely wealthy and seemingly successful. Yet as Jesus looked more deeply, He saw a man who had great riches and power, but who lacked meaningful friendships and a sense of value, purpose and divine destiny. Zacchaeus was in inner turmoil – and Jesus was able to stop, see that and invest time wisely in that relationship.
Today the spiritually open may not be hanging out of a tree in front of you, but the signs are similar. In particular, pay attention to the following clues:
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Their questions
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Their longings – for themselves, their kids and your community
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What they write on social media – it is amazing how candid people will be in that environment, typing words that would never escape their lips
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What they do with their time and money – listen to the causes and people with whom they engage
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What they say when they truly let their guard down – whether they are in crisis, chilling on vacation or simply drunk, these are prime moments for the heart to be revealed
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When they are in major life change – whether good (such as a new baby arriving) or bad (losing a job)
I’ve found that as I’ve disciplined myself to actually look and listen, I can see a lot of spiritual openness around me (and the lack thereof as well!). Men and women, boys and girls, all go through times of spiritual openness, but so often the Christians around them are not paying attention, and thus miss the chance to draw them closer to Jesus.
CONSIDER: How good are you at spotting spiritual openness? What specific step can you take to develop this aspect of godly awareness?
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David Wanstall, 4/9/2013 |
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Apps to help you with Bible memorization
A few weeks ago I suggested you might like to memorize some passages from the bible.
Here are a couple of apps that you might find helpful:
Bible Minded. It is free from the American Bible Society. It comes in iPhone and Android versions. It enables you to set your own passages, make voice recordings of those passages, use flash cards and set how frequently you are reminded to review the passages. I think it is excellent.
Scripturetyper. It is a free web based application that helps you memorize by getting you to type in the verses you want to memorize - with guidance. There is a paid app for your iPhone which you can sink with the browser version.
On the previous post I suggested a range of passages to memorize (these are better than isolated verses here and there). In using these apps you might like to break down those passages into 2 or 3 verse chunks.
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David Wanstall, 4/2/2013 |
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Some Old Testament Readings in the lead up to Easter
The days leading up to and including Easter are a good opportunity to read and reflect on the portions of scripture describing the events of the last week of Jesus' life. Since Jesus came as a fulfilment of the direction of the entire Old Testament, our reading can be enriched with various Old Testament passages. Here are a few suggestions:
Isaiah 9:1-7
Isaiah 11:1-9
Zechariah 9:9-17
Isaiah 42:1-9
Isaiah 49:1-7
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 22
Psalm 70
Ezekiel 37:1-14
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David Wanstall, 3/27/2013 |
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Don't take Easter at the one speed
Technology has allowed us to smooth out the ups and downs of the year. Airconditioners keep the temperatures in our houses constant; international transport enables us to have all sorts of fruits and vegetables all year round, DVD's DVR's and online services allow us to watch our favourite TV shows at any time, and cheap international travel means we can ski or surf whenever we want. All week trading means we can shop on any day, and internet shopping means we can shop at any hour - day or night. Now you can even buy hot cross buns from soon after Christmas!!!
We can unconsciously transfer this flattening out of the ups and downs of the year into our Spiritual lives - one day is much the same as the next, one sunday service the same as one four months ago, and we somewhat randomly think about different aspects of the bible story and the life of Jesus.
I think there is a danger that if we transfer this flattening out to Easter we miss the richness and the depth of these universally significant events. So this Easter try not to treat every day the same:
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On Psalm Sunday (24/3) read about and enter into the excitement of the crowds welcoming Jesus the Messiah/King into Jerusalem. A Day for excitement.
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On Maunday Thursday (28/3) remember the last Supper - the intimacy of Jesus with his disciples, the unfolding tragedy of Judas' betrayal, the significance of the first communion as part of Passover, and Jesus' anguished prayer in the Garden. A Day for closeness.
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On Good Friday (29/3) consider the shocking abandonment of Jesus by the disciples and then by the crowds, the injustice, His degrading punishment, darkness covering the land, Jesus death and burial. Then think about the disciples - shocked and stunned. Ponder how someone so good could be treated so badly. A Day for sadness
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On Easter Saturday (30/3) allow yourself to feel the uncertainty of Jesus still dead, hopes unfulfilled, the limbo of not knowing what will happen next. A Day for quiet uncertainty.
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On Easter Sunday (31/3) rejoice and celebrate in the history changing resurrection - Jesus is King, sin and death are defeated. Try and imagine the different sort of shock the disciples experienced. Think about how the resurrection broke through their paradigms and busted their ways of thinking. Let the resurrection challenge your ways of thinking again. A Day for paradigm changing rejoicing.
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David Wanstall, 3/20/2013 |
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eBook:Discover your mission now
Over the last month we have been looking at the B.L.E.S.S acronym to help us in our mission. It was developed by Dave Ferguson from Chicago and is available in a free ebook which you can get in ePub, Kindle, and pdf formats.
I encourage you to click on this link, and download it.
Once you have downloaded your version of choice, read it and see if you can begin to apply it in simple ways in your individual life and in the life of your missional community.
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David Wanstall, 3/12/2013 |
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A Dallas Willard Conversation
Recently John Ortberg and Scott Scruggs discussed some highlights from the 2013 Dallas Willard Center Conference looking at some amazing insights from Dallas Willard on topics like Confession, Spiritual Formation and much more.
This Video is well worth a look.
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David Wanstall, 3/5/2013 |
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