Zondervan Blog

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Re:Word Weekly - 2/3/2012 - Letter from a Freed Slave, A New Liturgy, Wild Geese Posted: 03 Feb 2012 01:46 PM PST   Re:Word is our weekly roundup for disciples who read, write, and create. Each story we present meets two requirements: (1) Each is useful, enriching, or just plain fascinating. (2) Each story must regard words or the Word. (Pun intended, but we may regret it.)   Stories from the Week 1. "To my old master" is a letter written from an emancipated slave to his former master. Aside from Paul's epistles, it is the single most powerful and inspiring letter I have ever read. You will not forget it. (Big tip of the hat to @leslielfields for alerting me to @LettersofNote.) The Apostle Paul with the Good Book. From a Russian icon, via Wikimedia Commons.   2. "I need a new liturgy" says artist Blaine Hogan. Luckily, Aaron Niequist has created A New Liturgy! "A New Liturgy is our attempt to create holy space wherever we find ourselves," writes Niequist. "A moveable, sonic sanctuary. Released quarterly, each Liturgy is a 25 minute journey of music, prayer, scripture, and space that helps open us to The Almighty in any location, season, or emotion." (via @blainehogan) 3. "God has given Christianity a masculine feel," concludes John Piper. Rachel Held Evans (and many others) beg to differ. (via @rachelheldevans) 4. Marriage expert Sheila Wray Gregoire (@sheilagregoire) launched her "29 Days to Great Sex" blog series for married couples. Today's post: "Tip 3: Love the Skin You're In." 5. A college student cut technology from his life for 90 days. He learned a lot [video]. Tip of the hat to my coworker, Anne Zimmerman, who says, I really enjoyed the notes in the interview about how he rekindled relationships and learned who real friends were... I also enjoyed what he wrote about play and feeling a sense of fulfillment when they were done ice skating ... as opposed to playing Angry Birds.  6. Shauna Niequist (@sniequist) shares a striking poem. "You do not have to be good," reads the first line of Mary Oliver's poem, "Wild Geese." The poem is as crisp and bracing as a morning swim. I don't know if Oliver wrote it from a Christian worldview, but its significance for the Jesus-follower is striking. Read "Wild Geese" (Shauna Niequist is author of Bittersweet) - Adam Forrest, Zondervan   (This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer shares these personal opinions for information purposes only. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

Feel Like God Is in Your Way? [Excerpt by Carol Kent] Posted: 03 Feb 2012 02:43 PM PST   Learn More Have you ever felt stuck in a tough spot and thought, "God, why are you in my way?" I recommend this excerpt by Carol Kent, from her book Between a Rock and a Grace Place: Divine Surprises in the Tight Spots of Life.   Stuck in a Hard Place It has now been more than a decade ago, right in the middle of my life, that I ran into a huge boulder — the likes of which I had never encountered on my lifelong walk with God. It could have been my stopping place — the point at which I lost not only some of my most cherished dreams but also my faith, my joy, my purpose, and my passion to go on. Instead, I found out that the Rock in my path represented not an obstacle but an opportunity to encounter the living God in surprising, sometimes astonishing ways.   God continues to transform my hard places into grace places.  As I have learned to press into the Rock in the middle of my hard places, I have discovered that I am actually in a position of safety, refuge, and grace. Year after year, God continues to transform my hard places into grace places where I discover surprising gifts of faith, mercy, contentment, praise, blessing, freedom, laughter, and adventure — tailor-made for me with his tender, loving care.   [Maybe] you feel caught in one of those tight spots of life where the experience you are facing is difficult, if not unbearable. I pray that you will come to realize that the pain of being in this place need not cause you to lose hope. On the contrary, being "stuck" between a rock and a hard place can lead to a transforming and liberating encounter with the only true Rock — God himself.   'Careful! I've put a huge stone on the road to Mount Zion, a stone you can't get around. But the stone is me! If you're looking for me, you'll find me on the way, not in the way.' Romans 9:33 MSG; see NIV  If you press into the Rock instead of trying to get around it, you will discover a surprise far better than a Christmas gift specially delivered to your doorstep. On the road that is your life right now, you can find a new way of thinking about your circumstances, as well as an astonishing experience of grace, tailor-made just for you. As you encounter God "on" the way, not "in" the way, you may come to know him as you never have before...   The liberating truth is this: When we are caught between a rock and a hard place, we are given the chance to see our human limitations and our desperate need of divine intervention. Then we are given a choice: Will we place ourselves in a posture of humility and complete dependence on God, or will we just "try harder" and stumble over what could be a transforming encounter with grace?   "See, I lay in Zion a stone that makes people stumble..." Photo by Esculapio. Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania, 1996.   Every day is an opportunity to unwrap more of ... God's grace. In my own hardest places I have encountered the kind of grace that enables me to praise God for eyes to see the pain of others, a heart of compassion to respond, and a determination to provide tangible help to those who are caught between a rock and a hard place of their own. I am discovering that God works best through broken people who know they do not have all the answers. He can use people who have exhausted their own resources and finally realize that negotiating the tight spots of life is not something they do by themselves...   The most important question, however, is: How will you respond to your circumstances? Will you withdraw from your friends and family members? Will you "ease" your way out of situations in which you hear people talk about issues of hope and faith? Or will you remain open to divine surprises in the tight spots of your life?   -Carol Kent   Learn More Learn more about Between a Rock and a Grace Place. Follow Carol Kent on Twitter (@CarolKentSpeaks) - Adam Forrest, Zondervan (Images & some styling above are web-exclusive features not included in the text of Between a Rock... This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

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