Before we start this process, I hope you might forgive a brief digression into the sort of things I might write.
When we first had a blog, I wrote a lengthy post each day, highlighting the thoughts that struck me. These are still on here in the archive, and you are very welcome to look at them and comment. Lat year, I posted more reflective thoughts, and by no means every day. This is the pattern I imagine I will follow this year. If any of you want to have items put up as posts, let me know and that can be done.
Many thanks to Paul Moynan for putting up a link to the blog from the St Paul's Tervuren website, and a pdf version of the reading plan.
If you follow this through, and if you look at last year's run through, you will see that I draw a lot on sources outside scripture as well, such as the music of Andrew Peterson. The direct relevance of a particular song may not be clear, although it probably was to me. Feel free to ignore or make use of as you will.
In general, the feel will be hopefully what you might expect from me if we were chatting over a coffee or while watching the Ashes or the ice hockey. All comments are welcome.
Thursday, 30 December 2010
On the borderland - 1 day to go
Our family is having a four day break over the New Year on the Dutch-German border near the town of Coevorden. The weather is cold and foggy, and there is not much evidence of a thaw for all the snow that lies around. But it is a pleasant spot for a few days R&R.
A Christian book I have just started is called 'Your God is too Safe' by Mark Buchanan. I am still only in the first part, where the author lays out his hypothesis that for all too many of us as Christians, we are happy to live in a borderland. Buchanan describes a crossing point between Uganda and Kenya which is a no-mans land where neither countries writ runs, where people can trade and live as they please, in a state of domesticated lawlessness. Applying it to our situation, he writes:
"Borderland is a political and geographical reality. But it's also a metaphor. There is a blood feud that divides Christ's domain from the world's, and a cross marks the crossing. Salvation is stepping over the boundary from our old life, the old land: freedom from its rules, its laws, its gods. It's coming home from the far country. But sanctification is the journey into the new land: learning to dwell gladly in the Father's house.
"It's a way of life that's hard to learn. The shape of the land is, first, cruciform. It's dangerous, difficult terrain. There are feasts, yes, but also graveyards, badlands, boot camps. It calls us to constant dying. Borderland seems safer, a land of exile when the homeland is war torn. So we refine an aptitude for lingering, malingering: for borderland dwelling. For standing out in the muddy field, as smoke mixes with twilight, and refusing to come join the Father though He pleads with us."
This 90 days could be an opportunity to move away from the borderland and into richer and closer fellowship with God. It's quite an exciting prospect, but a daunting one.
A Christian book I have just started is called 'Your God is too Safe' by Mark Buchanan. I am still only in the first part, where the author lays out his hypothesis that for all too many of us as Christians, we are happy to live in a borderland. Buchanan describes a crossing point between Uganda and Kenya which is a no-mans land where neither countries writ runs, where people can trade and live as they please, in a state of domesticated lawlessness. Applying it to our situation, he writes:
"Borderland is a political and geographical reality. But it's also a metaphor. There is a blood feud that divides Christ's domain from the world's, and a cross marks the crossing. Salvation is stepping over the boundary from our old life, the old land: freedom from its rules, its laws, its gods. It's coming home from the far country. But sanctification is the journey into the new land: learning to dwell gladly in the Father's house.
"It's a way of life that's hard to learn. The shape of the land is, first, cruciform. It's dangerous, difficult terrain. There are feasts, yes, but also graveyards, badlands, boot camps. It calls us to constant dying. Borderland seems safer, a land of exile when the homeland is war torn. So we refine an aptitude for lingering, malingering: for borderland dwelling. For standing out in the muddy field, as smoke mixes with twilight, and refusing to come join the Father though He pleads with us."
This 90 days could be an opportunity to move away from the borderland and into richer and closer fellowship with God. It's quite an exciting prospect, but a daunting one.
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
Welcome to the 2011 Read Through
As the start of 2011 approaches, it is time when a group of us from St Paul's again embark on reading through the bible in 90 days. There is no mystery or magic to this. This is not something to earn us spiritual brownie points or bragging rights. This is not a masochism or virility contest. No, it is an undertaking to take God's word seriously and to commit ourselves to spending time with God, in His word over a three month period and seeking to meet Him there and to be challenged and transformed as His disciples in the process.
Just a few basic points which I stressed before:
1. It is possible, but it requires a time commitment (just under an hour a day) and discipline;
2. The plan is divided into 88 readings, so there are two spare days built in to achieve the 90 day target. If you miss a day, it is not a disaster, but don't skip ahead intending to go back, as it is unlikely that you will. Some days will feel harder than others, but keep going;
3. This is obviously not a plan for in-depth study, but you will be pleasantly surprised by how much you do remember and retain. You will also gain a much greater appreciation of the flow of the revelation of scripture and will see the big themes and patterns emerge;
4. Be encouraged - about 20 or so people have indicated that they will try to achieve this. You are not doing this on your own;
5. The experience of previous years is that reading scripture is like any other appetite: the more you feed it, the more you want to continue feeding it.
This blog is open for you to use as you wish. Chris is willing to answer (or try to do so) any questions you may have as they arise. There is also an archive on this blog of previous runs through.
I am excited at the prospect of doing this again. It is the best fitness programme to start the New Year that I know, and it is great that there are so many of us doing this.
Let's get cracking on 1 January!
Just a few basic points which I stressed before:
1. It is possible, but it requires a time commitment (just under an hour a day) and discipline;
2. The plan is divided into 88 readings, so there are two spare days built in to achieve the 90 day target. If you miss a day, it is not a disaster, but don't skip ahead intending to go back, as it is unlikely that you will. Some days will feel harder than others, but keep going;
3. This is obviously not a plan for in-depth study, but you will be pleasantly surprised by how much you do remember and retain. You will also gain a much greater appreciation of the flow of the revelation of scripture and will see the big themes and patterns emerge;
4. Be encouraged - about 20 or so people have indicated that they will try to achieve this. You are not doing this on your own;
5. The experience of previous years is that reading scripture is like any other appetite: the more you feed it, the more you want to continue feeding it.
This blog is open for you to use as you wish. Chris is willing to answer (or try to do so) any questions you may have as they arise. There is also an archive on this blog of previous runs through.
I am excited at the prospect of doing this again. It is the best fitness programme to start the New Year that I know, and it is great that there are so many of us doing this.
Let's get cracking on 1 January!
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