Our Father is Not Custodial
I was speaking with some friends over a Skype conference last night. It was the last of 4 meetings some great men and I had over Robin’s book “The Healing Path.” I have many thoughts brewing from that extended conversation but for now I just want to mention a word. It was a word a wrote on my notes pages a couple weeks ago in a previous group chat appointment. The word is custodial. The word was mentioned in the context, I believe, of learning to receive the Father’s love and understand his affection for us as something greater and deeper than simply custodial.
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Time to Move
Situation Normal: I Am In Transition
My friend Chris Austin shared an perfect illustration at our most recent Worship@8500 gathering in the high country of Colorado. It was wrapped around the understanding we have of seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall, and how these seasons reflect the Lord’s sense of cyclical life in all things. His proposed that we have failed to recognize that in our lives this same cycle of change is always at work in us because we constantly act surprised when most of our gatherings contain people who confess, “I feel like we are in transition right now...” Chris concluded that since all of life (aka The Lion King) moves in cycles where there is birth, life, death, repeat that it is foolish to keep resisting the pain and joys that accompany these cycles, or to keep pretending like our life in Christ will somehow help us live without transition and change. I believe these cycles really do represent the regular transitions that we are always making in life and that we were meant to make. We do not live a life that simply excels from one revelation to the next without repentance, or one strength to the next without pain, or one place to the next without loss. Transition is situation normal for human beings.
Basics of Fathering, Part 2
Here is the audio interview between Ben Pasley and Mark Weaver where they discuss the article "Basics of Fathering" from Churchthink.com. This is the second of two parts.
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Basics of Fathering, Part 1
Here is the audio interview between Ben Pasley and Mark Weaver where they discuss the article "Basics of Fathering" from Churchthink.com. This is the first of two parts.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Basics in Fathering
SOME BASICS IN THE GRACE OF FATHERING
Scripture Note: 1Th. 2:11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children...
Different than mentoring by a degree
Mentoring is not fathering, exactly, even though fathering certainly involves mentoring. I will explain. As you may know, Mentor was a character in Homer’s ancient work: The Odyssey. In this drama King Odysseus (Ullyses) leaves Mentor, a friend, in charge of his son and his palace when he leaves to fight the Trojan War. Easy to see root meanings there. The idea of professional tutelage, or character coaching is popularized in the French author François Fénelon’s book covering the mentoring of a famous French duke. In both examples, and in real life, we do not expect that a mentor is a “bloodline” relationship. In most cases we view mentoring as the addition of a professional coach to build in a younger person a degree of aptitude in skill, intellect, or character for their betterment. Fathering may certainly require all the elements listed above, but it requires something more wouldn’t you say?
How to Act Like a Son, Part 2
I posted an article at churchthink.com on April 9th, 2008 by the same title. Now we take that article and use the content as a discussion tool. Ben interviews Gary Adolphe. Part 2 of 2. Don’t forget to post a “review” of ChurchThink at iTunes sometime soon!
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How To Act Like A Son, Part 1
I posted an article at churchthink.com on April 9th, 2008 by the same title. Now we take that article and use the content as a discussion tool. Ben interviews Gary Adolphe. Part 1 of 2. Don't forget to post a "review" at iTunes sometime soon!
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How to Act like a Son
Scripture Note
Prov. 4:1 Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.
Part I
Like a “Dummies” guide for sonship
I love those books for “Dummies.” I don’t feel condescended to when I pick one up, rather, I feel that I will get the fundamentals laid out in a quick, easy-to-read manner and that all the non-essentials will be happily omitted. Great. So here is my offering to you. A quick, easy-to-read primer on some of the essentials of acting like a son. No big work on the concept, the theology of, or the great historical works surrounding...just the bare essentials for action. This article is not meant to be exhaustive. You may find things to add. Email me.
Robin Pasley Moves Toward a Mission Statement, Part 3
Part 3 of 3 in this teaching series where Robin shares with an artist's group. Ben introduces each episode.
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Robin Pasley Moves Toward a Mission Statement, Part 2
Part 2 of 3 in this teaching series where Robin shares with an artist's group. Ben introduces each episode.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download