Classic iMonk Post by Michael Spencer From September 2009 When I started studying Mark’s Gospel many years ago, I learned that, in Mark, faith is not contrasted with unbelief, but with fear. The command to “not be afraid” was common in Mark. The disciples are constantly choosing between faith and fear as they journey withContinue reading “iMonk Classic: Jesus, Faith, and a Universe of Fear”
Author Archives: Chaplainmike
Saturday Ramblings 9.1.12
Hut-Hut! It’s time for football, fellow iMonks. We are fielding a team from the iMonastery for the first time this year, captained by Chaplain “Red Grange” Mike as our quarterback. But we’re still looking for a nickname. Any suggestions? The Fighting Spencers? The Lucky Luthers? Why not the Mighty Ramblers? As you ponder this greatContinue reading “Saturday Ramblings 9.1.12”
Lies, Damn Lies, and …
To paraphrase Mark Twain, “There are lies, there are damn lies, and there is the American political process.” Jesus said, “Let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no. Anything more than this comes from the evil one” (Matt. 5:37). How can anyone claiming to follow his teachings possibly support the American political process?Continue reading “Lies, Damn Lies, and …”
The Alpha and Omega Principle
Reading Romans (4) The Alpha and Omega Principle Welcome one another, therefore, as the Messiah has welcomed you, to God’s glory. Let me tell you why: the Messiah became a servant of the circumcised people in order to demonstrate the truthfulness of God — that is, to confirm the promises to the patriarchs, and toContinue reading “The Alpha and Omega Principle”
Only In Silence, The Word
There are many proverbs and sayings we’ve all heard: “Speech is silver, silence is golden.” “Better to say nothing and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” “Empty vessels make the most sound.” “Still waters run deep.” And of course, the book of Proverbs in the Bible has muchContinue reading “Only In Silence, The Word”
Death is Preferable
“You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” -Exodus 33:20 I’m addicted to safety. Even if I wasn’t born that way, I learned to crave it growing up. My adults were broken, so by age eight I was busy trying to make everything feel safe for my younger siblings andContinue reading “Death is Preferable”
Get Lost!
Popular religion focuses so hard on spiritual success that most of us do not know the first thing about the spiritual fruits of failure. When we fall ill, lose our jobs, wreck our marriages, or alienate our children, most of us are left alone to pick up the pieces. Even those of us who areContinue reading “Get Lost!”
Another Look: George, Mildred, and the Thin Places
Note from CM: I wrote this story and posted it almost a year ago. Yesterday, we buried George next to Mildred. While I was in Chicago over the weekend, he had an accident, went into the hospital, was admitted to hospice, and died. At the grave site today, I listened as his family told stories,Continue reading “Another Look: George, Mildred, and the Thin Places”
Busyness as Moral Laziness
The Desert Fathers (a protest movement in the early church) spoke of busyness as “moral laziness.” Busyness can also be an addictive drug, which is why its victims are increasingly referred to as “workaholics.” Busyness acts to repress our inner fears and perpetual anxieties, as we scramble to achieve an enviable image to display toContinue reading “Busyness as Moral Laziness”
Come to the Quiet
Yet in our busy, noisy, overstimulating mission field of the world, it is one of the church’s high callings to give the gift of silence, of greater spaciousness to make room for contemplative encounters with the means of grace, so that the Spirit may most freely do the works of salvation to form us inContinue reading “Come to the Quiet”
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