Following Jesus in rejecting empire
Lessons from Francis of Assisi For his whole life possessions had possessed Francis, especially clothing and fashion. His addiction to finery was like a prison, even more confining than the dungeon where he had languished for a year after a battle with nearby Perugia. His father had taken him to court for selling the family…
Revival will always be marked by the Church coming out of Empire. Let me repeat that: Revival will ALWAYS be marked by the Church coming out of Empire; because the heart of revival is the increase of Christ’s government and his shalom (in the words of Isaiah) and the heart of Empire is about the…
(Above image: Smiling Francis, by Mic Carlson available on his website.) I find that suffering and joy are not mutually exclusive. They often come bundled together in the same week, month or year. Sometimes even in the same day. The trick is how to hold both well. How do we acknowledge suffering without letting it…
“Oh what savory satisfaction. What splendid joy. In one instant, all my anger dissipated and all the rot in my soul has been removed!” That’s how I imagined it. What freedom would taste like once the earth was rid of Frederick Johnson, and I had exacted revenge. Once I had exchanged my passive fist with…
When I think of the word pacifist I can’t help picturing myself standing passively by inside the bathroom door, holding a weapon in my fist while I watch my wife get murdered. Passive-fist is all I can hear now when that word is spoken. And I regret, many times a day, my blasted pacifism in…