http://graceefc.net/mark Some of the stuff I wish I said Sunday morning.. but didn't Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:31:48 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en As essential as it is for us to spend time alone with God, it is equally essential that we learn how to be in community.  The important practice of solitude should never make us think that we can function without the body of Christ.  In Hebrews we are told not ... http://graceefc.net/mark/?p=109 O.K.  O.K.  O.K!!!!!!!! I get it.  I finally get it.  If you have been around Grace for any length of time you know that I have talked about solitude for at least 10 years now.  A close friend once teased me that my standard answer for any question was spend ... http://graceefc.net/mark/?p=106 I don't know how many times I have tried a variation of the "Read through the Bible in a year" plan.  It always started well those first few days of January, but usually got off course and totally crashed and burned by mid February.  So a while back I stopped ... http://graceefc.net/mark/?p=98 Any time you examine the state of your life you open yourself up to the possibility that you might not like what you see.  This, in and of itself, is what leads people to avoid self reflection.  But it is extremely important to make a distinction between introspection and Godly ... http://graceefc.net/mark/?p=95 The first step in forming a "trellis" that makes room for the work of God to take place in our lives is to engage in candid reflection on our current status.  I said Sunday that we all have a "trellis" because we all have a set of things we do ... http://graceefc.net/mark/?p=92 This year I am experimenting with a thought I learned from a couple of different sources.  It is an idea that goes back to monastic traditions.  Ooohh..that sounds scary. But it really isn't.   Each monastic movement had a "rule" that governed the pattern of their corporate life.  It was a ... http://graceefc.net/mark/?p=86 With Christmas around the corner, many of us are anticipating spending time with family.  For some of us, that is a delightful prospect.  Others may have mixed feelings about it.  Why is it that family presents such a challenge?  One of the reasons is that as "family" we tend to ... http://graceefc.net/mark/?p=84 Recently I was praying through Psalm 51.  I was confessing some sin in my life that I needed to talk to the Lord about.  I was struck by the word hyssop.  David writes, "purify me with hyssop and I shall be clean...".  I asked, what does hyssop do?  Off to ... http://graceefc.net/mark/?p=82 Romans 4: 17 even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. Often when we pray, we limit ourselves to the kinds of things we can see happening. Much like we wouldn't ask a friend or our children to do something we think ... http://graceefc.net/mark/?p=77 This past summer, I walked on a nearby bike trail that crosses a bridge to an island in the James River.  The trail runs the full length of the island and crosses another bridge to reach the other side.  The trail also runs underneath a four lane highway bridge that ... http://graceefc.net/mark/?p=73