Comfort.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in my affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." - 2 Cor 1.3-4

this verse has basically been ruling my life since Tuesday. i find myself somehow always running back to it in conversations with people. it has been extremely applicable to many people's lives including my own. i love when God reveals that you have been missing out on what he has always wanted for you. this verse is one of those times that has breathed freshness in my perspective about affliction and comforting others. 

generally, i have bought into this idea that comfort has to do with accommodations and to be frank, fluffy pillows. thus comfort is something to be bought or bargained for. this kind of comfort is never enough, it barely soothes the people afflicted and must continued endless to "meet the needs." however, my study of comfort has a much more valuable balm to offer in that it is a secret to long term peace and wholeness about life's difficulties. 

comfort comes from the Latin word fortis (tipped hat to Boss Sharpie), which literally means brave. i found that to be intriguing to say the least. to comfort someone has the idea of coming along side of them so they are brave. i then went to the Greek for more specificity. The Greek word was paraklesis, which is literally "a calling near." however, it has been appropriated to mean a "strengthening, a helping, or empowering." i found myself blown away that comfort really has to do with making someone braver, stronger, and powerful, rather than patting them on the back and saying it will be okay. 

the key to me would seem to be the responder to that calling near. i love that this passage resonates the relationship with God being the empowerer of our lives in the difficult times and by doing so, he empowers us to do the same in other's lives. our role in the earth is to minister to people giving to them the incredible strength and courage to live their lives for the Lord. reminding them that it is only in the weakness and affliction of our lives that God can make his strength complete and mature in us. 

the impetus behind this comfort is mentioned in Philippians 2.1, where right before he describes the mind of Christ he speaks of the comfort that one can find from love. Love is the force that drives us to comfort those in need and to make brave those who are in tough places. Love becomes the reasoning and the motivation to all we do, whether it is weeping with people to show our shared life or it is speaking truth to them to deal with the issues at hand. Love is the principle thing if you are going to be a comforter like God is a comforter. 

comfort. encourage. strengthen. make bold. love. 

sounds like a challenge to us to know how we are to help those in need. bolstering instead of band-aiding. 

- peaks out. 

Top 5 Books

today, i asked my discipler the question of what were his top five books. he gave me a few, but told me he would work on it. my seriously joking side told him, "it should be a blog topic." he readily agreed. after that, i knew that i must also contribute to this topic. thus, here are my favorite five. i will say this as a disclaimer: all of these books deserve healthy conversation and thinking of the concepts and none of them are without flaw. 

Genre of Spiritual/Philosophical Literature

1. Understanding People by Larry Crabb

2. Out of the Question...Into the Mystery by Leonard Sweet

3. I & Thou by Martin Buber//God & Man by H.H. Farmer

4. In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen

5. Proper Confidence: Faith, Doubt & Certainty in Christian Discipleship by Lesslie Newbigin

Genre of Fiction

1. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

3. The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

4. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

5. The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare

Way too many others to mention. But this is a start.

- peaks out. 

my disciplers top two were: 

1. The New Reformation by Greg Ogden

2. Generation to Generation by Edwin Friedman

imago Dei Worship & Arts Conference

A conference for worshippers and worship leaders who desire to experience God in a powerful way. This year we will be focusing on creating a place for God to come in our worship. Concepts discussed will include: declaring the word, unity, holiness, concentricity. 

There will be general sessions, worship times, and breakout sessions. 

The speakers will be: 
Dr. Antipas Harris, Regent University, VA Beach, VA
Pastor Josh Kiefer, Living Word, Greene, NY

Worship Leader: 
Ricky Hilton, Calvary Church, Johnson City, TN
Contact: Jason Peaks for any other information. 

SCHEDULE:
Thursday, April 23
7pm - General Session

Friday, April 24
9am - General Session
11am - Breakout Session
12pm - Lunch Provided
7pm - General Session 

Saturday, April 25
9am - General Session
11am - Breakout Sessions
12pm - Lunch Break

The conference is FREE! There will be food provided for conference attendees after the evening meals and for lunch on Friday and Saturday! Please register at www.odcsuffolk.org/worship . Thanks!

A few thoughts to ponder...

so I have just recently tried to start keeping a moleskine with me at all time in sundry sizes nonetheless. basically i thought to myself, it would behoove me to just jot down things that i am pondering or gleaning through. i decided that since i haven't the time to dictate the contents of the book i will one day pen, i would share my ramblings of my head. i hope you enjoy and you begin to think deeply about the beauty of the swirling madness of life. 

1. the incarnation - it is consistently in my head, as God kinda spoke it as my theme for the year - the concept of bodying the life of Christ and allowing the dwelling of God to be manifest.

2. circles - why does it seem that circles are always showing up in my life? i am always intrigued by spheres (3d circles) and how circles often reveal a reciprocity about life and so much so that i have thought why most arenas are circles (or modified circles), waves are made up of 2 halves of circles, etc. it gets crazy, but what the biggest point is what is the center of that circle, for it is that center that everything is orbiting about. what's your circle creating in the midst of your life? 

3. a lion in a pit on a snowy day - Benaiah - David's mighty men - my mom's mantra right now - i think of it as a picture of insurmountable odds and yet the risk of victory appeared. 

4. life is a journey, not a process - recently came to light in my father's sermon about meeting with the Lord. albeit that i know that a journey is a process, think about process as being more of the shredding and adding the filler in your life as in process foods. journey presents a rather more hopeful outlook on life (or at least that's dad's never ceasing optimism coming to play). 

5. being with someone - what does that look like? can you be with something just because of proximity? is conversation the indicator? it is something special and selected? or is it something random and unexpected? the only conclusion here is that it is intentional. 

6. in need. i don't know why we don't live life this way. too often we are too prideful and too isolated to ask for a hand or to explain our situation to someone. take a few and tell people why you need them. it will make a world of difference to know that you are not superperson. 

7. encounter. what does it look like to encounter God? i just want God to do something crazy. crazy good that is. expectancy for an encounter. 

8. "the oneness of togetherness" - "life together, way better" 

9. charismatic scholasticism. why must my theological camp have so few intellects that are founded in theology and strong teaching. i desire both the experience and the beliefs to frame the beautiful picture of God that I am enjoying. 

10. comfort - what is it? interesting that it has come up in 2 of my devotional readings - 2 Cor. 1 & Philippians 2.1 - i don't think that comfort is just a pillow for our head or an ice pack for our soreness. there is something invigorating about comfort, something brave, something fortifying. i wonder what we've missed about comfort and us being connected to the God of all Comfort. 

that's it for now. respond to any if you'd like. 

-peaks out.