I stood in church this past Sunday and could feel a Spiritual rumbling under my feet. It seems as though our journey together through Still Life has been igniting us collectively and as we progress toward Easter we are embracing a rhythm of continual intimacy and discovered identity that is opening our eyes to shocking inheritance. As a body there is a \u201cFully Alive-ness\u201d that is palpable!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Digging in to the inheritance portion of Still Life this week, I re-read the story of the Incredible Father (aka, the Prodigal Son). In a challenging situation in my own family last summer (it happened to be during our parable series), God met me in this story. With disgust I confessed my likeness to the older brother in relationship to my specific situation. Deep in my heart I had a whiny complaint. The Father seems so gracious to the little brother who does everything wrong, and so strict to the older brother who has been trying so hard to do it all right. In my journal I recorded God\u2019s response to my whimper \u201cit\u2019s not fair\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In my own paraphrase, the Father says, \u201cThe party started and I knew it was time for you to be back from work.\u00a0\u00a0But I didn\u2019t see you.\u00a0\u00a0I looked around the room but you weren\u2019t there.\u00a0\u00a0So I came out here to look for you.\u00a0\u00a0I left the party; like I leave the 99 to find the one, like I ran down the road for your brother, like I search for the lost coin\u2026looking for you.\u00a0\u00a0We\u2019ve been in this day in and day out together. You have been with me as we worked in silence on difficult days, as we talked and walked through our land, grieving what was lost but seeing glory in the beauty before us.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019ve shared my whole heart with you, I\u2019ve kept nothing back because of the intimacy of our relationship. I don\u2019t want to do this part without you.\u00a0\u00a0I don\u2019t want to go back in there for one son and leave the other alone.\u00a0\u00a0Come with me.\u00a0\u00a0Stand by me now just like we have in the field and at the kitchen table and around the fire.\u00a0\u00a0I came to find you because I want you with me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I re-read those words this week and immediate tears came to my eyes. The inheritance of the prodigal son is just as important as the inheritance of the older brother. Both sons were given their full inheritance, but they were intended to be used together for furthering the Father\u2019s work. Somehow they were full but incomplete, one without the other.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n In her book, When the Heart Waits, Sue Monk Kidd writes, \u201cAs the True Self is born within us, the initial movement of soul is from the collective \u201cthey\u201d to the ground of an authentic \u201cI\u201d. That\u2019s holy ground, yet God calls us to a ground even holier: God calls us from the authentic \u201cI\u201d toward a compassionate \u201cwe\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words, intimacy is what leads us from \u201cJesus died for us all,\u201d to \u201cJesus died for me\u201d. Identity reveals the great worth of that love for me as a unique creation. Inheritance is how that truth transforms me AND impacts those around me. We were never meant to stay in the individual, but to share with one another the fullness of ourselves to bring completeness to the kingdom.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kidd continues, \u201cSpiritual experiences aren\u2019t meant to be homogeneous, only harmonious\u2014not in unison, but in unity.\u201d I think that\u2019s what I was feeling on Sunday, a harmonious and unified coming together of shocking inheritance, propelling each sacred one of us forward. I am praying with all of you this week. What we do with our inheritance doesn\u2019t just change our lives, it transforms the kingdom around us.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Specific prayers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stood in church this past Sunday and could feel a Spiritual rumbling under my feet. It seems as though our journey together through Still\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":620,"featured_media":1390987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":471,"footnotes":""},"categories":[141,87,299],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1391287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-and-ministry","category-encouragement","category-prayer-initiative",""],"blockli_fields":{"post_type":"","post_action":"","post_type_icon":"","background_image":""},"bb_bookmark":{"bookmark_id":0,"is_bookmarked":false,"bookmark_date":0},"app_bookmark":{"bookmark_id":0,"is_bookmarked":false,"bookmark_date":0},"comments_count":"0","content_native":[{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":" I stood in church this past Sunday and could feel a Spiritual rumbling under my feet. It seems as though our journey together through Still Life has been igniting us collectively and as we progress toward Easter we are embracing a rhythm of continual intimacy and discovered identity that is opening our eyes to shocking inheritance. As a body there is a \u201cFully Alive-ness\u201d that is palpable! <\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"I stood in church this past Sunday and could feel a Spiritual rumbling under my feet. It seems as though our journey together through Still Life has been igniting us collectively and as we progress toward Easter we are embracing a rhythm of continual intimacy and discovered identity that is opening our eyes to shocking inheritance. As a body there is a \u201cFully Alive-ness\u201d that is palpable! "}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":" Digging in to the inheritance portion of Still Life this week, I re-read the story of the Incredible Father (aka, the Prodigal Son). In a challenging situation in my own family last summer (it happened to be during our parable series), God met me in this story. With disgust I confessed my likeness to the older brother in relationship to my specific situation. Deep in my heart I had a whiny complaint. The Father seems so gracious to the little brother who does everything wrong, and so strict to the older brother who has been trying so hard to do it all right. In my journal I recorded God\u2019s response to my whimper \u201cit\u2019s not fair\u201d.<\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"Digging in to the inheritance portion of Still Life this week, I re-read the story of the Incredible Father (aka, the Prodigal Son). In a challenging situation in my own family last summer (it happened to be during our parable series), God met me in this story. With disgust I confessed my likeness to the older brother in relationship to my specific situation. Deep in my heart I had a whiny complaint. The Father seems so gracious to the little brother who does everything wrong, and so strict to the older brother who has been trying so hard to do it all right. In my journal I recorded God\u2019s response to my whimper \u201cit\u2019s not fair\u201d."}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":" In my own paraphrase, the Father says, \u201cThe party started and I knew it was time for you to be back from work. But I didn\u2019t see you. I looked around the room but you weren\u2019t there. So I came out here to look for you. I left the party; like I leave the 99 to find the one, like I ran down the road for your brother, like I search for the lost coin\u2026looking for you. We\u2019ve been in this day in and day out together. You have been with me as we worked in silence on difficult days, as we talked and walked through our land, grieving what was lost but seeing glory in the beauty before us. I\u2019ve shared my whole heart with you, I\u2019ve kept nothing back because of the intimacy of our relationship. I don\u2019t want to do this part without you. I don\u2019t want to go back in there for one son and leave the other alone. Come with me. Stand by me now just like we have in the field and at the kitchen table and around the fire. I came to find you because I want you with me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"In my own paraphrase, the Father says, \u201cThe party started and I knew it was time for you to be back from work. But I didn\u2019t see you. I looked around the room but you weren\u2019t there. So I came out here to look for you. I left the party; like I leave the 99 to find the one, like I ran down the road for your brother, like I search for the lost coin\u2026looking for you. We\u2019ve been in this day in and day out together. You have been with me as we worked in silence on difficult days, as we talked and walked through our land, grieving what was lost but seeing glory in the beauty before us. I\u2019ve shared my whole heart with you, I\u2019ve kept nothing back because of the intimacy of our relationship. I don\u2019t want to do this part without you. I don\u2019t want to go back in there for one son and leave the other alone. Come with me. Stand by me now just like we have in the field and at the kitchen table and around the fire. I came to find you because I want you with me.\u201d<\/em>"}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":" I re-read those words this week and immediate tears came to my eyes. The inheritance of the prodigal son is just as important as the inheritance of the older brother. Both sons were given their full inheritance, but they were intended to be used together for furthering the Father\u2019s work. Somehow they were full but incomplete, one without the other. <\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"I re-read those words this week and immediate tears came to my eyes. The inheritance of the prodigal son is just as important as the inheritance of the older brother. Both sons were given their full inheritance, but they were intended to be used together for furthering the Father\u2019s work. Somehow they were full but incomplete, one without the other. "}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":" In her book, When the Heart Waits, Sue Monk Kidd writes, \u201cAs the True Self is born within us, the initial movement of soul is from the collective \u201cthey\u201d to the ground of an authentic \u201cI\u201d. That\u2019s holy ground, yet God calls us to a ground even holier: God calls us from the authentic \u201cI\u201d toward a compassionate \u201cwe\u201d. <\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"In her book, When the Heart Waits, Sue Monk Kidd writes, \u201cAs the True Self is born within us, the initial movement of soul is from the collective \u201cthey\u201d to the ground of an authentic \u201cI\u201d. That\u2019s holy ground, yet God calls us to a ground even holier: God calls us from the authentic \u201cI\u201d toward a compassionate \u201cwe\u201d. "}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":" In other words, intimacy is what leads us from \u201cJesus died for us all,\u201d to \u201cJesus died for me\u201d. Identity reveals the great worth of that love for me as a unique creation. Inheritance is how that truth transforms me AND impacts those around me. We were never meant to stay in the individual, but to share with one another the fullness of ourselves to bring completeness to the kingdom. <\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"In other words, intimacy is what leads us from \u201cJesus died for us all,\u201d to \u201cJesus died for me\u201d. Identity reveals the great worth of that love for me as a unique creation. Inheritance is how that truth transforms me AND impacts those around me. We were never meant to stay in the individual, but to share with one another the fullness of ourselves to bring completeness to the kingdom. "}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":" Kidd continues, \u201cSpiritual experiences aren\u2019t meant to be homogeneous, only harmonious\u2014not in unison, but in unity.\u201d I think that\u2019s what I was feeling on Sunday, a harmonious and unified coming together of shocking inheritance, propelling each sacred one of us forward. I am praying with all of you this week. What we do with our inheritance doesn\u2019t just change our lives, it transforms the kingdom around us. <\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"Kidd continues, \u201cSpiritual experiences aren\u2019t meant to be homogeneous, only harmonious\u2014not in unison, but in unity.\u201d I think that\u2019s what I was feeling on Sunday, a harmonious and unified coming together of shocking inheritance, propelling each sacred one of us forward. I am praying with all of you this week. What we do with our inheritance doesn\u2019t just change our lives, it transforms the kingdom around us. "}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":" Specific prayers:<\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"Specific prayers:"}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/list","render":"\n
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