Pastor Joe Burnham and a Reconstructed Abundant Life
After covering the blind man’s eyes with mud, the one who God sent to continue the divine creative work sends the man to a pool that means “sent” to wash.
When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent).
John 9:6-7, NRSV
Productivity: A measure of the efficiency of a person, machine, factory, system, etc., in converting inputs into useful outputs.
Oxford Dictionary
It all sounds rather mechanical, right. Something that puts us in the category of human doings rather than human beings. It leads to days measured by to-do lists and calendars. Or one measured entirely by production. Our personal versions of the DOW and GDP. But just as I would argue that those are abhorrent measurements for the well-being of a nation, so our individual measures are poison to the soul.
[Read more…] about Why I Stopped Pursuing ProductivityJesus’ response to the man born blind moves to reveal him as someone made in the spitting image of the divine. At least that is a playful way to talk about Jesus’ actions that answer the question, “What now?”
When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes.
John 9:6, NRSV
I preached the sermon, Developing Love on Sunday, May 17, 2020.
It is a bit odd for someone living on the other side of the pulpit to step back in, but the pastor at my church in Denver asked after hearing me speak at The Gospel of Relentless Love Conference.
Using the image of a photograph, I tell my story of learning to see Jesus in my story. The developing love of the Gospel makes this new way of seeing my past possible.
[Read more…] about Developing LoveWe are born in the void. We return there even after presence finds us. So how does God light up the darkness? We see it described metaphorically in the Genesis account. Jesus does this work throughout his time on earth. He also invites his followers to participate in it. But how are we to live in to this call to light up the darkness?
Before exploring where we ended last time before we consider how the man born blind uses his freedom, it is important to reflect more on life in the void. This is especially true for those born into the void who never experienced an early return to presence.
This topic is important to me because, as mentioned, I spent decades in the darkness and I know others are currently dwelling there. For those who are trapped there, I want to use this post to do two things. First, I want to let you know that while each experience is different, you are not alone. Second, I will help make sense of what is going on at a biological level.
[Read more…] about Life in the Void