My Call To Love In Tish Harrison Warren's Liturgy Of The Ordinary

By far this book has really grasped my desire to read more. My parents did not raise me to love reading, however this book has helped me enjoy reading. Chapter six made me realize that my Christian belief should not limit me to explore about other cultures. As a Christian, I need to step out of my own belief and culture to learn from the stranger/s. I had never thought about intercultural as the process of Christian discipleship. Christian discipleship is more than an act I do early Sundays, door knocking-evangelizing. Part of the spiritual growth in a person is found through Christian discipleship. When I decide to step out of my comfort zone as a Christian, I will obtain “outgrowth of a determination to love one’s neighbor and can itself be an arena of growth in Christian discipleship (as a way of becoming the kind of person who is more likely to love his or her neighbor)” (Smith, 2009 pg. 105). I appreciate that the author helps the reader, me, understand a deep intercultural encounter which is broken in three parts: “the before, the during, and the after” (Smith, 2009 pg. 106).

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." When we have this kind of responsibility in the congregation, it makes a domain where we are all in this walk of life together. We appreciate great circumstances together and express gratitude toward God, yet we likewise stay with each other amid troublesome circumstances. Truth be told, if there are never troublesome circumstances, we would never reach the point of knowing whether we are submitted or not. " The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Dr. Martin Luther King

First and the most important teaching that Jesus says it about a million time is to love

21). I agree, it is vital that the disciple is involved in an intentional, ongoing plan that challenges themselves to greater Christ-likeness which manifests itself in the nurturing of others toward wholeness. This is what we are called to do when we become children of God. Christian Spiritual formation cannot happen in solitude; therefore, the purpose of spiritual formation is to ultimately lived out in community. This aligns with my view of personal and corporate spiritual formation. If we are not conformed to the image of Christ, we cannot incarnate in our relationships with others. Therefore, if we say we love God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit we are to love others. The image of Christ will be seen as the ultimate reality of human wholeness, the consummation for which each heart longs (Mullholland, p. 21). Therefore, God’s people has a role in healing brokenness and injustice in the world (p. 21). We are to be the salt and light of the world (Matthew

For those who have left the church behind but don’t want to entirely abandon spiritual practice, and also for those who were never a part of the church but are still seeking to foster meaningful spiritual development, Rachelle Mee-Chapman’s new book, Relig-ish: Soulful Living in a

Lord willing, these students then become Checking-Things-Out students, desiring and attentive to spiritual conversations and experiences. In these relationships, it is imperative to dig deeper, to answer questions, and to expose students to the gospel through lifestyle or stories of real faith. This open and attentive nature leads to the gospel message falling on good soil and, prayerfully, results in belief and commitment to Jesus Christ.

The Harper Collins definition is, “The chief purpose of love is to bring one’s neighbor into communion with God. True self-love and love for God are coincident or coextensive.” This definition says that to love others you have to bring others to God, just as St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel at all times. When

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

One text that has been incredibly formative in helping me understand my calling is “The Summons”, by Dennis McCallum. This is the story of a young girl being called by God to accept Christ and to share his teachings with others. McCallum uses a narrative format to share several wonderful sermons with the readers. There is one section in particular that touched my heart. The bible study instructor is asking the group to open their hearts to God. “This is what God wants for you tonight. He doesn’t want you to commit to keeping a religious discipline. He wants you to come to Him with empty hands and an honest heart, and forge a relationship with Him” (McCallum, 1993, p. 79). Reading these words forced me to reexamine how I was living my life. I attend church regularly. I even work for my church, but was I really developing my relationship with God? I found that I was going through the motions. I needed to truly commit my whole life to the Lord, not just part-time. My relationship with God needs to be nurtured and cared for, just as any other relationship in my life. That is why I want to attend seminary. I want to learn everything I can about my Lord. I want to be able to share His word with others.

Wesley speaks of love, being a “perfect love”. A love “excluding sin, love filling the heart, taking up the whole capacity of the soul. It is love ‘rejoicing evermore, praying without ceasing, in everything giving thanks”. As Christians we must be intentional about loving God, loving others, loving self. 1 John 4:8 declares, “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

As mentioned in my previous post the cognitive, affective, and servant elements are a strong hybrid in our church. The effects of openness and love is the first thing that one experiences when they walk through the door, the strong cognitive elements are apparent in every program, ministry, and preaching because 50% percent of the

"This team of servant-leaders will teach others to have fervent love for one another by using the precepts of the Gospel and by following the examples set by our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. Love covers the multitude of sins and helps others discover God's plan and purpose in their lives." 1Peter 4:8

We hear a lot more teaching and preaching about human love than we do about God's love - the love of God for us. You see, most that is preached is religion - instruction as to how to do good (including loving God and others), and refraining from doing bad.

As I gazed around the church I was able to see love and an abundance of warmth generating from the elder parents to the young within the chapel. The service although I was unable to understand it, promoted an overwhelming feeling of acceptance and respect from those around me as we engaged in the reading of the scriptures, songs being sung and the blessings being given to all those asking. The parishioners beamed with an elation of learning the word of Christ, and did not make me feel as if I were an outcast; those seated around me apologized for their children, and guided me to receive the message from the priest. The emotional response I have for the people of the church was an elated since of hospitality and acceptance, which I thought would not be give; a preconceived idea. From the moment I arrived I was able to feel as if I belonged in the church family, the feelings of inadequacy faded. I found that being engaged within this experience has challenged me as an individual to become more open to those I am the most uncomfortable, have little knowledge, or preconceived images of, in other words judge from the inside not from the outside, take a leap and learn whole heartedly about those I know nothing about. The challenges I faced where to put aside whatever misconceptions and prejudices I have from my personal beliefs, values and experiences and be

As religious men, we should avoid the peril of becoming so engrossed in our theological studies that we neglect our personal devotion. Warfield’s caveat to us is Christian service or work alone cannot replace the depth of Christian affection to God. Work does not equal prayer it is the combination of work and prayer that will develop as ministers. By maintaining a strong devotion to God we are setting an example of holding fast to the confession of our hope. We must frequently examine ourselves against God’s Word to verify our hearts. It is as Warfield says, we should have our hearts on fire brightly so that in our innermost being we are men of God. The greatness of our calling as ministers should flow from the depth of our understanding of the unsurpassed greatness of God. This understanding should motivate, empower, equip and direct us in our