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Who's Art
Dad,husband,california pastor,friend,confessed and forgiven sinner. Art,lead pastor at New Life Christian Fellowship in the SF East Bay burrow inoccuously called Pleasant Hill in the not so inoccuously named Diablo Valley. My wife is a teacher to the visually impaired my daughters are at San Francisco State University and the Pleasant Hill High School |
jesusLoving the Life I LiveSubmitted by Art on Wed, 31/10/2007 - 3:40pm. art | barrett | devo | jesus | john 13 | life | live | love | relevant | servant | servingJohn 13:1 (NLT) Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He now showed the disciples the full extent of his love. Listen to the message on iTunes Looking at Jesus in the upper room I get some “Jesus” clues about loving the life I live. » read more | Art's blog
Make Room for DaddySubmitted by Art on Tue, 16/10/2007 - 7:18pm. beaver | daddy | devo | father | jesus | lone ranger | lukeMake Room for Daddy Luke 6:12-16 If you are too young (and who isn’t) to have heard of "Make Room For Daddy" aka "The Danny Thomas Show," check it out on Nick at Nite or just use your imagination. I remember it because it began its popular run the year I was born (lets just say 1960ish okay?).
Whether you think of "Make Room for Daddy," "Andy Griffith," "The Lone Ranger," or "My Three Sons," there was an era people actually talked to their dads. Something important to figure out, would be predicated by an interview with dad. I can almost hear "Beaver" starting up the ladder of wisdom with his brother and being told to ask Dad. "Hey, Wally, why is Joey so dumb? Gee, I don't know Beav, You better ask Dad." The key that turns the door on your hopes, dreams, your circumstances is faith. Faith is the key that helps us do the impossible. THE CONSUMING LIFE part six
"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends". John 15:13(Jesus) Sufjan Stevens sings Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing THE CONSUMING LIFE part five
"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends". John 15:13 THE CONSUMING LIFE part four
"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends". John 15:13 THE CONSUMING LIFE part three
"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends". John 15:13 I think that but I don’t want it. I mean in one final gasp televised where I get some glory sure, but on a daily ongoing basis to largely undeserving friends. Friends like Jesus had who don’t understand him, who will abandon him, who will deny and even betray him, heck no. I mean the idea is beautiful, the execution is, well, repellent. Oh I want to be that person deep and passionately on the inside, but the desire to be seen at that person is too often equally compelling. |
Does my followship of Jesus invite, require, evoke life giving? What does that mean? Can I really serve without ulterior motive, help only to become more like Jesus who loved and gave because he cared? Sometimes the vision of who you are Jesus just gets lost, like the bright sun on a hazy or cloudy day. I know you are there. I can feel your warmth still. My attention wanders and the rest of me benignly follows. Before long my navigational skills are worthless, I have lost my bearings. Like adrift on the open sea subject to unforseen weather, circumstance drives my heading. Its your committed love, hesed is the Hebrew, steadfast faithfulness that alone can refocus me, that can lead me and keep me enlivened on your path. 
Does my followship of Jesus invite, require, evoke life giving? Does my followship of Jesus, volunteer, willfully submit, consciously offer all that I am, all I am becoming, for his purpose? My heart aspires to cry, "Yes, Yes, Worthy is the Lamb." However, the path that comes into focus as I turn to review the less than linear line by which I arrived at this point decries the myth I would propose. 
If I were able to look from above, to observe from a vantage point on high, my foot steps on the path that shows my followship of Jesus they would probably look more like skipping than walking. Rather than a unbroken series of feet on the ground pace by pace trail that faithfully trails Jesus’ own footsteps, you would find omissions, places where the footsteps disappear, veer of the path in new and irregular directions, oh there is another one back on the path. 
Isn’t that beautiful? 