Dr. Powell writes (pg. 54ff.): "Today I think I am just as aware of the presence of Jesus in my life as I have ever been - more so, in fact - and this does make me happy. But now I am also conscious of his absence. I have come to think that maybe Christians should always be sad. If they're not sad, how can they claim to love Jesus? Don't they miss him?"

Some questions to consider about presence and absence: How do we experience the present reality of Jesus? How does He surprise us? Why is missing Jesus...coming to grips with his absence...so important in assessing our relationship with Him? What does our sadness at his absence look like?

What do you think? Post your responses here, and then check back as the dialog gets started.

I was reading my devotion this morning Luke 24:13-35 (NRSV). I have some ideas about the absence of Christ I would like to share. We can sometimes lose our way because of life's distractions and fall into unfavorable circumstances.  If we focus only on the situation, we may not realize that God is by our side, ready to answer and to reassure us, saying, "I'm right here." When we walk step by step in faith daily we can have the same assurance that the disciples had on the road to Emmaus. They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while
[Christ] was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the
scriptures to us?"
- Luke 24:32 (NRSV)

Dear Friends,

We'll meet again on Saturday morinng, November 5, at 8:30am, to discuss Chapters 9 and 10. In advance of that, here are a few questions that ocurred to me:

• What new possibilities are opened up by understanding "Kingdom of God" as a cognate noun? What's the difference between kingdom as a place and kingdom/reign as a phenomenon in peoples' lives?
• In what ways/by what means is the kingdom of God already among us?
• "The power of evil is already vanquished, but it is not yet terminated" (pg. 86). How must we account for this truth in our walk of faith?
• What could it mean for our lives to recognize the parallels between baptism and death?
• What's on your list of things that do/could separate you from God (pg. 95)?
• How is it possible for us to be better people than we are?

Feel free to start the discussion here on line. Your responses are welcome and will give us some new insights to bring to the discussion on 11/5. Hope to see you then. But if you can't make it...please keep checking back here!

My apologies for not getting new questions posted prior to this last Saturday's discussion. As always, it was a good one. If you missed (this one or others) don't let that keep you from joining us in the future. Our next get together will be on Saturday, January 14, at 8:00am. The coffee pot will be on; BYOD (Bring Your Own Doughnuts).

We'll be working on Chapters 13 and 14. I hope to have questions posted some time next week for you to chew on. In the meantime, take notice of Powell's reference to the nature of God using CS Lewis' Aslan character. Maybe we should all go see "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" sometime.

Peace to all!

This coming Saturday, we're looking at the 13th and 14th chapters of Powell's book. Here are a few thought starters for the discussion:

• "Mature piety often involves learning to appreciate paradox so that we are energized rather than depleted by tensions that seem to pull us in opposite directions." Can this really be true...or is Powell simply wimping out on the whole notion of finally figuring things out in our relationship with God?
• What's the relationship between joy and fear? Worship and doubt? How does these apparently contradictory things need each other in order to be complete?
• Why is the communal nature of the church so important? (pg. 125)
• Is the world ready for a love that is not cozy, clear and consistent? How do we learn to hang in there with God?
• What should we get out of church? Where is the balance between the priority of worship and the need to satisfy human desire?
• "If I were you, I'd drag my speckless, sparkless, Spirit-less self into a church Building on a Sunday morning and wait to see what happened." (page 135) It doesn't sound much like an evangelism strategy, but what fundamental truth does this convey for us? How do we share that truth with those who are hiding and want desperately to be found?

Well...see what you can come up with on these...as well as whatever questions you have to offer. Remember, we're meeting early...at 8:00am. The coffee pot will be on. Bring your own donuts. Hope to see you here!