In the Bible, Jesus makes several declarations of who he is and his character.  He said:

"I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."

"I am the light of the world."

"I am the gate for the sheep."

"I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

"I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies."

"I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener."

He also provided insight into his relationship with his Father and his followers:

"I am in my Father."

"I am in you."

"I am not alone, for my Father is with me."

Is this how you see Jesus?

[John 6:35, John 9:5, John 10:7, John 10:11, John 11:25, John 14:6, John 15:1, John 14:20, John 17:21, and John 16:32]

The entry "Omni God" mentioned that, among other things, God is "omnipresent."  This means that God is present everywhere or that he exists in all places, at all times.

This is a grand and awesome concept, to realize that God simultaneously exists everywhere.  It is huge, immense, and at times a bit overwhelming.  Sometimes this reality makes me feel small and insignificant.

However, if God is everywhere, then he is also here, right now.  His omnipresent reality allows him to be here with me and to be with you — wherever you may be and whenever you may be there.

Yes, God's omnipresence is big and grand and all-encompassing; it also means that he is intimate and personal and readily accessible.

God may be big, but he's also here, right now, for each of us.

I've always liked the story of Esther.  She was a peasant girl who won a national beauty pageant and became queen.  In my imagination, I've given this tale a Cinderella-like grandness, with Esther and the king, falling in love and living happily ever after.

Alas, the story does not mention love and fails to include any thoughts of happiness.  Let's review the facts:

• Esther and her people had been taken captive and forcibly relocated to a foreign land; she was a spoil of war.
• Esther did not opt to take part in the beauty contest; all attractive virgins were compelled to participate.
• Esther's heritage prohibited her from marrying outside her faith; to do so would be a shameful and disobedient act.

Add to this these reasonable conclusions about Esther's "relationship" with the king:

• Even after she was made queen, he seemingly continued to enjoy the company of other women in his harem.
• She was estranged from him; she had not been "summoned" by him for thirty days.
• She feared him; she could be summarily executed by merely approaching him without permission.

In the New Jerusalem Bible, we are treated to the prayer that she offered in the midst of this.  She says, in part:

• "I loathe the bed of the uncircumcised" (that would be the king)
• "I am under constraint" to wear the crown, that is, to be queen
• "Nor has your servant found pleasure from the day of her promotion until now"
• "Free me from my fear"

Sadly, there is no love, happiness, joy, or satisfaction in her role as queen.  Even so she did use her unwanted position to save her people, the Jews, from a certain annihilation.  So this account of Esther isn't a love story, at least not in the traditional sense.  It is, however, a tale of valor and bravery — and a reminder that one person can make a difference.

The word love is overused and misused.  Consider the following:

• I love my wife.
• I love my house.
• I love pizza.
• I love that movie.
• I love to take nature walks.
• I'd love to attend.

Love, then, can mean anything from complete devotion to a slight preference — and everywhere in between.  As such, when love is used, it takes on a vague connotation, expressing a feeling that is open to wide interpretations.

Another overused and misused word is awesome.  Its usage also takes on a full gambit of meaning, from being completely amazed to expressing a slight preference.

Awesome literally means to be worthy of awe.  Awe is defined as an inspired mixture of reverence, respect, dread, and wonder.

Given that, it seems to be that only God is truly worthy of our awe — and therefore only God is awesome.

Couple true awesomeness with the ultimate, perfect form of love and one could conclude that God's love for us is awesome!

In the Bible, Dr. Luke records the scene: Jesus is eating his final meal with his followers.  He is sharing some parting words when he makes a perplexing remark about buying swords.

His disciples matter-of-factly reply that they have two swords.

Did you catch that?  Jesus' disciples have swords! 

I don't know about you, but I've never envisioned Jesus' band of followers as wielding weapons.  Although I've seen many paintings of them, along with many more movies, never once did I notice a disciple with a saber strapped at his waist.  The whole idea seems a bit shocking, yet at a time when Jesus tells them to get a sword, they already have two.

If I were picking people to start a movement with, I'd certainly eliminate anyone brandishing a blade. 

Yet, Jesus' criteria is different.  He accepts his followers as they are — with issues, baggage, problems — and swords.

[Luke 22:35-38]

The 2010 New Testament Reading Plan is now available. 

Read the New Testament in a year (only 3 to 4 minutes a day, Monday - Friday only)

Other reading plans to consider, include:

Read the Old Testament in a year (about 10 to 12 minutes a day)

Read the Entire Bible in a year (about 12 to 15 minutes a day)

Monthly reading plans (only 3 to 4 minutes a day)

The least effective way to read the Bible is to start on page 1 and read straight through to the end.  The different sections, or "books," of the Bible are grouped by category more so than in chronological order, so a sequential reading is somewhat disconcerting.

If this is your first time reading the Bible, we recommend starting with the New Testament.  If that seems a bit overwhelming, check out the monthly reading plans.  (Save the Old Testament and entire Bible plans for later.)

The Bible contains four separate accounts of the life of Jesus; they are called Gospels.  The question is often asked, "Which one should I read first?"  That is a hard to answer, as each one has its own strengths:

The Gospel written by Matthew does much to connect Jewish history and understanding to the life of Jesus.  It is great as a bridge from the old to new testaments of the Bible and for those interested in better seeing the connections between Judaism and Christianity (and the connection is strong and significant).

The Gospel written by Mark is the shortest and most concise.  It is a great source to quickly gain an essential understanding of who Jesus is and what he did.

The Gospel written by Dr Luke contains details and information not included by Matthew and Mark, serving to nicely round out and fill in our understanding of Jesus.  (The second chapter of Luke contains the familiar Christmas story of Jesus' birth.  Even if you've never read Luke, you have likely heard the Christmas story, as recited by Linus in the popular animated TV special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas.")

Last, but not least, is the Gospel written by John.  It contains more unique content than the other three accounts.  John was a disciple of Jesus and part of the inner circle, so he was an eyewitness to what he recorded.  His writing is poetic in nature and is great for those who want to mull over and contemplate what he says (and conversely frustrating for readers in a hurry).

Each account has its particular purpose and strength.  Pick the one that seems best for you to read first — then read the other three!

In this Christmas season our thoughts turn more intentionally and more frequently to Jesus, the reason for this annual celebration.

In consideration of the first Christmas, my thoughts are warm and cozy, happy and joyous, and idyllic and serene, with angels singing, kings bearing gifts, and happily contented shepherds shepherding.  This is all true, but one reality is often overlooked.

Jesus was homeless.

Jesus was born in someone else's barn, amid unsanitary conditions and with the stench of animal feces permeating the air.  It seems unholy and unworthy, but that's how it was.

Not only was Jesus born homeless, his early childhood was homeless as well, living an intenerate life as his parents fled to Egypt to save him from a premature execution.  Even when it was safe to return, they did not go to their hometown, but instead settled in Nazareth.

His ministry has also marked by homelessness, traveling from place to place with no home or a "place to lay his head."  So it was when he was arrested, tried, and executed: homeless.

With this in mind, wouldn't Christmas be a great time to do something in memory of him for the homeless?

[Luke 2:1-20, Matthew 2:1-23, Luke 9:58]

In A Generous Orthodoxy, author Brian McLaren seeks to move the modern world's theological dialog beyond the paralyzing impasse of liberal versus conservative, into a "post-liberal" and "post-conservative" inclusivity.  This, however, does not mean attempting to merely merge the two, but rather moving beyond them, linking orthodoxy with practice (that is binding spiritual theory to loving action) from a biblical perspective.

Towards this end, he shares the various ways in which different manifestations of Christianity (think of denominations) have shaped and influenced his appreciation for and understand of Jesus.  This evokes a realization that God is an "unified, eternal, mysterious, relational community/family/society/entity of saving love." 

Often using hyperbole to provoke critical thinking among his readers, McLaren then asks the confrontational question, "Would Jesus be a Christian?"  This sets the framework for the rest of the book, with each of the ensuing 16 chapters addressing one item in the book's cumbersomely long subtitle: Why I am a missional, evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, mystical/poetic, biblical, charismatic/contemplative, fundamentalist/Calvinist, Anabaptist/Anglican, Methodist, catholic, green, Incarnational, depressed-yet-hopeful, emergent, unfinished Christian.

In doing this, McLaren does not promote an all-encompassing and inclusive orthodoxy — one to conclusively end all orthodoxies — but rather shares his thoughts on what it might include so that productive dialogue can be advanced in constructing an orthodoxy that is generous, as well as accepting, inclusive, and loving.  Towards that end, each chapter concludes with a list of discussion questions to start the conversation.

[Read more reviews of books with a spiritual focus.]

Diana Butler Bass opens her book, Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith, by admitting that mainline (that is, liberal) Protestantism is in trouble, with declining attendance and a loss of significance.  This is not a hopeless situation, however, as there are signs of revitalization at some mainline churches with energized growth and renewed relevance, focusing on tradition (not traditionalism), practice (not purity), and wisdom (not certainty).

Looking at selected mainline congregations that exhibit this emergence, she shares ten signposts of renewal: hospitality, discernment, healing, contemplation, testimony, diversity, justice, worship, reflection, and beauty.  In doing so, these churches are on a path of transforming lives, transforming congregations, and transforming the world.

She does this with a compelling narrative of her pilgrimage to find the emerging mainline, connecting the church’s story with her own and sharing Mainline’s emergent journey with her own travels.  The conclusion is clear: Mainline churches need not continue their downward slide, they can experience rebirth.  This book shows how it can happen and what it will look like.

[Read more reviews of books with a spiritual focus.]