Last week I read some stuff that blew my mind. Much of it came out in my sermon yesterday. Here are some key insights:
-Radical means, "to the root." A life with Jesus is radical, all-consuming, to the root of our existence. New roots=new fruit.
-Practicing resurrection means traveling a journey from death to life, moving from the the old life to the new radical life with Christ.
-One movement must be: From Anxiety to Trust.
-Anxiety stems from a Latin word, "angustia," which means "narrowness." When we are anxious our focus becomes too narrow, honed in on a particular issue or problem. We fail to see the bigger picture.
-In order to move beyond anxiety we must pray. Henri Nouwen writes, “Prayer pulls us away from self-preoccupations, encourages us to leave familiar ground, and challenges us to enter into a new world which cannot be contained within the narrow boundaries of our mind or heart. Prayer, therefore, is a great adventure because the God with whom we enter into a new relationship is greater than we are and defies all our calculations and predictions.”
-We become more free from worry, anxiety, and fear when we learn to trust God more. Prayer lifts us above our narrow focus and helps to see the vastness of of God more clearly. It reminds us who we are: children of God who are deeply loved by him.
You can hear the sermon at this link!