What To Fill Your Minds With

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.—Philippians 4:8-9

Love is born of an earnest consideration of the object loved—Thomas Aquinas

January 8, 2008January 8, 2008 by ryanmthurman Categories: Christianity, Church, Encouragement, Life, Photography, Quotations, Religion, Scritpure, spiritual, Thoughts, Uncategorized Leave a comment

Hearing God

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me on a level path—Psalm 143:10 

As Christians we stand in a millennia-long tradition of humans who have been addressed by God.  The ancient Israelites heard the voice of their God speaking to them out of the midst of fire.  A regular place of communion and conversational interchange between the high priest and God was established in the mercy seat over the ark of God.           

The individual with faith among the Israelites also cried out expectantly to be taught by God.  Isaiah, who had first hand experience of conversing with God, described it this way:  “then you shall call, and the Lord will answer you; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am…The Lord will guide you continually”—Dallas Willard

January 3, 2008 by ryanmthurman Categories: Christianity, Encouragement, Life, People, Photography, prayer, Quotations, spiritual, Thoughts Leave a comment

God Becomes Human Out of Love For Humanity

“God overrules every reproach of untruth, doubt, and uncertainty raised against God’s love by entering as a human being into human life, by taking on and bearing bodily the nature, essence, guilt, and suffering of human beings.  God becomes human out of love for humanity.”  –Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

 

God’s care for humanity was so great that he sent his unique Son among us, so that those who count on him might not lead a futile and failing existence, but have the undying life of God Himself. –John 3:16

January 2, 2008October 13, 2008 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Christianity, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Encouragement, Inspiration, John 3:16, Life, love, People, Photography, Quotations Leave a comment

The Importance of a Life of Prayer

O Lord, who brings us to the Father,
The Life, the Truth, the Way
The path of prayer You did walk;
Lord, teach us now to pray.  

“Before a word of petition is offered, we should have the definite and vivid consciousness that we are talking to God and should believe that He is listening to our petition and is going to grant the thing that we ask of Him. We should look to the Holy Spirit to really lead us into the presence of God and should not be hasty in words until He has actually brought us there.” –-R. A. Torrey 

“We can never expect to grow in the likeness of our Lord unless we follow His example and give more time to communion with the Father. A revival of real praying would produce a spiritual revolution.” –- E.M. Bounds 

“The trouble with nearly everybody who prays is that he says “Amen” and runs away before God has a chance to reply.  Listening to God is far more important than giving Him your ideas.”—Frank Laubach 

“The value in persistent prayer is not that he will hear us…but that we will finally hear him.”—William McGill 

“Prayer means yearning for the simple presence of God, for a personal understanding of his word, for knowledge of his will and for capacity to hear and obey him.”—Thomas Merton

January 1, 2008 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Church, Inspiration, Kingdom of God, Life, Photography, prayer, Quotations, spiritual Leave a comment

Simple Ministry Of Presence

More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them.  It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence.  Still, it is not as simple as it seems.  My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets.  It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress.  But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but you truly love them.”  -Henri Nouwen

December 29, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Life, love, ministry, People, Photography, Quotations, spiritual Leave a comment

Christ Holds It All Together

 We look at Jesus and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at Jesus and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.  

He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end.  Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross. –Colossians 1:18-20 The MSG

Not only do we not know God save through Jesus Christ, but we do not know ourselves save through Jesus Christ.  Apart from Jesus Christ we know not what our life is, nor our death, nor God, nor ourselves. –Blaise Pascal

December 28, 2007December 28, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Christianity, Church, Encouragement, Jesus, Life, Photography, Quotations, spiritual 1 Comment

Like Treasure Hidden In A Field

 “The kingdom of God is like a treasure

hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again;

and from joy over it he goes and sells all

that he has and buys that field.” –Matthew 13:44 

“Jesus’ good news, then, was that the Kingdom of God

had come, and that he, Jesus, was its herald

and expounder to men.  More than that, in some special,

mysterious way, he was the kingdom.” –Malcolm Muggeridge

December 22, 2007December 22, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Jesus, Kingdom of God, People, Photography, Quotations, Thoughts Leave a comment

Our Future Must Make Sense To Us

To live strongly and creatively in the kingdom of God, we need to have firmly fixed in our minds what our future is to be like.  We want to live fully in the Kingdom now, and for that purpose our future must make sense to us” –Dallas Willard  

When Christ, who is our life shall appear then you will be revealed with Him as glorious. –Colossians 3:4

 How great a love the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be described as children of God!  But it has not yet been shown what we shall be.  We only know that when He appears we shall be as He is. –I John 3:1-2 

He will transform our lowly body to be like his glory body, using the power He has over everything. –Philippians 3:20

December 21, 2007October 13, 2008 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Cyprus, Dallas Willard, Encouragement, Inspiration, Life, Photography, Quotations Leave a comment

The Original Purpose Of Our Lives

The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.  –Psalm 145:17  

It is I who made the earth
       and created mankind upon it.
       My own hands stretched out the heavens;
       I marshaled their starry hosts. –Isaiah 45:12  

The deepest desire of our heart is for union with God.  God created us for union with himself.  This is the original purpose of our lives.-Brennan Manning

December 20, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Christianity, Life, People, Photography, Quotations, spiritual Leave a comment

Where It Is Divided Reunite It

Gracious Father, we pray for thy holy catholic (universal) Church. 
Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace.
Where it is corrupt, purify it;
Where it is in error, direct it;
Where in any thing it is amiss, reform it.
Where it is right, strengthen it;
Where it is in want, provide for it;
Where it is divided, reunite it;
For the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior.   Amen
-Book of Common Prayer-page 816

God, hear our cries,
bend an ear to our prayers. –Psalm 61:2 (adapted)

December 16, 2007December 16, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Church, Life, Photography, Quotations, Religion, spiritual, unity Leave a comment