John Ortberg writes about a chaotic time in his life:[1] Not long after moving to Chicago, I called a wise friend to ask for… Read More »Ten Minute Mystic: Part 3: Growing in People Through Slowing (2)
Jesus’ vision of life involves three areas: our walk with God (piety), our human relationships (people), and our approach towards money and stuff (possessions). We’re… Read More »Ten Minute Mystic: Part 3: Growing in People Through Confession (1)
[VIDEO Intro] Each year during the time I was a student at Harding University Graduate School of Religion, a thick coat of white paint was applied to what we called “The Mansion.” This was the main administration building which housed the faculty and staff offices and a small chapel. It was literally an old southern mansion that had been renovated for use by the school. Every year in the spring workers would apply a fresh coat of white paint to the wooden exterior of the mansion. This left the building looking clean and sparkling. Then one morning we woke up and the mansion was on fire. Flames licked at the top of the structure while fire engines poured gallon after gallon of water on it. Eventually they doused the flames, but not before every office, file cabinet, computer, and precious book had been literally smoked and then immersed in water. It took hours for us to carry out furniture and books and supplies to see what could be recovered. After a few days we learned what had caused the fire. There was some old wiring in the attic which had sparked the fire. Deep in the mansion, hidden from view, in an area where few ever went, this fragile and aging wire had trigged the fire. What was on the outside appeared had appeared to be beautiful and stately. What was on the inside however, was tremendously dangerous. Something similar happens when it comes to spirituality. We’ve been studying this phenomenon on Sunday mornings in our series called “Masquerade.”Read More »Masquerade: Inside Out
The musical “The Phantom of the Opera” tells the story of Christine, a former orphan who is given the opportunity to sing in the Paris Opera. Two men fall in love with Christine. One is Raoul, the opera’s patron and a childhood friend of Christine’s. The other, a masked menace called the Phantom, has long adored Christine and even keeps a life-sized doll resembling Christine in his secret lair beneath the Opera House. Act 2 of “The Phantom of the Opera” begins with a masquerade ball at which the Phantom appears. The Phantom wears a mask to hide his hideously disfigured face. But all of the other guests also wear masks. As they dance, they sing a song called “Masquerade.” Here are some of the lines: “Maquerade! Paper faces on parade. Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you. Masquerade! You can fool any friend who ever knew you.” The masks allow each guest to play a role. They can pretend to be someone they are not. They can hide from others who they truly are. Using the masks, they can “fool any friend who ever knew you.”Read More »Masquerade: Missing the Story for the Semicolons