Sanctorum Communio

Dusting off the bottle

2008-10-15T18:41:00.003-05:00

Gentleman.

Its been long.

I looked here again, to see if anything new was brewing. It was not. But I was welcomed by a picture that incites solitude. I remember when picking that picture, I was going for the idea of some small wine cellar, or a corner pub. On the sign, "sanctorum communio." On the right, Eric, you reminded us all of the gift we have between the bunch of us. It is a gift - a blessing by God, instituted and created by God, our fellowship. This site is merely a manifestation of that. The sign was inviting to me, and asked me to look around inside for a while.

Inside was dusty, but immediately good. Looking around, the posts were like bottles, dusty and perhaps a little forgotten, and each had a unique label. They were testaments of musings and passions, and carried a substance from a certain time...a tangible place in history. I picked one up and blew the dust off, opened it and took a drink. What pleasure; I remembered right where I was at the time during the discussion. I remembered how I thought, felt. It was complex, with many notes and ideas from all of us; the depth and complexity was unique, and held a certain nakedness of where we were.

It was much like discovering an appropriately aged glass of red wine.

Things have changed. Jamis, last I heard you were pastoring two churches and trying to juggle a family life...and loving every part of it. Your seminary bought me a glass that night. EJ, you had visited, and we got together on what would be too great of a stolen time. I was in relationship at the time, and had to run...and you had finally found your niche at Dubuque. Matt...your New Years Party. The awkwardness of certain people in the same place, and the bitterness at seeing you off for a year. Mick...we dang near see each other everyday. Thank God for that! But when I do talk with you all, there is a familiar ring to the conversation. It is an effortlessness. For instance, Matt, even though you are presently in Ho Chih Minh, our mails back and forth have been as fruitful to me as if they were conversations we were having face to face.

We've changed, circumstance can do that. Two of you are in Seminary, and have an insight there that I cannot fathom. Matt, your experience of the world is perhaps more brutally real than anyone I know, and I evny that oppertunity. Mick and I are here, post graduation and striking out on our own endeavor, God help us. And me myself, well...things change in many many ways in a year. But amid the change in us, for the better, we still have something tangible. It is community, a brotherhood that indeed, it is blessed by God. I hope that we can add some new bottles to our collection, here on this page...Or in the future at some corner pub. Blessings all.
-Mike Beardslee-

Open Theism

2007-12-22T11:14:00.000-06:00

Open Theism

I'm opening this topic for discussion (and Mick, I'm not neglecting your last post - I expect to get to it.)

I was talking with a friend last night who is an open theist and, not knowing much about open theism, I did some reading on it. I was wondering what your guys' thoughts were on it? If you don't know much about it, I suggest you take a look at it.

I think the main argument is that it questions the sovereignty of God in a lot of ways. It definitely leans toward a more Armenian-type theology, which angers the Calvinists. :)

Clark Pinnock is essentially the 'father' of modern day open theism. It borders heresy in a lot of ways but I think that's what makes it so interesting. I'd love to hear what you guys think.

Oh my G-d

2007-12-18T05:39:00.000-06:00

I just found one of the most profound sermons/speeches I've ever read. I didn't even finish it the first time through. I stopped reading it to repent, and just read some of that Bible thing I haven't read in a year (no exaggeration). (I'll come back and post a comment when I finish reading).

here's an excerpt:

I stand here today . . . I’m not troubled in my heart about your self-esteem. I’m not troubled in my heart about whether or not you feel good about yourself, whether or not life is turning out like you want it to turn out, or whether or not your checkbook is balanced. There’s only one thing that gave me a sleepless night. There’s only one thing that troubled me all throughout the morning, and this is this. Within a hundred years, a great majority of people in this building will possibly be in hell. And many who even profess Jesus Christ as Lord will spend an eternity in hell.

You say, Pastor, how can you say such a thing? I can say such a thing because I don’t do my Christian work in America. I spend most of my time preaching in South America, in Africa, and Eastern Europe. And I want you to know that, when you take a look at American Christianity, it is based more upon a godless culture than it is upon the Word of God.

. . . I’m not trying to be hard for the sake of being hard. Do you realize how
much love it takes to stand before 5,000 people and tell them that American Christianity is almost totally wrong? Do you know what it’s going to cost me to never be asked back again to something like this? To be unpopular? Do you know why you do it? You don’t do it because you get paid well. You don’t do it because men love you. You do it because you love men and because, more than that, you want to honor God.

Here's the link:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/789/The-Truth-About-Christianity

Stirring the discussion...

2007-11-16T14:55:00.000-06:00

Hey brothers,

It's been awhile since the discussion has been going, and I was hoping to start a new discussion that is related to most of the discussions we've been having, and something I have been experiencing myself since I entered into Seminary. Thinking back to Bonhoeffer's book Life Together, which I haven't read in ages but only vaguely remember a passage of (I'll have to do some investigating), I seem to remember him talking about 'spiritual community,' and how it cannot exist apart from or take the place of natural community, because then it becomes something artificial, something unhealthy. Rather 'spiritual community' is something that augments natural community, that is, our current friendships, family relations, traditions, and natural roles that we filled, which are rooted in who we are naturally (our personalities and temperments) and how they come together to make a sort of culture, whether that's a family culture, the culture of a group of friends, or the culture of a church as an association of many different families and their friendships, and the connections, roles, and dynamics that develop naturally. So my question is, how does our trinitarian community through the Spirit of God, our 'spiritual community,' interact with our natural communities?

This is something I have begun to question in myself, a question that has arisen out of a deepening doubt in myself and my ability to minister to anyone, feeling quite overwhelmed with the calling to study, think, grow, and also die daily and give myself up for my brothers and sisters, for God and my neighbor, always feeling there is more I could give, but that I don't want to or can't, and I am really exhausted. Mentally exhausted for running over and over again in my head how I could have been more loving, could have been more charitable, feeling selfish even for taking a few moments to do something I wanted to do for myself but feeling like I needed that.

Out of this doubt I have really begun to evaluate who I am, what my own personality is like, and how I fit into my family, my friendships, and the community here at Dubuque Seminary. I think that before I was trying to be 'spiritual' in a sense that was not very natural, was not really myself, and it felt like I was being fake when I did it, and I was being selfish when I did not. The reality is were are called to be disciples of Christ, but we cannot help every suffering person, we cannot feed every hungry person, we cannot fix all of the problems of the world or even our families, and to think that we can do so is very overwhelming. I felt completely responsible, but completely helpless both at once. Several times I have wanted to quit, to give the whole thing up and just get an easy job somewhere, maybe come back to Wichita and spend time with my family and friends there.

But I think that I've been going about it all wrong, trying to be 'spiritual' unnaturally, and I think that I see that going on in a lot of ways all around me. People ask me "Eric, how are you doing," and I know that they care, but do they really want to hear how I'm doing, and do I really want to tell them? People say "How are you doing?" unstead of a simple "Hello" these days, and I think that it's all well meaning and that they do care, but everybodies so busy we don't have time to care. But I think I'm getting into another topic here. So I reiterate my question, how does 'spiritual community' relate to our own natural communities, and how do we live out our calling in obedience without feeling like we have to save everyone, or that we even can?

Doubt: Faith amid the Silence of God

2007-08-02T15:16:00.000-05:00

Alright men. I really want your input on this one, I'll try and keep it short. We all know that faith is hard. As Christians we are to practice 'solidarity' with the world, showing them the riches of faith in Christ. But also, we are to be apart - because we do live in the liberation of Christ. But the difficulty that I mention here is a different kind.

I ask, have you ever doubted. Not in God's ability, or your ability, or in faith. No, have you ever doubted in such severity that you feel that you can no longer call yourself a Christian? Have you ever been so burned out with faith, that for a time...you loose it. This doubt comes differently to all non-infants of faith. For some, the pain hits when they proclaim the new life of Christ, and yet...there is not even a spark to light it within themselves. For others, it is when they wake up one day to feel as though they have the understanding that their faith holds no ground, and they search for the foundation that holds their foundation. For yet others, it is simply when they come to the cold realization that they stand in a night, alone with nothing but silence. They cannot feel, hear, or see God any longer - eventually being stripped of their ability to commune with him. and yet, so often than not, these three examples seem to coincide with each other - a person who has experienced one, experiences the others. It is a topic that I have searched deeply into, as (I do not claim to be an expert) I am no stranger to bumpy roads in faith myself. But before I explore those possibilities with you all, I am curious - to those who have suffered or are suffering a profound difficulty in believing. What did you find? God Bless.
-Beardo-

The Church...

2007-04-30T09:07:00.001-05:00

as an Embassy. eh?

sex, shoes, and salvation

2007-02-13T09:22:00.000-06:00

hey guys,

So at our youth group meeting on Sunday morning, we started talking about salvation. You know, the typical, "do you think you can lose your salvation" talk. These students are bright! But somehow, the conversation got onto influences. We started talking about shoes. Eventually, we started talking about sex. Then one of the girls said, "sex is a lot like shoes." To which someone else said, "sex and shoes are a lot like salvation."

I laughed.

So, we never officially tied the three together, but I have a gut-wrenching feeling that there is some way they do fit. I want to know how you guys think sex, shoes, and salvation fit together. I'm going to write my own blog about it eventually, but I wanted your guys' take on it.

No pressure ;)

Communist, lib, tree-hugger

2007-01-29T15:12:00.000-06:00

Lately Jesus has been taking me on a journey. I have been beaten and bruised, seen truth exposed as lies, and have been lead into a whole new stream of existence. The journey has been through the kingdom of God. I am learning anew about politics (heaven forbid) and the local economy.
Since embarking on this journey I have found myself to be rather small and insignificant, and have found few 'round these parts that would endeavor to journey with me.
The journey started with St. Athanasius and his talk about salvation, as renewal. In fact he talks about salvation being the renewal of all things. He doesn't talk about apocalypse, or the end of the world but, rather the salvation and renewal of all of creation; humanity and the earth all included. This has lead me to understand that God intends to save the world John 3.17 style. I have began to see my role in his kingdom differently as well. God wishes us to be "ministers of reconciliation" as Paul says, which gives light to renewal, making right, making whole, etc. This renewal of all things, relationships, land, waters, trees, cultures, people, individiuls is what got me thinking, maybe it will start your gears turning as well. Let me know your initial thoughts.

Blessings,

Justin

That Crazy Pursuit of the Meaning of Life

2007-01-16T19:04:00.000-06:00

Here are a bit of excerpts from the journals of Kierkegaard. I don't know how generative they are in regards to forming a discussion, but they really do well to put into words the reasons why anyone becomes interested in theology:

"In Christianity itself there are contradictions so great that they prevent an unobstructed view, to a considerable extent, at any rate. As you know, I grew up in orthodoxy, so to speak. But from the moment I began to think for myself, the gigantic colossus began to totter. I call it a gigantic colossus advisedly, for taken as a whole it does have a good deal of consistency, and in the course of many centuries past, the component parts have become so tightly fused that it is difficult to come to terms with them. I might now agree with some of its specific points, but then these could only be considered like the seedlings one often finds growing in rock fissures. On the other hand, I might also see the inconsistencies in many specific points, but I would still have to let the main basiw stand in dubito for some time. The instant that changed, the whole would of course assume an entirely different cast, and thus my attention is drawn to another phenomenon: rationalism, which by and large cuts a pretty poor figure. Ther is really nothing to object to in rationalism as long as reason consistently pursues its own end and--in rendering an explanation of the relation between God and the world--again comes to see humankind in its most profound and spiritual relation to God. In this respect, rationalism from its own point of view considers Christianity that which for many centuries has satisfied humankind's deepest need. But then it is in fact no longer rationalism, for rationalism is given its real coloring by Christianity. Hence it occupies a completely different sphere and does not constitute a system but a Noah's Ark, in which the clean and the unclean animals lie down side by side...Therefore it attempts essentially to ally itself with Christianity, bases its arguments upon Scripture, and in advance of every single point dispatches a legion of Biblical quotations that in no way penetrate the argument. The rationalists behave like Cambyses, who in his campaign against Egypt dispatched the sacred chickens and cats in advance of his army, but they are prepared, like the Roman Consul, to throw the sacred chickens overboard when they refuse to eat. The fallacy is that when they are in agreement with Scripture they use it as a basis, but otherwise not. Thus they adopt mutually exclusive points of view."

Whew, that's a long quote. I tried to paraphrase, but Kierkegaard is so good here. This is why I am not content with contemporary rationalist apologetics, why I am not content with fundamentalism, why I am not content with over and again being backed into the corner of insisting the Christian worldview's superiority over the postmodern worldview, intelligent design over evolution, or any attempt to establish Biblical inerrancy or an ironclad rationalist defense of Christianity. This to me, is the Crusades all over again on an intellectual level, and in ignorance apologists kill indiscriminantly. As Kierkegaard says it "in no way penetrate the argument." This frustrates me. Is that the hope we have for Christ as the world's savior, just a heavy solid battering ram to smash the world's philosophies and cultures on? And does this really penetrate the human condition? Does the problem of suffering and being human really only take place in the philososphere, or is there something deeper which must be addressed down on planet Earth in the human being who is much more that a disconnected individual intellect.

There is something much deeper that makes us yearn for the goodness of God than mere logical superiority. And if the Bible is truth, if God is truth, where is the need to defend it, anyway? Is God really not the mighty warrior we say he is? Doesn't he himself make foolishness of the wisdom of the world? Who appointed us with the apologetical task of defenders of truth? I think it's the other way around, the truth keeps us. Jesus, who was full of grace and truth, he is the Good Shepherd, he is the one who goes before us. Not the other way around. The world is tired of superficial apologetical arguments. The world needs hope that penetrates the heart of the matter. The world needs nothing less than Jesus Christ himself.

Job anyone?

2006-12-22T13:23:00.000-06:00

That's Job as in Jobe. I've been wanting to do my own personal study on the book of Job. It gets quoted alot, and I've been intrigued by it anyhow. So I'm going to start reading it from my Jewish study Bible (from Minor Prophets) and see what I find. If anyone's interested, it would be cool to either get together and compare notes, or even start a discussion on this very blogspot.

The Fall

2006-12-07T18:00:00.000-06:00

Were we fallen before the tree? Did we have it in us to disobey before our first disobedience?

Of Hardened-Hearts, An Open Letter

2006-11-18T16:54:00.000-06:00

This past Thursday was a strange one. The entire day I was fixated on hardened-hearts, and near everything brought to me dealt with hardened-hearts. Strange coincidence. It started shortly after midnight on Thursday morning when I penned the following.

A man might speak truth, but through his action can mysteriously make truth to be untruth. By this I mean to say that a man may know all truths, but if he does not live out truth, if truth does not drive him, begin him at every moment- then truth is an untruth. Those who turn to such men see a veil of falsehood that covers/distorts truth, and truth is lost for those who, turning to such men, reject the veil thiking it to be truth. Woe to the man who willingly adorns himself with a deceitful veil whether knowingly or not. Regardless, brothers, we must avail to discourage one another from such garb as this. To those who unwittingly act in this disobedience we must reveal to them the Light of Christ which is Truth and which destroys all untruth. But of those whose hearts are hardened- what do we do? To those whose gnostic pride assails the truth- how will the LORD lead us? We speak truth, and they speak truth, but in our actions we are divided. One acts truth, the other acts spite, selfishness, and distraction from the truth. What of such men? I would say 'love,' but I hesitate. For if their hearts are hardened such that they know truth but do not act in it- what then is the will of God?

Mr. Van Til

2006-11-09T11:25:00.000-06:00

So I've been listening to a Cornelius Van Til lecture mp3. You can find it on theopedia, under Karl Barth. So far he's rejecting the existential heritage that Barth is bringing into theology; he considers this direct connection of God to our consciousness man-centered theology (Jesus is the man, the Son of Man, by the way). I do think it needs to be said that it is not merely "us and God" but that the Holy Spirit connects us with Christ, who reveals the Father. This is what Barth is getting at, and Mr. Van Til misunderstands him. And of course, the Father reveals the Son, but this goes to show that Father and Son are working together. We need not worry about a secret agenda (or secret decree) from God the Father, we see Christ doing his work. Jesus of Nazareth, the Jesus who is the head of the church now. Anyhow...He labels Bart a "liberal modern theologian," and what I don't get is how he can't see that he himself is entrenched in the modern notion that our reason is capable of providing a framework for God's action. This is our "man-centered" theology at it's best (or it's worst:( ). Sure, we have scripture, and we can build a framework upon that, but God is beyond our frameworks. It reminds me of the Pharisees, and there shock when Jesus did something apart from the Torah (healing on the Sabbath, for example). It's not like he just spoke to people thousands of years ago and then stopped, leaving us this book to figure out. He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit, through the Bible.

Sorry, that's just my rant. Criticisms are welcome.

And I'm still listening to Cornelius.

Thanks to my fellow travelers

2006-11-08T10:33:00.000-06:00

Gentlemen, brothers in Christ, fellow travelers
I just want to thank you all for being so committed to this page. Your posts have been helpful, especially in the way that they challenge the one posting. I wouldnt have predicted it to turn out so well. Eric and I are going to continue screwing with the page, making it more sparkley and more entertaining (like the coffee?). I just wanted to encourage you guys to keep it up; no post is taboo (example: my last post ;). And if you want any books of note that you are reading shown on the page, just let us know. Thanks again guys, its been enlightening thus far.
-Mike-

...truth...

2006-10-31T15:43:00.000-06:00

Truth is not relative. I will say again - truth is not relative. I've heard the arguments, i'll hear them again, but I woke up this morning with truth on my mind; lo and behold! It continues to haunt me today. This is me, putting words to my thoughts...a musing if you will. Please bear with me. And please continue in our other discussions...they are going places.
Today, I see God in truth. Perhaps I am off base, but it seems that when truth is present, so is God. That's to say truth doesnt equal "good" I am sure there are truths that God greatly despises. What I am working towards is that the abstract concept of truth is becoming for me, well...much less abstract. The last couple of days my lit. class has been working on "In Cold Blood" by Truman Copote. Never have I been so affected by a tragic novel in my life. Today in class, i seethed, I boiled, I almost wept with the reality...the tangible reality of the death of this family. It was a family, a true family, a family with feelings, affections, pains, and to give Kirkegaard his due, a history. The truth is, is that this family being a creation of God was snuffed out by a sadistic utterly selfish impulse. No longer will the Father farm, the girl date. The truth of the matter makes our rationale recoil in horror and bewilderment.
I may be getting sick of reducing the concept of truth into a philosophical abstract. We ssuccessfully have done this, and inadvertantly reduced things such as ethics or theology to relativity. It is this limitation of truth that gives creedence to narcacism and a saving gospel that damns...
I wonder if I had ever comprehended the truth of murder before this week. Maybe in glimpses or concepts, but never like this. Can I explain the change? Probably not. But ask yourself, "When was I affected by God?" Was it when I could explain it, understand it? Is God truly God only when we can understand him? But the truth is, is that God's truth...indeed, truth itself is truth even apart of our intellects. What I am saying is this, I am beginning to believe that we can better understand a truth when it affects us to the core of our being; in other words, truth is more clearly seen when I feel it.
The truth for me the last couple of week is this. I am spiritually bored and hurting. I have gotten angry at God and don't feel guilty about it. The world continues, good and bad, salvation and murder. I love you guys. This is truth. And God, he is among us- laughing and mourning, He truly lives with us. Let us begin to understand truth, and in our context here, the truth of God's love as a standard; there are such things as standards, ethically they point towards God and good. Let us not be afraid to feel, perhaps we can see more when we do.
-Beardo-

Community for Intentional Living

2006-10-12T09:46:00.000-05:00

Sanctorum Communio
A few of us talked Tuesday night about getting together either bi-weekly, or monthly and putting out theological rants into practice. This is an invite and a follow-up to all you fella's. This would be a place of confession, devotion, worhsip, service, etc. What are your thoughts? How often would you like to meet? WHen would you like to meet?

broken community

2006-10-08T17:17:00.000-05:00

How do we mend a community of broken individuals together... and keep relationships honest?

Clarity:
By 'broken', I mean people that are sinful, downtrodden individuals that can't express their sinfullness and downtroddedness in a church they're already in (much like we've talked about in previous posts). Apparently it seems like an impossibility to step into a community (say, the congregation at the church down the street), stand up and say, "I'm gay." I would face rejections, criticism, or I'd be asked to leave. We actually had an incident similar to this happen at my church MANY years ago. The church lost an amazing child of God to the world. She was rejected, criticized and asked to come back after she had thought long and hard about the wrong and sinful choice that she made. She wasn't loved. At all.

What I'm asking is, how can we (as sinful people in a "righteous" community, such as our church congregations that "have it together") come together?

We face nonchristian behavior, in many established communities (churches), when we're too honest about our failures. My question is: how do we redeem this in a congregation that's been established for, say, 30 years? Is it even possible? Or must we start from scratch?

Let's talk about communism!

2006-10-04T14:49:00.000-05:00

Read the post I had Yesterday, I know it's Goofy but I'm Serious! Let us explore Community and how we are called to live it out. "If we divorce the people of God (church) from the Gospel, It ceases to be the Gospel. It's not just me and Jesus" (Derek Webb) The Gospel message is for Humanity, and not an individual call! I believe it is the calling of a people, Israel! It is the calling of community! I may have just stepped on some toes, so lets talk. Is the emphasis the American Church since the modern era on the individual? Was God's call to a people rather Just a person? I mean I know he called Abe and Moses, but wasn't that to something greater than an individual call? Maybe I am way of base, maybe I need to be brought back to Orthodoxy! Please help me Brothers!

JJ

The surreal truth of Harstine

2006-10-03T20:34:00.000-05:00

Greetings again friends. Its good to see that we are all on board, twill be good I believe.

I was just thinking today and was reminded of some conversations that Mr. Barrett, Mr. Jamis, and I had a few semesters ago; I realize that as I've grown here at friends, so has my passion for the Church. I think that we sometimes forget the unbelievable blessing that we have here on campus, or alongside our brothers (Bonhoeffer has a great section on this in Life Together, really the only part i've read of that one. As we sit in Mr. Harstine's roasting classes, we are surrounded by equally bogged down but amazing brothers and sisters in Christ. Our classes are filled by people that are passionate for Christ, and actively pursuing holyness, ready to give much of themselves at our expense. But the truth is, is that this awesomeness, in my eyes, seems to translate to the American church with only a low percentage. Is it because we are religion majors? Absolutely Not!

What I am getting at is that I look around (and cannot speak for every church), and find a body of believers bored with God; in other words, they are bored with the life that they profess as their joy. What has happened, what can happen? I personally believe that the understanding of the salvation of man through Christ has been diluted into a much less filling form. I'm reading a article by Foster in which he shares the same sentiments as myself, Ill comment on that as soon as i finish. Perhaps this is a step into having the passionate people within the church not be the minority. Let me know what you think. - Beardo

Communism at its finest!

2006-10-03T10:42:00.000-05:00

Greetings Brothers,
I am finding that I miss you all, the fellowship, the insane rants, all the good stuff, more and more. Getting old and having a job 40 hrs a week can be tough!

Anyway, I have been thinking lately what's so bad about communism? I mean minus the terranical facist government, the starving people, underpaid workers, and sometimes even mass genocide, when you get down to it Communism isn't that bad, right? I've been thinking latley, and I believe I've decided, I am communist!

Now if you will excuse me, the CIA, the FBI, the US government, BOOM (Board of Ordained Ministers), and the cult police, are knocking down my door as we speak, got to go, Bye!

Blessings,

JJ

Greetings fellow travelers!

2006-09-29T14:48:00.000-05:00

To all my main men...in Christ Jesus

Welcome to Sanctorum Communio. You might have noticed that the name of this blog site is cleverly ripped off of the late Dietrich Bonhoeffer's doctorate work. I hope he doesn't mind.

The purpose of this page is to consider a number of issues about the Christian life. To consider; that is, to discuss, ask, rebuke, critique, and bring forth any ideas or revelations regarding the issues at hand. No type of blog is taboo, feel free to ask without having an answer ready. As for our issues, I realize that some of the people that I've talked to have had similar concerns about the Church and its members. Lets embark on finding out what lies behind some of our doctrines; lets get past the buzzwords of theology and make our theology a practical reality. What is sanctification? How does it relate to the individual; how does it happen, what can we do, what part do the disciplines play into it, how does it relate to justification, and indeed Mr. Jamis...what huge part does it play into the Church as a whole. I know this seems big, but its really not so much as it seems. At heart we feel like approaching the topic of the "with-God" life within the Church. I believe that we are all travelers, unified in our love for Christ, and he continues to break us, mold us, into the person that we are meant to be. In short; we are people who know the beauty of the truth about salvation in Christ Jesus, and he continues to form us into beings that can love and commune with him all the better.
I believe that we borrow (correct me if I am wrong EJ) from Dr. Bonhoeffer because of what his title implies. The Communion of Saints. He had a passion for the Church as a unified body, at once both holy and broken, cleansed but still with our habits, displaying the love of Jesus to the world. This is our desire, to see a community not just for the purpose of sin managment, but as a community of individuals, truly passionate about worshiping God, and further being led into a deeper communion with him. So let us discuss these things: sanctification, justification, the Church, spiritual disciplines, and the inner life. Our doctrine of God and our life with God should not be seperate. God Bless - Michael Beardslee -