Deconstruction
To me, deconstruction suggests a careful dismantling — setting aside and preserving everything that can be reused. It looks toward restoration, rebuilding on a better foundation with integrity and strength.
Destruction, on the other hand, leaves only a heap of rubble.
Our God is a restorer. He gathers remnants and rebuilds. The Enemy, though, comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.
A Barometer
You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you. — Isaiah 26:3
Barometers measure pressure. The pressure seems elevated around me. Too often, it rises within me. God has a message: perfect peace is available in pressure-packed surroundings. Our good Father wants to keep us secure. Our great Father can keep us secure. He needs us to focus our attention and trust him.
Lingo
We've all encountered it: CEO-speak, lawyer-talk, academic word salad, politician punch. Words were uttered, but nothing was said. Gauging success in communication rests with the hearer.
Christians have our lingo, too. We might not even have a good grasp of their meaning, but some words make us feel secure in some theological safe zone. To make new disciples of Jesus, we need to turn lingo into language. Our words and our actual lived lives can communicate a coherent message of faith working through love.
- love
- Holy Spirit
- humility
- church
- politics & society
- mission & witness
- holiness
- parable & metaphor
- identity
- eternal life
- doubt & deconstruction
- leadership
- grace
- justice
- scripture
- spiritual life
- advent & christmas
- poverty & compassion
- imagination & creativity
- technology & ai
- knowing God
- human dignity
- faith & trust
- incarnation & cross
- kingdom of God
- community
- reconciliation
- spiritual formation
- epistemology
- prayer
- gratitude
- culture
- creation & nature
- discipleship