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Church Street, Princeton
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It would be just like him

The God of the Bible looks like Jesus, the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being. It would be just like him to go to the cross.

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Practicing Our Scales

Imagine if our walk with Christ, representing his kingdom in the world, were as practiced and pure as Hania Rani’s fingers on the piano keys.

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Rescue

I practice the spiritual discipline of rescuing earthworms on paved surfaces. It's a reminder to me that I can pause what I'm doing, get a little dirty, and help. Also, that I've been given the responsibility to care.

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Your Roots Are Showing

The life that I bring to the world can only be found in my attachment to Christ. His presence with me is essential.

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Connection

I live in a U.S. county with traffic problems. It's a peninsula, and what's not swamp land has been developed. Building new roads is difficult and expensive. Making things worse, roads that could connect don't.

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Forming Rick Shafer Forming Rick Shafer

Yoked

The freedom and joy of ‘life with God’ rather than ‘life for God’.

“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
— Matthew 11:28-30

It's Jesus' invitation to religious people. A life 'for God' is burdensome and exhausting. Here Jesus invites us to live life 'with God'. Yoked to Jesus, we learn by observation and participation. And we never have to wonder if we've done enough. Our souls are refreshed by being with Jesus in the moment, every moment.

The world is refreshed, too, when we bring Jesus and our synced-up lives into every place we go. Or maybe it's best to say Jesus brings us along where he's already at work.

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Forming Rick Shafer Forming Rick Shafer

Stewardship

So many forms of God’s grace. How is our stewardship of those gifts?

Serve one another, each according to the gift he has received, as good stewards of the many forms of God’s grace. (1 Peter 4:10)

Here at the coast, we love the sunrises. They are breathtaking. We behold their beauty and grab a photo. A beautiful sunrise is God's gift to us. And since it's not earned or deserved, we see that it's his grace. In this example, good stewardship of the gift involves just noticing and appreciating it; maybe even sharing a photo with others.

Consider two other gifts of grace. God has given us the gift of his presence (Immanuel, "God with us") and he's given us the gift of his written word (the Scriptures). How can we steward well his near-ness and his revealed wisdom to us?

What are some other gifts of grace?

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Living Rick Shafer Living Rick Shafer

More about worms

Struggling in God’s hands.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a morning liturgy. When I’m walking and see a worm on the pavement, I catch it and throw it back into the grass. Have you tried picking a worm up off the pavement? It’s not easy. When they’re stretched out, clinging to their world, it’s hard to get a hold on them.

But if I just touch them first, they wriggle their way right into my hands.

This is a good metaphor for me and God. So long as I cling to my world, I’m difficult for God to grasp. He sees me headed for danger. He sees I’m going to dry out in the harsh sun. But, for the moment, I’m comfortable—oblivious to God’s care.

Then he touches me. Maybe with a sunset. Maybe with a sting. He has my attention and I wriggle into his hands. Safe.

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