by Dries Cronje on December 9, 2009
If you’re one of the regular readers of this blog, you might have wondered if anything has happened to me. I’ve been very quiet, but not entirely inactive. I apologize for the absence.
I’m in the process of experiencing something of what Jesus spoke about in John 15:2 — “… And every branch that is grape-bearing he (God) prunes back so it will bear even more” — The Message. It’s a painful, yet exciting process, and I’m learning a lot. I’ll eventually speak more about it on my new website (see below). But I’m still in the midst of it, so please be patient…
As a result, I’ve started a new teaching website called NeoMysticism.com. This site looks into the way of life the Christian Mystics, and the practices that defined their lives and the fruit they produced. It explores in depth topics like Lectio Divina and Contemplative Prayer. It’s brand new, so don’t expect too much content, but I’ll keep it growing at a frisk pace…
Hopefully, it’s contents will also eventually form the basis of a multimedia e-learning course. We’ll see.
Sadly, for now, the new site will be my only focus, and I won’t be writing much here. Thank you for reading my posts in the past, and hopefully I’ll see you around on the new site. Subscribe there to stay in touch… The Jesus Feed will not disappear, so you’ll still have access to everything posted here. And who knows, one day I might just start actively posting here again. It’s all a mystery…
by Dries Cronje on July 21, 2009
I finished reading The Hole in our Gospel by Richard Stearns, President of World Vision U.S., recently. It’s one of those rare books that encourages you to do more about the fate of the poor around the world, breaks your heart through true story telling, rightly convinces you that you still have some way to go in order to get where Jesus needs you to be, and generally leaves you with a fresh discontent about the state of things. Remarkably, the book does all this without having any smack of legalism to it, and without making you feel like you’re being offered some formula, or reduction of the true gospel of Jesus, the Christ. [click to continue…]
by Dries Cronje on July 16, 2009
This morning I tweeted two quotes on my Twitter account:
“Kindness has converted more sinners than zeal, eloquence or learning.” – Frederick W. Faber
“A holy life will produce the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns; they only shine.” – D.L. Moody
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by Dries Cronje on June 8, 2009
by Dries Cronje on May 26, 2009
I recently listened to an audio version of Eugene Peterson’s Eat this Book. It’s excellent work (as we’ve come to expect from Eugene) and I can highly recommend it to anyone serious about the bible. Much of what I discuss here I learned from that and similar books.
Lectio Divina, or spiritual reading, is an ancient discipline that we (the church) have lost somewhere along the way. We approach the bible with our own agendas in mind, like ‘What can I learn?’, ‘How can I change, or get over this?’, or ‘What is God’s will?’. However, the bible is God’s living Word. We shouldn’t just read it, but allow it to read us. We should approach it on God’s terms and we should allow God to reveal Himself to us and allow his Holy Spirit to work on us through what we read. [click to continue…]
by Dries Cronje on May 21, 2009
Thelma Hall writes in her excellent little book, Too deep for words: rediscovering Lectio Divina…
For the prospect of transformation to a life of love has for us the intimation and attraction of an ultimate truth: it is in the surrender of my false self with its claim of full autonomy, and in letting love become the dynamic central reality of my life, that my true self will be most fully realized. But this means beginning to follow Jesus along a path which must take me in a direction directly opposite to my instinctive self-oriented choices. It is “shifting my center,” away from my self, to self-giving, in love. This is precisely Jesus’ meaning — that I only discover who I am and possess my true identity by “losing myself” for his sake.
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by Dries Cronje on May 12, 2009
I play golf. And… sometimes my fellow followers of Jesus frown on this with remarks like “It’s a game Freud would have played.” Nonetheless, as someone who always fared better at solo sports, I find great enjoyment, relaxation, and inspiration in the game of golf.
Imagine this scenario… You want to start playing golf, and knowing that I play golf, you come to me and ask me how to go about this game. I reply, “It’s simple. Just visit your nearest course, walk up to the first tee box, place your ball on the tee, and hit the perfect drive down the middle of the fairway. Then, take your four iron, and hit an approach shot that lands really close to the flag. All that now remains is to tap the ball into the hole for a birdie, and to play the other seventeen holes in a similar fashion.” [click to continue…]
by Dries Cronje on April 14, 2009
At the beginning of Leviticus we read elaborate instructions, very precise, given by God to Moses. These deal with offerings for different purposes, including offerings for sin.
When reading these elaborate. precise instructions, we quickly reach the conclusion that sin is serious to God. To Him our transgressions is no small thing. [click to continue…]
by Dries Cronje on March 30, 2009
Not long ago, one morning I woke up and picked up my restless, four-month old baby boy. He was done sleeping, and by implication, so was I. My wife had also just gotten up, and she was getting ready to face the world. I think this happened over a weekend, so neither of us was in a great hurry.
I was in a humorous mood, so within earshot of my wife I decided to playfully share the rules of being part of our family with my baby boy. Rules that he would have to keep for us to accept him into our home and lives… Obey them and be welcome, disobey and you’ll be kicked out.
I was joking, obviously. Having such rules for a baby would be totally absurd. When we receive a new-born from God, we accept him/her without any conditions. We adjust our lives to accommodate him/her and make huge sacrifices to assure his/her well-being and comfort. [click to continue…]
by Dries Cronje on March 2, 2009
I’m currently studying and practicing Lectio Divina, or spiritual reading. The problem with the way we’ve always been reading the Bible is that we approach it with an agenda. Instead, we need to pick up our bibles with an open mind and changeable heart to let God do what He needs to do in us through the Holy Spirit.
The Bible is a holy, living text, but not on it’s own when approached with some agenda in mind. Only when we allow God to work on us through his words. Only when we approach the Bible to learn about God and his revelations on his terms.
