Advent 1: Look Up, Your Redemption is Drawing Near!**

In Advent, Christmas, Contemplation, Culture, Delight in God, Desire, Discipleship, Formation by BizgaineyLeave a Comment

C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, suggests that we are a people of deep and unending desire.  He further states that our unending quest for satisfaction reveals a deeper and often confounding truth about what it means to be human!

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant…
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Easter: A Celebration of God’s Self-Giving Love and Beauty!

In Consumption, Delight in God, Desire, Discipleship, Easter, Formation, Freedom, Love by BizgaineyLeave a Comment

Easter: A Celebration of God’s Self-Giving Love and Beauty!

Are there ever moments in your life when your desire feels ravenous?

Moments when you are just never satisfied, always longing for, wanting, or craving bigger, better, more?

I use the term ravenous to mean intensely eager for satisfaction or gratification.  I have written extensively on this blog regarding the prevalence of desire within the human soul.

We can all probably agree, at least on some level, that many of our decisions related to how we spend our time and where …
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I’m Going to Tell You the Story of a Church

In Contemplation, Desire, Discipleship, Formation, Spiritual Formation, Transformation by BizgaineyLeave a Comment

I’m Going to Tell You the Story of a Church

I am going to tell you a story.

It’s a story about a church.

This church is a collection of individuals representing the myriad walks of life from the varied and diverse religious landscape that America has become.  That’s important to note because we never set out to be a denomination or tribe with a particular affiliation.…
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Imagine Yourself in the Presence of the King

In Change, Contemplation, Culture, Delight in God, Desire, Discipleship, Formation, Fully Awake, Heaven, Imagination by BizgaineyLeave a Comment

Imagine Yourself in the Presence of the King

Imagine yourself in the presence of the King of Creation.

Imagine the majestic environment – the rarefied air, trees bustling with beauty and dignity – an atmosphere encased in a feeling of delight and joy!

Imagine sinking your teeth into a delectable piece of fruit, soaked with the fullness of life and the freshness of His touch.

Just beyond the horizon, you spy a crowd of animals: healthy and vibrant, on glorious display – marching in rhythm – beneath the base of …
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Delight: Rediscovering the Joy

In Culture, Delight in God, Desire, Formation, Spiritual Formation by BizgaineyLeave a Comment

Delight: Rediscovering the Joy

To delight (be satisfied, gratified, entirely content) is to receive a high (perhaps the highest) degree of pleasure or joy.

To give delight is to share our life in such a way that our presence,  gifts, and strengths bring satisfaction to those with whom they are shared.

For example, who doesn’t remember the moments in which we tasted pure, thick, and lasting delight?

Moments like:

A first love. A life-long goal or ambition finally achieved. The birth of a child (or first steps and words). The…
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Does Eminem Get the Gospel?

In Contemplation, Culture, Desire, Discipleship, Formation, Habits, Purpose and Meaning, Resolution, Surrender by Bizgainey2 Comments

Does Eminem Get the Gospel?

Legend has it that The Times once sent an inquiry to famous authors, asking the question, “What’s wrong with the world today?”

To which G.K. Chesterton responded:

“Dear Sir,

I am.

Yours, G.K. Chesterton.”

Eminem’s 2013 smash hit, Monster, topped the charts in no fewer than twelve countries.

Featuring guest vocalist Rihanna, the heart-thumping rhythms and hard-driving vocals were greeted by worldwide applause and assault.

Many within the Entertainment industry applauded Monster, while many in the Christian community assaulted Monster.

Admittedly, his lyrics are often …
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A Father and a Fan, 2: The Heart of Vero Keeps Hope Alive!

In Desire, Football, Formation, Habits by BizgaineyLeave a Comment

When a team has heart – by that I mean grit, determination, desire, mettle, and hunger – hope never dies.

As long as hope lives, anything is possible!

Anything!

Last Friday night, fans of this year’s installment of #fightingindianfootball, witnessed a team with heart.

And, honestly, no one ever guessed that heart would be required to win this year’s district championship game.

Indeed, we entered Fort Pierce Central’s home field as huge favorites.  We left as district champions!

But something special happened in between our coming in as favorites and …
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Devotion: A Sacred and Signature Affection!

In Desire, Discipleship, Formation, Habits by BizgaineyLeave a Comment

Devotion: A Sacred and Signature Affection! “The material creation is not just some detour from our heavenly existence. It is the very good abode created by our heavenly Father. Creation is not some icky, regrettable mistake on God’s part. It is the product of his love.” James K.A. Smith, You Are What You Love.

It sounds strange to claim that delight begins with devotion.  When we think of delight, or things we enjoy, we intuitively assume that devotion is the last thing required.  Who needs devotion to enjoy things like …
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A New Year’s Prayer for a Soul-full, Sacred, and Satisfying Way of Life!

In Contemplation, Culture, Desire, Discipleship, Imagination, Prayer by BizgaineyLeave a Comment

Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Matthew 3:10

Sometimes a tree can be so unhealthy that the only hope for renewal is to chop it down.  John, in the Matthew passage above, is proclaiming just such a message! For, as he envisions God’s Kingdom yet to come, he imagines the King as one who comes with an ax.  Not for the purpose of destruction, but for the …
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Imagining Heaven: The Day Without Night

In Blessing, Death and Dying, Desire, Heaven, Imagination, The Parade of Nations by Bizgainey1 Comment

Year in and year out, I have one post that gets more attention than all the other ones.   It’s one a wrote nearly three years ago.  The piece is a vision of heaven, the hereafter, and the moments in between.  It’s designed to give hope to those who go to rest in the arm of the Lord.

This year, as in the previous two, this will be my last post of the year.  I pray it will bring you hope!…
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