personal salvation?

I've been hearing a lot lately about the idea of forsaking the "personal salvation" gospel in favor of the gospel seems to paint a more biblical picture: Jesus came in love to save the world. He created the church to help him with this mission, and he invites me to become a part of the church to experience and participate in his love.  

Brian McLaren makes some interesting points in his book Generous Orthodoxy about the dangers of "personal salvation" gospel:

- Salvation becomes all about me, how to meet my needs, and is marketed as such. This makes it appealing to people on the basis of self-interest instead of self-sacrifice.

- It "poses a temptation to want heaven more than I want good- to want escape from hell more than I want true reconciliation for my neighbors" 

- It "emphasizes life after death that it ultimately trivializes life before death"

Interestingly enough, the idea of "personal salvation" arose out of a need for people to make a personal commitment to Christ instead of just considering themselves Christians on the basis of their culture (German, Dutch, American, etc.).  So, it's not that making a personal commitment is a bad thing (it's essential!), it's the mindset that comes out of thinking of Christianity as a very individualistic thing instead of the original intent: authentic communities of people embracing Jesus' mission of saving the world. 

As always, what I am ultimately wrestling with here is how to live in the way of Jesus.  I want to have Jesus' heart for the world- to live each moment in the Present and in the awareness of the presence of God.   

sis

My sister left yesterday- she had been staying with us in New York for the past month, taking a TESOL certification class.  I can't really explain the depth of our relationship or the love we have for each other, but it's a beautiful thing :)  Needless to say, I enjoyed every minute of her stay. 

run

I participated in my first official run on Saturday.  It was a 4 mile run through the inner loop of Central Park.  I have never been much of a runner, but over the past few months, I have started to really enjoy it!   I am now beginning to understand what Eric Liddell (the famous Olympic runner) meant when he said, "When I run, I feel His pleasure." There is nothing like running through a beautiful park, breathing deeply, and taking in the beauty of creation.  I don't know that I'll ever be a marathon runner, but we'll see where this new past time takes me! 

New York

"There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born there, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size, its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter- the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night.  Third, there is New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something.  Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness, natives give it solidity and continuity, but the settlers give it passion." 

by E. B. White

from "Here is New York" (1948)

I saw this quote on a bus the other day- just an interesting tidbit to think about... 

Pisticci

Discovered a great restaurant last night! Pisticci, on LaSalle and Broadway (2 blocks south of 125th St.) is a great little Italian cafe with amazing atmosphere, very affordable prices, and pretty decent food too.  

Then went to Artopolis to satisfy that second compartment in our stomachs which had plenty of room for a little something sweet. 

Simple pleasures in life: enjoying friends, good conversations, a glass of wine (or two), and Artopolis nutella and strawberry crepes.  

prayer

"Sitting in the presence of God for one hour each morning- day after day, week after week, and month after month, in total confusion and with a myriad of distractions- radically changes my life."  

- Henri Nouwen

"Much of the benefit of prayer comes as a result of consistency, the simple act of showing up.  For years I resisted a regular routine of prayer, believing that communication with God should be spontaneous and free.  As a result I prayed infrequently and with little satisfaction.  Eventually I learned that spontaneity often flows from discipline."

- Philip Yancey 

I have come to realize in my life that for me to make a habit of something, I need to intentionally carve out a time and place in my daily routine.  Otherwise, it just doesn't happen or it doesn't happen very consistently.  This has been especially true in having a daily prayer time.  So, for the last few weeks, the carved out space for a daily prayer time is my walk from the 1 train to my school- about a 20 minute walk.   To be honest, many times after my walk, I feel like nothing was gained- my prayers were jumbled and incoherent, I didn't hear from God, my mind was distracted.  But I keep doing it everyday- in hope that over time, my soul will gradually "settle down to a more calming rhythm" and God would use this time to radically change my life.  

mess

So, today after work I decided to go to Silver Moon and sit outside and enjoy the amazing weather.  I ordered an iced chai latte and a chocolate croissant and immediately was lost in the book I'm reading called Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne.  So I'm reading about Shane's life and how is trying to make sense of authentically living out the way of Jesus- knowing that this is my deepest heart's cry too.  A few minutes later, I noticed a lady a few yards away from me on the sidewalk, calling out, "Can you give me something to eat please," every few moments to distracted New Yorkers on their way home from work.  This went on for a while as I tried to keep reading about how to live out my Christian faith.  Then she left. End of story. 

God, I'm such a mess.  Forgive my passive-ness.