laura.murray's blog

God provided a way out for so many at the Boston bombings. We read the stories of those that walked by the bombs just moments before or after they exploded. Their lives were spared. Yet three did not get a way out.

“Two are better than one, because they can reap more benefit from their labor.” Ecclesiastes 4:9

    Affliction. I don’t know about you, but I tend to want to either run from it or get rid of it. I do not like it, I do not want it and I do not pray for it. Flee or fight - that is what I do.

    Often encouragement comes in the form of praise or a word of kindness. Someone says an encouraging word because they noticed something about you or something that you did. Maybe you performed your job incredibly well or have incredibly consistency. Maybe you did something extraordinary or maybe something ordinary.

    Over the past year, my prayers for patience have exponentially increased. Losing a job with commensurate loss of family income, a new daughter, waiting for an answer as to where to use my gifts, a loss of community, waiting for provision and in desperate need of patience. The patience that God required this past year exceeds human ability.

“When we start by being too impressed by the results of our work, we slowly come to the erroneous conviction that life is one large scoreboard where someone is listing the points to measure our worth. And before we are fully aware of it, we have sold our soul to the many grade-givers. That means we are not only in the world, but also of the world.

Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing! But at your word I will lower the nets.” Luke 5:5

“I tell you the solemn truth, when you were young, you tied your clothes around you and went wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will tie you up and bring you where you do not want to go.” (Now Jesus said this to indicate clearly by what kind of death Peter was going to glorify God.) After he said this, Jesus told Peter, “Follow me.” Peter tur

“Mystique” is a shape-shifting character in the X-men comics and movies. She can transform into anyone by assuming all their physical characteristics. She is quite powerful but in the 2011 movie X-Men: First Class, there is a scene that depicts her struggles with her true identity.

We love Google. Enter a question and we are likely to find a host of answers. We have instant knowledge at our fingertips.

I doubt. I don’t know about you, but I doubt God’s goodness and I doubt His ability. Typically it’s one or the other, but I doubt.

“If you can’t take the time to do nothing, you’re a slave to doing. Doing nothing is a radical, revolutionary act. It frees you from the universal slavery of our age; slavery to the clock. The clock measures doing but not being.” – Peter Kreeft

Today is Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter, the evening that some churches celebrate the Last Supper Jesus had with his disciples. During the Last Supper (Luke 22, Matthew 26, Mark 14) Jesus celebrated the Passover (Exodus 12) and alluded to his betrayal and death. During the Last Supper Jesus also gave thanks for the bread, telling his disciples it is his body, broken for them, to eat in remembrance of him. He also takes the cup and tells them it is the new covenant of his blood, poured out for them. He speaks of death and remembrance. He tells them to remember him before he has even died, like a living funeral (I first learned of a living funeral while watching Tuesdays with Morrie). He alludes to his death, a necessary ending.

“The people kept their distance, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.” Exodus 20:21

Distance. Darkness. God. But…

French philosopher Blaise Pascal thought that inattention is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life. If inattention is a great enemy of the spiritual life then how do we learn to be more attentive?

Continuous Partial Attention. The dominant attention paradigm. Did you even know that there were attention paradigms? I did not until I ran across this. Keep on reading and see if this sounds familiar.

For the past year or so God has had my attention and has been calling me to be more attentive. Whether this is for those I serve in ministry, my family, myself, whoever, God has called me to many times and places of being attentive and sitting with Him. Here is just an initial thought on attentiveness.

For the past few years I have had a “theme” for the year. Sometimes it’s a word, sometimes a phrase. Sometimes it comes at the beginning of the year and sometimes it comes at the end of the year.

“The most vital way to measure our lives is not by chronological time – chronos – but in terms of kairos, the word often used in the Bible to speak of those opportune times that become turning points.” – Leighton Ford, The Attentive Life

Every time it rains and we’re in our home I am incredibly grateful to God for our home.  Because we have a home I can shield my son from the rain.  This gratefulness comes from an encounter with a single father in Ethiopia just a few short years ago.

Holy Saturday comes at different times, in different ways and even different lengths for each of us.  Specifically we remember Holy Saturday as the day between the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is the day of the unknown and a day of rest.  Two things that do not naturally go hand in hand for people.

Ever since joining the Presbyterian church I’ve had opportunity to appreciate and grow to value various days in the Christian calendar and life of the disciples.  While remembering Good Friday, and of course, always remembering and celebrating Easter, I never knew much about Lent, Holy Week, Maundy Thursday or Holy Saturday.  The last few years,

Silence is a rare find. Most everywhere we go there is noise. Whether it is external noise or noise in our own minds and hearts. Our world is only getting louder and louder and often we think of silence is unproductive or invaluable. The truth is that silence is a gift.

7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven – only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 7:22 On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?’ 7:23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you.

Q: “If superficiality is the curse of the modern age, what’s the curse of the postmodern age?”
A: “Distraction. With the Internet and entertainment, so many different ways to keep people’s minds constantly shifting, they don’t have to think. That’s why solitude and silence are among the most important spiritual disciplines for today.”

When you ask someone, "What are you most passionate about?" you get a myriad of responses.  Most people have no idea and are paralyzed in their response.  Some people think they know and they really don't.  Some people answer because they think they're supposed to know and they really don't.  Others may have thought they knew then were disappointed by how their passions didn't play

Happy Thanksgiving!  This is a wonderful day in which we spend remembering the many things that we are grateful for.  Not only is it a day to look back but it is also a day to look forward, preparing us for the holiday season.

Recently I learned about two things that would seem to be detached from one another but actually have quite a bit in common.  Free play and question based discipleship.

Much commotion and opinion surrounded us as our President, Barack Obama, was given the Nobel Peace Prize last week.  As I sat in the media commentary, facebook comments and my own discussions I began to realize that not only does it seem that our society value ideals over actions, but so do I.

I'm supposed to be taking a Sabbath day today from work.  So, how a nursing mother does this I don't know, but I'm going to try.  I believe I am violating my Sabbath by even being on my computer, but it was my day to blog today and I didn't find someone else to fill in for me.