Cigarettes & Energy Drinks

Lord, it strikes me that everyone needs to have some kind of "dark night of the soul" before they really connect with you. Rick had that. Me too.

It's what my friend N needs right now... What would you have us do with him?

Thinking about something as simple as having him search the New Testament for "power" and writing down all these verses, so that he can meditate on what they mean, reveal, so that he can find the ones that are helpful.

Most of us don't encounter God because we are not yet truly desperate enough to truly seek... we are wealthy, comfortable, functional enough to mask our need for resurrection...

Lord, it strikes me that cigarettes and energy drinks are trivial in one sense – they are trifles. But they are mountainous in another – N needs to learn the discipline of giving up something. These are really good places to stary...

Romans 1:16 – "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile..."

Matthew 5:29 – "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away, for it is better to lose one of your members than your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away, for it is better to lose one of your members than your whole body be thrown into hell."

It's very interesting – the gospel is power, and that power comes through faith, not effort / action. But faith will take action; action is not incompatible with faith. In other words, how we articulate the gospel needs to include this range that includes both Jesus & Paul – they are not at odds! – which together make up the whole spectrum: sanctification by faith, action in the face of danger!

The dark night of the soul is actually a great opportunity...