I find myself in the paradox I do every year at this time of remembering to take time to remember the true reason for this holiday. I know the reason for the season and He knows me as well, but in the midst of the moras of Christmas cookies, plays, potlucks and family visits I get a little mixed up.

I had every intention of following an advent schedule this year. I have a book that helps guide you through it and I have not even cracked it open. Advent is not something we ever practiced growing up as a Baptist. I think it would help me to stay focused on the reason for this season.

I hear God tell me to Be still and know…my logical question the is “know what Lord?” Tell me what the end result is so I know what to be waiting for. My planner is packed and I always will make time for you, but tell me how much time and where so I can fit you in between Starbucks and the gym somewhere. But alas God does not work in such tightly confined spaces. He wants all of me, and truthfully I want all of Him. I have just got to sit still and listen for awhile, maybe for a long while.

At the funeral for the Works girls who tragically died at my church last week one of the surviving sisters shared this scripture. It was written in her journal the night before she lost her life. Phillipians 4: 6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ” God wants to hear it all, and he expects me to give it to him and let him multiply it all out.

Being still in todays day and age is very hard. I consider myself part of the emergent church, but I sometimes regret the way we embrace new technology with such fervor and passion all in the name of “reaching a new generation”. Technology (such as this blog) is great, but I think sometimes we need to chill on the technology that shortens our attention span, disconnects us from those around us and sometimes makes us very anti social and just reach for the Bible and talk. God gave us a great way to share the gospel message with those around us… our voices.

As life seems to get more and more complicated and more and more things start to cram into my time I am comitting to taking each new thing and truly asking if it glorifies God. If it does not, I do not need it. Some of you reading this might think I am becoming a Luddite… let me assuage that fear right now. I just think we are cramming and jamming to much into life so we do not slow down and ponder the one thing that is so incredibly amazing….a baby in a manger filled with hay, with only the sheep and the cattle to welcome him into this world. A Child that would so radically alter our paradigm of belief and focus that after he died the world would never be the same again.

Let’s all remember to be still. Exodus 14:14 says “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” I claim that as a promise, I claim that as my cause, I say LORD, take up the fight. I am the iron and you are the furnace. Heat me up and mold me as you wish. I leave it all in your hands.

~Selah~

Do you remember this one: “The cosmos is all there ever is, ever was, and ever will be?” (I could not find it exact) This was what Carl Sagan started out his series on the universe with over 25 years ago. What he said then sums up his life philosophy pretty well, enjoy it while you are here, because when you die you will revert back to the dust from which you were created.

Fast forward to today and we have a new concept (or a new concept in old clothing) from the new book and DVD called The Secret. This book can be basically summed up in something like this; You control your destiny, think happy thoughts, avoid negative thoughts, and the world will be your oyster. Wow thanks, I did not know this.

Both Carl Sagan and The Secret have something inherent in them both, a commitment to materialism. Carl Sagan, by decreeing that The Cosmos is bigger and better than we ever can be leaves us in the default position of “get it all now because you wont enjoy it later”. The Secret (which I shall now reveal) leaves us in the default position that the universe owes you something, and all you have to do is tap into that cosmic piggy bank that has been waiting for you. If you do that you can get everything that will make you happy. All your happiness is contained inside this little book, and it is only $19.95 plus S & H.

The writer in Ecclesiastes sums things up quite well when he says “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecc 1:9) This is the exact same thing that the writer of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon, dealt with. It is all vanity and it all means nothing.

As a society…as Christians I am afraid, we have forgotten to remember those before us. We have left the foundational moorings that God gave his people, and we have been bereft in the sea ever since. Christians everywhere need to do three very foundational things in order to save those who are getting trapped in this terrible and selfish disease. We must:

1) TURN. Christians are to be set apart from non believers by the love that we show to eachother. (John 13:35) by loving eachother we will show the unity of Spirit that Jesus wants in his children. We must turn our eyes back upon Jesus in order to re order our priorities.

2) RELENT. To relent means to; to soften in feeling, temper, or determination; become more mild, compassionate, or forgiving. We must stop what we are doing and become more compassionate and forgiving. When we use ourselves as our own arbiter of our fate judge and jury we will never be compassionate and forgiving. We can become more soft in our disposition by living our lives submitted to Jesus Christ.

3) REMEMBER. “And you shall [earnestly] remember all the way which the Lord your God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and to prove you, to know what was in your [mind and] heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2) We must remember always that which God has done for us. When we forget we become ineffective and unyielded.

This is something I am going to have to do daily, but on this National Day of Prayer I think it is a great time to recenter my life on prayer and in doing so get my mind off of me, and onto Christ. Lets do this together and see what we can accomplish!

Ever since Greg Stier spoke at the National Youth Workers Convention, I've been thinking about something he said. He read the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 19), about how the prophets of Baal prayed and begged their god for hours and hours for a single spark of fire on their alter. When none came, they prayed even more earnestly, even mutilating their own bodies in desperation, but still there was no answer from Baal. Finally at the end of the day it was Elijah's turn. He calmly prepared the sacrifice, drenched everything with water and simply prayed,

"O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." (1 Kings 18:36-37)

The idea in scripture is that God IMMEDIATELY answered his prayer by sending down fire from heaven that not only burned the sacrificed bull, but also consumed the entire alter, stones, water and everything! WOW!!

Man, I pray like a wuss!

• When I pray I like to remain somewhat reserved and not pray for things that are too radical so I don't unnecessarily get my hopes up.

• I like to pray for things I feel like I can still keep some kind of control over in case I need to help God out.

• I like to pray with 50/50 faith: "Maybe God will answer, maybe He won't. Who knows? Let's see what happens."

In comparison, I observe a couple things about Elijah.

• He risked his life to be in public. He was a wanted man for being a prophet of God (1 Kings 18:9-14). There was a death wish on his head, so for him to come out from hiding was a very bold and risky action.

• He obeyed God with such confidence that he was willing to put his neck and God's reputation on the line.

• Because of his obedience, he could boldly pray according to the will of God.

• He had no control over the outcome of his prayer or his obedience to God. For all he knew, God would use this situation to prove something else or nothing at all. He had great faith to proceed.

Here's the number one thing I learn from Elijah's example: Maybe I don't always experience the power of God in my life because I rarely give Him the opportunity to do so.

I go to James 5:16 in the New Testament, a verse I memorized for the community aspect of praying for each other. However, I often overlook the second half that says, "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." If I want to have a prayer life that is "powerful and effective," apparently the key ingredient to the recipe is righteousness. The obvious question I then ask myself is, "What is righteousness?" and "Do I have it?"

The Message puts it this way: "The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with."

That's what I want, to be like Elijah and live right with God. I want my prayer life to be something that's powerful to be reckoned with. I want to live a life for Him that's bold, risky, confident, obedient and is right smack in the middle of His will.

Whew! Easier said than done.

Happy Sukkot from Every Square Inch!

In John 1 we hear these words:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning..... The Word became flesh and pitched his tent among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:1-2, 14

The Festival of Sukkot is occuring now and is a time in which the Jews remembered the time spent wandering in the desert. As they wandered in the desert for 40 years, they were provided for by God. During this festival of "booths" the Jewish people go into the fields and like in a booth representative of the tents that their ancestors lived in during those 40 years in the desert.

Jesus, in the same way, came to earth, took on our flesh and pitch his tent or lived in a booth among us. He was the Word, the Logos, very God of very God. He chose to humble himself and dwell with us.

As we enter the Fall harvest season, let us remember the Festival of Booths or Sukkot when the Jewish people would live in their fields and remember the time spent in the desert. We can at the same time remember the God-man who came and pitched his tent among us.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Carl
Administrator, Every Square Inch

This post is an adaptation of an article written by Dr. Robert Clinton entitled "Uses And Values of Reflective Journaling". It is not on-line or I would link to it. Since blogging is a form of journaling, I substituted the word "blogging" for "journaling". For you Unix folks, just imagine : 1,$s/journaling/blogging/g I used the article with his permission.

Clinton's article applies to journaling in a written journal such as a diary. Blogging has had a much shorter half life than journaling ... however, if blogging hangs around for a long time (and I hope it will), then bloggers will realize similar benefits from their blogging.

"Reflective blogging" is a new term. I use it to mean posting on a blog with reflective (i.e contemplative ) posts. In other words, posts which reveal how and what a blogger is thinking about God, life, truth etc. These posts are often spawned by interacting with God's thoughts through reading His word. There are some reflective type faith bloggers out there, but most of the rock stars of the faith blogosphere spend their time linking, trackbacking and reacting to each other's posts about the controvery du jour. This criticism, btw, is self-directed too.

The b'sphere could use more reflective blogging, in my opinion – especially by godly men and women who have walked in union life with Christ for some time. We could all benefit from their insight into life.

Here are Clinton's "Five Uses Of Reflective Blogging"

Read more!

It was five years ago but I can still remember the musty smell of the sheets when I woke up that morning. It was 9:15 a.m. and the phone was ringing. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and looked out the paned-glass window at the early autumn sky, cornflower blue and alive with sunlight. I picked up the phone and heard my father’s voice. He did not mince words. “They’ve flown planes into the World Trade Center. The towers are burning.” My mind took a minute to engage before I felt the first kiss of dread. “Who?” I finally asked. “Terrorists maybe. No one knows yet.” I looked at the floor and shook my head in disbelief. “When did it happen?” My father replied: “The first plane hit around 8:40 a.m. They thought it was an accident. The second hit just a few minutes ago. It wasn’t an accident.” I swallowed hard. “There must be ten thousand people in those buildings at this hour.” My father was silent for a long moment. “I know.” Standing up, I said to him, “I have to go find a television. I’ll call you later.”

I threw some clothes on, got in my car, and headed toward the Law School. It was my first semester at the University of Virginia School of Law, only the fourth week of classes, and I was still in the process of getting to know my classmates. But there was a guy from my first-year section—Craig was his name—whose apartment I had been to before. He had a television. Craig answered the door on the first knock. The television was on behind him. The Twin Towers were aflame and hemorrhaging oily black smoke. I entered his apartment in a daze. I took a seat on his couch and he said little to me except: “All I want to know is where I can enlist.” The footage of the second plane crashing into the South Tower played with the nauseating regularity of a broken record. The wan light of the television made the monumental explosion look surreal. The announcers talked of people jumping from eighty stories up in the North Tower to escape the flaming jet fuel. Cameras all over New York City captured the smoke streaming eastward on a stiff wind. The news came in that the Pentagon had been hit and that a fourth plane had been hijacked. A little later they told us the fourth plane had gone down in a field in Pennsylvania. There were no survivors. They speculated that the plane had been targeting the White House or the Capitol building in D.C.

Read more!

Happy Labor Day from Every Square Inch!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Carl
Administrator, Every Square Inch

Hello, Everyone. We are new to ESI and look forward to joining in the tapestry of conversation being woven on this site.

Over a year ago, Brian invited us to contribute to ESI when we were enjoying some seriously yummy Thai food with Sondra in Charlottesville. (Thanks for your patience, Brian!) About a month ago, we all found ourselves eating at the same table again (this time enjoying South African food), and the time seemed right for us to finally join in the fun here at ESI.

You can learn more about us in our bio, but to make a long story short, we are very much into the interaction between Culture and the Faith. We both come from a Presbyterian background but are now attending an Anglican church where we enjoy the historically orthodox theology, the sung liturgy, and the deep sense of sacramentality.

One of our deepest passions is the unity of the Church across all of her members from Rome to the little, funky, Southern-gothic church down in the holler where they handle snakes and have fried chicken on the grounds every Sunday. As such, we pray that the Lord will use us as sinews in the Body of Christ to help bind His people together in His love.

Peace,

John and Petra Harvey

In a few days we will celebrate the freedom that we enjoy and remember those who sacrificed so that we may have our freedom. In a world that is still filled with those people who would like to take away the freedom that we have, I am grateful for the sacrifice that was made on my behalf.

Everytime I remember the sacrifice that was made by those men and women who gave their lives in defense of our nation, I am reminded of the ultimate sacrifice that was made Jesus.

Jesus told his disciples:

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. - John 15:12-15 (ESV)

He gave up his life for his friends. Jesus paid the ultimate price. His faithfulness to His friends spoke deeply about the love that the Father shows us. It is through Jesus that we have freedom! True freedom!

The Truth, Jesus, has set you free! You are free indeed!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Carl
Administrator, Every Square Inch

For several months now I have been praying for the gifts of the spirit to be present in my life and the life of my family. I pray through them regularly, but today God pressed in on me and asked me "What do you really know about the gifts of the spirit?" It has prompted me to look at each gift of the spirit a little deeper. Over the next 9 weeks (there are 9 gifts as noted in Galatians 5:22) I will dig into one of the gifts and share what God has shown me in regards to each gift.

Romans 8:5 tells us "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." I want to explore the first fruit of the spirit which is love.

Read more!

As we launch into the month of June here at Every Square Inch let this sign be a reminder to enjoy the life we have been given and celebrate God in all His glory inside and out.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Carl
Administrator, Every Square Inch

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

Pastor Dunnington preached an entire sermon on that one verse. Correction. On the first half of that verse.

I have always read that verse in terms of the second half -- the "to die is gain" part. I never saw this verse as an affirmation of union life.

What is union life?

Paul uses the term frequently in his writing. How often? He uses the phrase in Christ 74 times, in Jesus six times and in him eight times in his various writings.

What does it mean to be united with Christ?

Dr. Robert Clinton1 defines it:

Union life is a phrase which refers both to the fact of the spirtual reality for a believer joined in spirit with the resurrected Spirit of Christ and the process of that union being lived out with Holy Spirit power so that the person is not dominated by sin in his/her life.

Reformed types like to use a fancy theological term for it. Sanctification.

Read more!

May the month of May bring you thoughts of Joy and Peace as God renews our soil, or hearts and our minds. From my family to yours, I truly hope that the month of May brings you closer to Christ then you have ever been.

In Him, through Him, and for Him

Carl
Administrator, Every Square Inch

As a Covenant College student in the 1980s, we were all required to read H. Richard Niebuhr's Christ and Culture (1951). It was (and perhaps still is) the standard textbook to read when studying culture.

It was my first exposure to the issue of thinking Christianly about culture. I wrestled with the question, how exactly are we supposed to engage culture?

Read more!

Happy April Fools Day from Every Square Inch!

Every year I attempt to think of a funny April Fool's joke to play on someone. Some years I am successful at thinking of something to do and other times I just let the day slide by without pulling any pranks or jokes on anyone. Even when I do think of a prank to pull it is seen at best as not very funny and at worst a cruel and inhumane thing to do.

My two most famous April Fool's jokes were played on my mother. My mother is a very excitable individual so it is often times very easy to obtain a reaction to unexpected news. So it was on both of these occasions.

The first of the occasions occurred in 2001. I had been dating a girl since high school and when April Fool's day came around, my father and I plotted to play a joke on my mother. We began by getting our story straight and then making the telephone call. I called home from college mid-day on April Fool's day. My mother answered.

Mom: Hello

Brian: Hey, Mom! I got some big news for you.

Mom: What is it? Did you do well on a test?

Brian: No, that isn't the news. I am engaged!

Mom: Really? When did this happen?

Brian: This morning.

Mom: Umm. Did you think about this? When is the wedding date?

Brian: Well, we haven't set a date yet. I had given it a lot of thought.

Mom: Ok. Have you told your father?

Brian: No. You are the first one I have told.

Mom: Well... That's great news. I gotta go. I will talk to you soon.

As my mother hangs up, my dad e-mails me. I send him an e-mail back telling him that I have sold it. She is believing it. Just as I e-mail he e-mails back saying she called him. He acts surprised but acts serious and she is convinced that it is the real deal. Just as my mom is about to hang up she tells my dad that she will have to call everyone and tell them the good news.

This is when my dad and I agree that it has gone far enough. He e-mails and tells me to call her immediately and announce the April Fool's joke. It was a big surprise to her and she was amazed that we pulled it off.

What is the point of this story about April Fool's? Often we take things lightly and fool or joke with one another. This is fine when it comes some things but I know of one thing that is definitely not an April Fool's joke: Christ's Kingdom! Jesus, through his death and resurrection, has entered triumphally as King. He reigns, sovereign, over all the earth and we hail him as King.

When it comes to hailing Jesus as King, there is no fooling around. I may act like the Court Jester in other matters but when I am in the true King's court I am the humble servant. As we think about or maybe partake in April Fool's day, may we remember who the true King is and our role not as fools but rather worshippers and servants of the King.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Brian
Founder, Every Square Inch

Greetings from Every Square Inch!

Every year, as Winter fades and Spring arrives, I am reminded of the spiritual picture that God provides me with. With each spring I am reminded of this new life that I have in Christ. This partaking in the new creation with Christ is a beautiful picture. Today, if you are in Christ, you are a new creation! The old things have passed away. Behold! New things have come! (II Corinthians 5:17)

This is exciting news. The creation that God made and said was very good was made through and for Jesus. It is in this role as Creator that Jesus is able to recreate or bring restoration and reconciliation to the fallenness around us.

It is in Jesus that death, the fallenness around us, has truly lost its sting. Today we hail Christ as King of the new creation. Come live in us, Jesus, and allow us, through your power, to walk after you. We desire to partake in this ministry of reconciliation that you are about, even now!

As the snow melts and the trees begin to show their buds, may you be reminded of the winter that is ending. The frozen grip that death has on the world is melting away and new life has begun. We can be part of that new life if we choose by God's grace to follow Jesus. He will lead us to streams of living water and life everlasting.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Brian
Founder, Every Square Inch

Blessings from Every Square Inch!

This month we have the privelege here in America to remember some of our great leaders in our nation's history. Specifically we honor Presidents on President's day. Some of these men include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln.

Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. From the Text, we read of leader with God's choosing. Many of these leaders had some major mistakes (think Saul, David, Solomon, etc.) but they also followed God for a time. Could this also be said of our leaders today? Many are following God but many who have followed God have tripped up.

How do we respond to failures in leadership or even failure in the lives of our leaders that have been following God? I propose we respond in the same way that we would for our fellow brothers and sisters. We must come along side these leaders and help restore them. This is an example of discipleship in action. Men and women like you and I, citizens in the Kingdom of God, must come along side and say, "Imitate me as I imitate Jesus."

Pray for our leaders today. Pray that they would seek the Kingdom of God. Pray for God's Spirit to fill them and empower them that they may obey God.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Brian
Founder, Every Square Inch

Happy New Year from Every Square Inch!

That time is upon us once again. The beginning of a New Year when we resolve to make changes in our lives during the coming year. How many of us fail within the first month or so to accomplish what we set out to accomplish?

A perfect example of this can be seen at the gym that I go to. Every year between January and March the gym is packed. So pack that many "regulars" change their scheduled workouts to avoid the crowds. I have overheard them talking about the phenomenon of these New Year's fitness freaks.

I must count myself in the "fitness freak" camp. Every year I also resolve to go to the gym more frequently in the same way that I renew my commitment to other areas of my life. More often than not I fail in every area before Spring arrives but that does not keep me from trying and it certainly hasn't stopped me from resolving to do better in each of those areas during the next year.

As we renew our commitments in all areas of our life, let us remember the commitment that Jesus calls us to:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might.

As this New Year begins, I am renewing my commitment to love God with all my heart, soul and might. I am renewing in the way of Jesus when he dedicated his own head, heart, hands and feet in mikveh.

May God enable me to live passionately during the next year!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Brian
Founder, Every Square Inch

Merry Christmas from Every Square Inch!

Around this time of year I am reminded particularly of the political correctness that pervades our culture. People are very careful around school and workplaces to say Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings rather than any particular holiday greeting like Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza or Happy Hannakuh. I grow weary of hearing well wishing that has no real substance behind it.

What does it mean when someone says Happy Holidays? Are they saying that they wish me all of the assorted holidays this time of year are happily enjoyed by me? Or are they stating in the affirmative that all the Holidays are happy for them? I am not sure.

Certainly this is a time of year for us to reflect on God's blessing to us with the greatest Christmas gift of all time, Jesus. As we reflect on Jesus putting on human form, let us remember what consequences this Babe being born 2000 years ago has had on the world. It was no ordinary event.

So, despite the attempts of our culture to silence our proclamation and celebration of Jesus' birth, let us proclaim to the world around us "Merry Christmas!" because the God-man entered the picture and showed us His righteousness and covenant faithfulness. This is why we can say, "Merry Christmas!" 2000 years ago a very Merry event happened and we can still remember and proclaim it today!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Brian
Founder, Every Square Inch

Happy Thanksgiving from Every Square Inch!

On this joyous holiday, we here at Every Square Inch wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving. We are thankful for having our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who share our lives with us. Without this community we would not have the encouragement that we enjoy.

As you celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends, remember the Giver of all good things our Creator God. He has been good to us and blessed us with life and breath and everything. I pray that God would fill your hearts with thanksgiving and praise. May you remember all that the Lord has done and give thanks to Him for He is good, His love endures forever!

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!

Let Israel say,
"His steadfast love endures forever."
Let the house of Aaron say,
"His steadfast love endures forever."
Let those who fear the LORD say,
"His steadfast love endures forever."

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We bless you from the house of the LORD.
The LORD is God,
and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
up to the horns of the altar!

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!

- Excerpts from Psalm 118 (ESV)

Give Thanks to the Lord for He is Good, His Love Endures Forever!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Brian
Founder, Every Square Inch

Grace and Peace from Every Square Inch!

Grace and Peace... the phrase that the apostle Paul begins his letters with. This was a direct affront to the Roman way. It was not Grace and Peace in the Roman way but rather War and then Peace. Paul brought a message, the Good Teaching or Gospel, to the areas he traveled to. The Good Teaching said Peace comes through God's Grace not through War and Conquest.

Today, we also are faced with how to bring about peace. We face violence all around us whether it is from local threats or foreign terrorism. How do we bring about peace in this world?

I have often pondered the Doctrine of Grace but very rarely have I considered how this grace that God has provided leads to peace. All of us here at Every Square Inch are dedicated to bringing the Kingdom of God about in our daily lives and in our spheres of influence. In doing so, we desire to see God's peace reign in the world, His Shalom, the way things ought to be.

Jesus has given us the ministry of reconciliation. This is not only a reconciliation of God and man but it extends much further to a reconciliation of all things, in heaven and on earth, to God. What does it mean for us to partake in this ministry? What does it mean to participate in the redemption that Jesus has begun?

This next month, as we go about our daily business and our lives, I urge you to consider Christ's call to participate in bringing His Kingdom and in so doing spread Shalom, God's peace, restoring things to the way they ought to be.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Brian
Founder, Every Square Inch

Shalom and Merhaba from Every Square Inch!

I spent half of September traveling in Israel and Turkey, studying the Text in its cultural, historical and geographical context. It was a rich time of learning and I experienced the Text in a deeper and more authentic way. As I traveled, we were learning about the message that Jesus came to preach, the kingdom of Heaven. Understanding the kingdom of Heaven from the Jewish perspective gave me new insight into what Jesus has called us to.

Seeing how Jesus entered the Galilee area and chose his disciples, young men who were students of the text, I have been challenged by my own call by Jesus to be a talmid, a disciple, and follow after him. Too often I merely dabble in this call to discipleship. A few questions have been particularly piercing in recent days:

1. What kind of talmid of Jesus am I?

2. Who is my rabbi here on earth?

3. Who are my disciples?

As you read Every Square Inch over the next month, I hope to wrestle with these questions and others that have been particular relevant since my travels to Israel and Turkey. Join me on this journey as we seek to bring the kingdom of Heaven here and now.

Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has kept us alive and preserved us and enabled us to reach this season.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Brian
Founder, Every Square Inch

Welcome Back to Every Square Inch!

The Every Square Inch community of contributors has been at work for one month now and we have been living and learning together. It has been a fun beginning! Through my travels over the past month, I have enjoyed catching up with contributors and readers in McLean, Lansdowne and Blacksburg, Virginia, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and Colorado Springs, Colorado. I have been learning from my friends and their friends as we have discussed our lives lived in light of the Gospel.

During the next month, we will be enjoying engaging posts from our contributors which I am sure will stir up great conversation on and off the blogosphere. I will also be live blogging from Israel and Turkey later in the month of September as I walk in the footsteps of the disciples. Stay tuned for pictures and updates from the Middle East.

Our team is still building and we are looking to bring new contributors on board over the next month. I look forward to the journey ahead. It is with great joy that I reflect back on the last month of Every Square Inch and even greater joy and expectation as I look ahead. It is an exciting story we are living, the Christian story, the Gospel. May we live each day to bring about the kingdom of God here and now.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Brian
Founder, Every Square Inch

Welcome to Every Square Inch!

Over the course of my lifetime, I have known people from various backgrounds, vocations, stages of life and worldviews. During my travels around the world, these friends have challenged my thinking and my daily living. It is through these experiences that I have come to appreciate the diversity of life. Constant learning takes place when you surround yourself with people who are different from yourself.

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you here to a place of constant learning and interaction with people different than yourself. We are glad to have you here because we are confident that you bring an added dimension of diversity to our community.

This community exists to reflect on Every Square Inch of life. As we seek to engage the culture, nothing is out of bounds… There is no limit to Christ’s dominion. As Abraham Kuyper wrote:

In the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which the Christ, who alone is sovereign, does not declare, "That is mine."

We believe that as we reflect on our lives, however different they may be, questions will arise that will stir in us a curiosity that must be quenched. It is through this curiosity that we will grow and learn.

We have come together to encourage, exhort, sharpen and enlighten one another. We hope you find all of these objectives fulfilled and more.

As a disclaimer, the post of each Every Square Inch contributor does not necessarily reflect the views of other contributors. Each contributor to Every Square Inch comes from a diverse background and different perspectives.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Brian
Founder, Every Square Inch