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The Daily Memo | November 3, 2020 | Golden Scars
In the Netherlands, a group of fashion designers offer a “Golden Joinery” workshop. Inspired by the Japanese technique Kintsugi, where broken porcelain is visibly repaired with gold, participants collaborate in mending clothes in ways that highlight the mending work rather than trying to mask it. Those who are invited bring “a dear but broken garment and mend it with gold.” As they remake their clothes, the repair becomes ornamental, a “golden scar.;…
Categories: The Daily Memo, The Hope of Healing, Wounded Healer | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 11/03/2020
The Daily Memo | November 2, 2020 | Preach or Plow?
According to the family legend, two brothers, one named Billy and the other Melvin, were standing on the family’s dairy farm one day when they saw an airplane doing some skywriting. The boys watched as the plane sketched out the letters “GP” overhead. Both brothers decided that what they saw had meaning for them. One thought it meant “Go preach.” The other read it as “Go plow.” Later, one of the boys, Billy Graham, dedicated himself…
Categories: Walking With God, The Daily Memo, Knowing & Being Known | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 11/02/2020
The Daily Memo | October 30, 2020 | Just Another Day
I’m writing this memo on my birthday although you’re reading it much later than that. I began saying it’s just another day many years ago, but as I woke up this morning God had something else to say about that. It’s a pretty special day in our household when we celebrate the birth of one of our family members. But far too many times I characterize it internally on my own big day as less than that. Then I was reminded of how God clearly stated it in…
Categories: What We Were Created For, The Daily Memo, Identity Security | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 10/30/2020
The Daily Memo | October 29, 2020 | The Jesus Pace is Rhythmic
We see Jesus withdrawing in order to work through tragic news, such as when he learns that his friend John the Baptist has died. He withdraws to gain insight on important decisions, such as which men to call to follow him. He withdraws so that he simply can pray. He withdraws to enjoy time with his closest companions. He withdraws as a means of teaching his disciples the unparalleled value of rest. He doesn’t wait until his mission is accomplished. He doesn’t…
Categories: What We Were Created For, The Daily Memo, The Reality of Our Present World, Practicing His Presence | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 10/29/2020
The Daily Memo | October 28, 2020 | From Normal to Better Than Normal
Whether we want to admit it or not, we all have bad habits. Those things we do and say that we wish we didn’t do and say. Some habits are difficult to break and some are incredibly difficult to break. We may be prone to laziness or gossip, or we may have formed a habit of abusing substances. Whatever it is, we’ve probably either become comfortable with certain habits in our lives, or we think they’re too difficult to overcome. Why is change so challenging?…
Categories: The Daily Memo, The Hope of Healing, The Reality of Our Present World, Wounded Healer | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 10/28/2020
The Daily Memo | October 27, 2020 | When People Unexpectedly Attack Us
When people unexpectedly attack us, betray or reject us—overtly or subtly—our souls can become so discouraged that we’re tempted to give up. To withdraw. To hold back, fearful of opening up our hearts freely, unable to understand that just because someone in our past hurt us doesn’t mean everyone in our future will. But when we invite Jesus into our messy narrative, as we tell him about our story and about all our pain, as we extend forgiveness to,…
Categories: The Daily Memo, The Hope of Healing, Safe People & Safe Community | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 10/27/2020
23. The Impact of Pornography on Society - Embracing Brokenness Podcast
The impact of sexual brokenness and pornography on our society as a whole may very well be one of the most unrecognized crises to exist in modern society. Between the broken relationships, sexual sin, victims of the industry, and the trickle-down effect of those demanding use and services we have an epidemic of epic proportions on our hands. What can we do? In this episode, Steve and Colleen discuss this issue in more detail. Follow this link to Anchor Podcasts and…
Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 10/26/2020
The Daily Memo | October 26, 2020 | But God ...... Defined Us
In Ephesians 1 Paul gives us an amazing insight. “...even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” (ESV) That part where He chose us before the foundation of the world. That’s powerful. He knew us before…
Categories: The Daily Memo, Identity Security, Embracing Brokenness Book Excerpt, Knowing & Being Known | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 10/26/2020
The Daily Memo | October 23, 2020 | God Made Us For Relationships
God made us for relationships—and he made relationships for us. He created us to be connected to him and to live our lives in community with others. Despite the fractures that can occur from differences of opinion or perspective, friendship is truly one of God’s greatest gifts to us. But this journey of following Jesus means that if we are going to keep our hearts open, soft, sensitive and connected to humanity, then we must realize that we are never going to be bullet…
Categories: The Daily Memo, Identity Security, The Hope of Healing, Safe People & Safe Community | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 10/23/2020
Is There a Shake-Up Going On?
What’s happening here? Is this a shakeup or just a blip in the natural order of things? From a deadly pandemic to a global movement for racial justice, the year 2020 has already experienced its fair share of world-shifting events — and it is still months from being over. Here is a list of some of those events taken from a recent New York Post article. The country faced one of its most devastating wildfire seasons as the blazes continued from December 2019…
Categories: Restored in Him, The Reality of Our Present World, Spiritual Warfare | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 10/22/2020