Spirituality of the Cross -- Bearing the Cross in Vocation

Notes from Chap 5

Bearing the Cross in Vocation

• For all of the exalted spiritual significance in everyday life posited by the doctrine of vocation -- how God is present and active in our work and our relationship -- it is evident that we often fail, suffer, and experience frustrations in our vocations.

• Since God is at work in vocation, observes Wingren, the devil seeks to thwart vocation. One way is to turn it away from sacrificial service and love of neighbor to a 'theology of glory', to self-aggrandizement, pride in good works, and the achievement of a spiritually vacuous success.

• Another ploy of the devil is to pry the person out of his or her calling.

• Trials in vocation drive us to prayer. Prayer, from our perspective, brings God into our vocation.

• "Prayer is the door through which God, Creator and Lord, enters creatively into home, community, and labor." (Wingren)
  

About Prayer

I am reading Grace Upon Grace by Dr. John Kleinig. It's an excellent book on spirituality and it's solid Lutheran. I am also leading a Moms In Touch type effort at my son's school for the coming school year. In preparing information on prayer for the families I found a thoroughly wonderful quote on prayer:

“Prayer, then, is a gift of the triune God. When we pray, we engage with the three persons of the Holy Trinity. We pray to the Father; we pray together with the Son; and we pray by the power of the Holy Spirit. What we do when we pray depends entirely on what the Son gives us in His Word and on what the Spirit does with us through our faith in Christ. Our ability to pray does not come from us, but from faith in Jesus Christ and His Word, faith that receives the gift of prayer.”

Cold Lemonade

Lemonade for Eulalio

Would you like an icy cold glass of lemonade? My son has set up his lemonade stand. Today business was brisk and he made $10. Proceeds will go to Eulalio, the boy we sponsor in Honduras. He's the same age as Alex. "Little Dan" is the yellow Slow Down guy who helps sell lemonade. Remember -- the speed limit in subdivisions is 25 mph.

The Brotherhood of John the Steadfast

As promised, on June 25, the anniversary of the Augsburg Confession, the new website for the Brotherhood of John the Steadfast was launched.

Check it out!

http://www.steadfastlutherans.org/

Augsburg Confession June 25

Today is the anniversary of the Augsburg Confession.

http://www.ctsfw.edu/etext/boc/ac/
http://www.bookofconcord.org/augsburgconfession.html
http://www.lcms.org/graphics/assets/media/LCMS/augsburg.pdf

Where the H*** is Matt? (2008)

Turn up the speaker and smile!