T. David Beck: The Simple Way of Jesus

Do you ever find yourself between two worlds? It happened to me today. World #1: the homeless center In the morning, I went to Loaves and Fishes, Sacramento's largest center for homeless support. I talked with three men about their lives, their living situations, and their thoughts about God. Until recently, it would have freaked me out to spend time with homeless folks. But God has worked in my heart. I really enjoy being with these guys and taking in their non-standard views of the world. I also think that the fringes of society are where Jesus is most likely to be found. World #2: the chamber of commerce After Loaves and Fishes, I did some email work, then I went to the East Sacramento Chamber of Commerce luncheon. These also are great folks, and I have been very warmly received in their circle. Toward the end of our meeting today, a sergeant from the police department did an update on things going on in the community. He talked about some recent crimes and a house where ...

Jesus took me by surprise yesterday. Once a month I have a day marked out on my calendar as a "Day with Jesus." It's a discipline I took up a few years ago when a wise counselor recommended it. It sounds simple, but it's surprisingly difficult to pull off. Yesterday morning I was asking Jesus about how he wanted to do the day. I was inspired by a blog post I read this morning by Scott Couchenour at Serving Strong. The post is about remaining childlike and engaging God with wonder and curiosity. Scott's words were in the background as I prayed about the day. I wanted to be childlike and receptive toward God. As I prayed, I felt a leading to do some writing on an article I am drafting for the Covenant's denominational magazine. It's the story of how my entry into the Covenant feels to me a lot like a story of immigration. There's a lot of my personal story in the piece. I felt this leading to write, but because writing is "productive" act...