Touchpoints from 2021 (Page 2)

Touchpoints from 2021 (Page 2)

Barbed wire fence in the shape of a heart illustrates Bro. Jim's Touchpoint

God is a Divorcée

“You see, for Jesus, life isn’t about being right or wrong. It’s about relationships. The greatest commandment isn’t, ‘Be right with all your heart soul and mind.’  No, it’s ‘Love with all your heart soul and mind.'”

Jesus Forbids Forbidding

“Jesus takes on the ultimate exclusions, murder and death. And transforms them into resurrection and life. You see, even exclusion gets taken up into the Mystery and is transformed into healing and wholeness. Jesus forbids forbidding by transforming it, not excluding it.”
Dejected child with ball illustrates Wednesday Respite Touchpoint 'Just KIDding"

Jesus is JUST KID-ing

“While your relationship with Jesus may be personal, it is not private and neither is your salvation, your healing, or your wholeness. Which, by the way is what the word ‘salvation’ means. It means ‘healing,’ ‘wholeness,’ ‘completeness.’ And none of that can you accomplish alone…in private…personally.”
A pointing finger, accusing, to illustrate the Touchpoint for Wednesday Respite Sept 8, 2021

Please Answer the Question. And Show Your Work.

“We have to let the actions of Jesus, the actions of the Christ, define the Christ. We can’t let our theologies and belief systems determine who God is. God is much bigger than that. It isn’t Law/Gospel. It’s Gospel/Law/Gospel.”
A dog begging for scraps under the table illustrates the Wednesday Touchpoint for September 1, 2021

The Great Divide

Grace and Peace to you from the mystery in whom we live and move, and have our being. “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” Mark 7: 24-37 Let’s get one thing perfectly clear before we begin this Touchpoint… I am not a theologian. I am not Jim Hanson, Sheri Brown, Conrad Braaten, Henry Rojas, or any of the many educated and…
Woman breaking free of her chains to illustrate Touchpoint, 'Breaking Point'

Breaking Point

“Like [the Pharisees], we might be a little disappointed to learn, at this late stage in life and after this long trek, that some of the biblical formulas we’ve clung to are wearing thin.”
A picture of the 12 disciples to illustrate the concept This Teaching Is Difficult for Touchpoint for 8/18/21

Which Disciple Are You?

Which kind of disciple am I? I am all of them. Sometimes I walk away from the Christ, and the flesh and blood the Christ inhabits. “Lord, when did I see you hungry, or thirsty, or in prison?” Sometimes I declare as well, “Lord, to whom shall we go? This is where I experience life at its deepest level.” And sometimes I betray it all.
A piece of cake illustrating Touchpoint from 8/11/21

Feast on Life

Maybe all of existence is part of “I Am.” And so when we eat, we eat “I Am.” And when we breathe, we breathe “I Am.” And when we open our eyes in the morning we see “I Am.” And when we touch, and listen and take in the whole world, we are taking in “I Am.”

Food Fight!

Grace and peace from the Mystery in whom we live and move and have our being. If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread;” Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15 It would be funny, if it weren’t so sad. The Israelites, freed from slavery, come face to face with freedom and what do they do? They pray to God that they could be…

From Willfulness to Willingness

Willingness allows us to be co-laborers with a power that is greater than ourselves. It is the ‘God causing’ of all things to work together in Romans 8:28! In Greek it’s called synergeo. My willingness combined with God’s power.

Are We Participants or Observers?

Jesus knows the trap that comes with having many followers. Because of the wilderness, he knows the danger and allure of popularity and power. He knows the importance of taking moments in a deserted place to be reminded of our true identity.