Jordan Stones Blog

Happy Advent!  This is the intersection of two of my favorite things:  Advent and Lectio Divina. If you have been around me for more than one season, you probably already know that I am a little obsessed with Advent.  I  treasure this waiting space in December and the way we are summoned to rail against the expectation of busy and hustle and bustle...and instead hush and still and wait. Doesn’t that just make your soul say, “ ahhh ….exhale….yes, please!”    If you have been around me long you know that Lectio Divina is one of my jams. I love this practice because it is an ordered invitation to encounter the Word in such a way you can’t help but feel it slide into the corners of your inner world where it really shifts things.        In Eugene Peterson’s invitation, "Eat This Book" (Peterson, 2006) (Author of  The Message ) he highlights the Hebrew word for meditate that captures the essence of Lectio Divina.  ...

It’s time again. To “turn aside” like Moses did with the burning bush. God waited. God waited for Moses to give Him his attention .   I imagine God gasping with delight: “Moses is looking!  He is lending his attention!” This is my favorite part of the holidays...this beginning with Thanksgiving followed by the preparation for Christmas that is the most meaty with meaning part of it all. 4 “ When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” [Exodus 3] First of all...note that Moses led his flock to the “far side of the wilderness” (Ex 3:1).   Ever been there? Gratitude is punctuated the loudest in the middle of the wilderness - when we are drawn out of the lesser loves and occupancies of our heart and while it feels like surgery to remove some of those comfort lesser loves...it creates space for seeing. For Moses I think, it was because he was on the far side of the wilderness that he...

There is another place in Scripture where a tent stake comes in handy.  It is in the form of a story. So, you can read it in Judges chapter 4 for the official impartation of this story...but I want to summarize it for you here.  If you are already familiar with the story, or if you are like me and just want to skip to the poi nt because that’s all I got time for. .. just jump down below for the tie in with tent stakes. This isn’t my usual writing style, but settle in, it’s story time: There was a time in the relationship between God and his people in which His beloved behaved outside the bounds of his protection.  Thus, they existed in a tension of oppression from an opposing nation and putting aside true worship for idol worship.  During this climate of disconnect, the Israelites were ruled by king Jabin of Canaan who ruled with a heavy tyrannizing hand. Sisera was the commander of Jabin’s army. Deborah is one of the many brave badass women that God chose...