CHARTREUSIAN

Author: chartreusian

  • Blame the Elevation

    READ THIS I’ve been trying to run quite a bit since arriving here in Kenya. But it’s hard. We’re over 2000m above sea level and live on the side of a hill. So everything is up and down on rough dirt and rocks, and the air is rather thin. The first few weeks here the…

  • The Sting of Discontentment

    READ THIS: ​I have a fairly distinct memory from when I was about 7 years old. We were at camp, I was sitting drinking an Orange Crush from a glass bottle. Took a swig of that sweet, sweet nectar – and suddenly realized something was horribly wrong. ​Instead of joy – there was pain and…

  • You are NOT a floating spirit

    READ THIS One of the reasons we struggle with contentment is that we are setting ourselves up for failure. We intuitively know we are whole – integrated beings. We have spiritual, emotional, mental, physical and other needs/longings/hurts. The problem comes when we try to compartmentalize them. For some reason when we think of contentment, it’s clear that…

  • #65 – But Who Am I?

    READ THIS The story of Moses’ life is one we all know pretty well. Even those with no Biblical knowledge have images of him boldly leading the people of Israel through the raging storm while crossing the Red Sea, or know of his bold, impassioned demand to the most powerful man on earth when he…

  • #64 – Getting Back to Basics

    READ THIS We’ve spoken about this before – but it bears repeating. (if for nobody other than me) One way to live a life of contentment is to be aware of the good things in life. Be mindful of the pleasant.Be conscious of what you do enjoy. Remember what God has done for us. That’s…

  • #63 -What if the Sky is NOT the Limit?

    READ THIS Limits I think we’re hard-wired by our culture to hate them – or at least see them as obstacles to be overcome, avoided, or loop-holed. We are told we can only drive so fast, that our bodies actually need so many hours of sleep, that our brains literally cannot multi-task, and that we…

  • #62 -Don’t Be a Hummingbird

    READ THIS Earlier this week, I was sitting on a high, steep hill overlooking Kigali. As I looked down, I noticed an enormous bird circling. (It was probably a Yellow-Billed Kite – for you Bird Nerds.) It was amazing to watch how it circled upward without ever moving its wings. It merely rode the updrafts along…

  • #61 – What Did You Expect?

    READ THIS Simeon. We don’t know much about him at all.He merely occurs in this familiar scene from Luke 2 where Mary and Joseph take their 8-day-old baby Jesus to the temple. In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy…

  • #60 -Did You Notice this Facet of the Diamond?

    If you missed any of the reflections – here they all are: Intro to Psalm 23 – Not Just for Cross-Stich any more. He Leads Me – Not So Sure about That​ He Makes me lie down in Green Pastures – Do What to the Grass?​ He leads me – Path to What?​ I will fear no Evil – Not…

  • #58 -Have You Learned Anything?

    READ THISThe Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.He makes me lie down in green pastures,he leads me beside quiet waters,he refreshes my soul.He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil, for you are with me;your rod…