The Pear

I place a Pear in the middle of a room, and that Pear is my content.

I invite a poet, dancer, novelist, winemaker, businessman, gardener, painter and sculptor into the room, and ask them to create something related to the Pear. The myriad creations are different forms that embody the content. Form (the Pear creations), and Content (the Pear).

While pop-church continues to tweak the forms (the Pear creations) in which we express and engage the content (the Pear) of the Kingdom message, many of us are suggesting that the pear is beaten, bruised and in need of examination.

We have numerous, and significant content issues to address related to what the Church is expressing is the “Kingdom” message.

The content (the Pear) of our theology (what is God like?), anthropology (who is man/woman at root?) and biblical perspective (what did Jesus’ really say?) need to be signficantly reflected on if the Church is to grow in power in the world.

God is doing His part. We must do ours, and use all our hearts and minds to their fullest to do so.

When we mess with the Pear, the pain begins; it’s called reformation. Not all reformations are bloody, but they are all costly, and they are all painful.

But the Pear is worth it. It will heal the world.

Note: When in doubt what the Pear is — we love and feed and clothe and care and act like we refuse to believe Eden has changed. The Pear will start to take shape again.

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Sheltering Mercy: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms

Sheltering Mercy, along with its companion volume, Endless Grace, helps us rediscover the rich treasures of the Psalms—through free-verse prayer renderings of their poems and hymns—as a guide to personal devotion and meditation.

The church has always used the Psalms as part of its prayer life, and they have inspired countless other prayers. This book contains 75 prayers drawn from Psalms 1-75, providing lyrical sketches of what authors Ryan Smith and Dan Wilt have seen, heard, and felt while sojourning in the Psalms. Each prayer is a response to the Psalms written in harmony with Scripture. These prayers help us quiet our hearts before God and welcome us into a safe place amid the storms of life.

This artful, poetic, and classic devotional book features compelling custom illustrations and foil-stamped hardcover binding, offering a fresh way to reflect on and pray the Psalms.