The Banzai Chronicles

Been quite a while since I spent a morning at my dear old haunt, Victrola. A meeting later this morning takes me back into the old neighborhood, so I decided to come early and enjoy the time. It's good.

Speaking of meetings, I've had a couple each day this week. It's one of the ways I want to better use my productivity groove; even the process of going from one to the next often brings me in contact with familiar faces. I don't mind shuffling papers or computer files (in fact, sometimes I prefer it), but I miss face time with people in a ministry context, so as long as I'm getting the other necessities knocked out, it's good to get out a little.

At last night's communitygroup, we practiced a version of Lectio Divina on the topic of loving our enemies. I spent time with Jesus' words from John 13:34:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

Much of what came into mind were questions:

• How does Jesus love? How does He challenge? How does He accept?
• What does it mean for this to be a command? On what authority? If rejected, on what authority?
• What does it mean to possess Jesus' own power to do this?

I also observed that I love poorly—I'm often more concerned with what's fair or reasonable or even good than with what's loving. Change of heart and of action must both come from Him.