Heart from Stone
November 2021
The War of Wants
November 21, 2021 • Paul A. Berthiaume
Part of the inner life is to pay attention to our desires and wants. The commandment do not covet is central to this conversation. Going after things we think we want can keep us from being aware of and pursuing what are our deepest, truest wants.
The Golden Rule
November 7, 2021 • Brian Faught
This week we are going to be looking at the Golden Rule. The command by Jesus to love others as we love ourselves will only happen as a natural byproduct of a love relationship with the Holy Spirit. As we get in step with the Spirit we will love like Jesus .
Law and Heart
October 31, 2021 • Paul A. Berthiaume
Many times, Christianity has been reduced to a set of rules that people try to make themselves and others obey. This has led to many people who try to live up to the law on their own without inward goodness that comes from a relationship with the Spirit and thus, have become conflicted people riddled with anxiety. Such people become unhealthy, hypocritical, and judgmental of themselves and others. These people have an outward appearance of righteousness, but inwardly they are a swirl of dysfunction. These people are often unsafe and mean. This is what Jesus was getting at when he warned that we should be careful and be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Mark 8:14-21. Yeast starts small in one part and spreads through everything it touches. Jesus’ vision for his followers was for a kingdom of people who took the morality and ethic found in the law seriously; because it is good and based on the nature and character of God. However, his followers did not need to rely on laws but instead grew in goodness both relationally and ethically, through a love relationship with himself and the Father, by the Holy Spirit. His way is an inner transformation that leads his followers to become good people from whom good things naturally flow. This is a process, or a journey.