The Wayback Machine: May
Some things just get better with age. “The Wayback Machine” posts occur at the end of every month and reference the best posts of that month in years past. My hope is to provide a good jumping on point for readers who have never been to Pursuing Glory.
2009
Discouragement hits believers and causes them to be confused about the things that are real and important. This post is me reminding myself (and my readers) about the realities that are important to fight for even when things are discouraging. If you want a window into my soul when I’m fighting to stay in the game this is a post you want to check out.
The Five Blogs I Won’t Unsubscribe
Pretty much this blog is exactly what the title describes. I’m an avid blog reader, so I thought I would share with my readers what blogs I most enjoy. Most of these blogs still exist in one form or another and for the most part I would still recommend, if I were to write this post again it would be much different. I also have unsubscribed from one of the blogs on this list, too. I guess we all make mistakes, huh?
2008
This post describes my journey to north-eastern Iowa to meet with other believers who were having more of a regional house church gathering. This was my first attempt at meeting other believers who God has called into a similar lifestyle as us. God also showed me some important insights into the nature of God’s Kingdom and transitioning into simple church realities.
2007
The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers
This was a post that recounts a conversation I had with E.J. about who the desert fathers were and why they are important today. More than anything, it’s a primer into why the devotional practices of silence, solitute, and prayer are essential for the church in this hour.
How To Get the Most Out of Pursuing Glory
There are lots of ways to get more out of Pursuing Glory than just stopping back to check for new content every few days. Here are some of the main ways you can join the conversation, learn, and contribute to the conversation we’re having:
Subscribe by Email or RSS
If you’re not particularly technologically inclined, hit the “Email Subscription” button on the sidebar of the blog. If you’re more into computers or you’re daring, you could subscribe to this blog using a feed reader. This link is a great explanation of RSS and Feed Readers. Let’s face it. Life is busy and it’s easy to fall out of the loop. Either of these tricks will help you stay involved in what’s going on.
Comment
We learn more by talking and teaching than we do by listening and reading. So help us learn by sharing your life, your pursuit of Jesus, and what you’ve learned through your experience in the comment section. Click on “Leave a Comment” or “with 1 Comment” or “with [X number of] Comments” at the top of every post to see and leave comments.
Follow Me On Twitter
Twitter is where I post thoughts and quotes that will either become a full post here or is relevant to the topics we discuss here. I’m also planning at least one Twitter/Blog series where one set of unique material will show up in my twitter stream that will correspond with a blog series I’m running here. You can find me on Twitter @traviskolder.
Notes From The Margins
On a somewhat irregular basis I post a blog in my “Notes from the Margin” series. The point of the series is not just what I’m finding in Scripture and what I write, but also what you’re finding in Scripture and what you’re writing about it. If you have a blog, I’d love to see you take this series and do your own. You can check out the guidelines for Notes from the Margins and read examples of the series here and here.
Email Me
I love interacting with readers of the blog. Shoot me an email, say hi, show me the blog you’re writing or tell me about the work you’re doing, tell me what you’d like to see or what you’ve enjoyed so far.
Confirmation (Thirty Days to Greater Fruitfulness, Day 17)
This blog has been temporarily overtaken by my Thirty Days To Greater Fruitfulness Challenge. You can find out more by checking out the Introduction.
I love it when God speaks about something. I love it even more when God is committed enough to an issue that He speaks to you about it multiple times. While God doesn’t always speak twice on a matter He is serious about, His repitition can be a clue that we are on the right track (2 Corinthians 13:1).
This morning, after repenting, I woke with a dream. In the dream, Couple B, whom I mentioned buying a book for in a previous post, had their home overtaken by people I consider national leaders in the house church movement in this country. In the dream I was worried that Couple B would be horrified and angry about the intrusion. However, as things progressed, it became clearer that these national house church leaders were not a burden like I had initially thought.
So as you can imagine, having this dream, I felt like I should probably get back on the ball and have a conversation with Couple B. You know, the one I decided I was going to have about two weeks ago. The dream seemed to me to be indicating that taking a plunge into an organic church might be messy, in the end it may be rewarding. The crazy part was that when I got home that evening, the book I had ordered for them about the exact same topic had come in the mail. Coincidence? Only if there is no such thing as God.
These are the sort of things that are beginning to happen more and more. God speaking, a little hear, a little there, and then confirming what He has already said in subtle but important ways. Part of it is I’m watching for it more. But a large part of the change is I’m certainly more connected.
How about you? How is God speaking to you and confirming what He has said in this time? Leave us a note in the comment section.
Join us on the “Thirty Days to Greater Fruitfulness” experiment. For the rest of September we are spending 30 minutes in silent prayer listening to Jesus and then acting on what He asks us to do. Then we blog about the changes that are occurring in our lives through the marriage of listening and obedience. It’s not too late. If you’re just checking out that experiment feel free to jump in. And if you want more information, you can check it out here.
Photo Credit: September WallPaper Calendar by DewDreams
Small Desires (Thirty Days To Greater Fruitfulness, Day 15)
This blog has been temporarily overtaken by my Thirty Days To Greater Fruitfulness Challenge. You can find out more by checking out the Introduction.
One of the things I’m learning on this journey is that some times the silliest, smallest desires of my heart touch something that is on the heart of the Lord.
Yesterday I was listening to a book that is totally about restoring Jesus to first place in the church. In the midst of the author’s description of Jesus, I found my heart stirred to read a passage from a book that I had picked up a few years back that quotes Napoleon’s thoughts on Jesus.
After going back and reading the passage, I felt compelled to share the passage here on the blog. Unbeknownst to me, my blog post got picked up and retweeted by the author of the first book I was reading and over the course of the day it became one of my most viewed blogs of the whole year.
What do I want you to take away from all of this? Listening to Jesus is not a sure-fire way to make you popular and successful. In fact, rarely is that the case. However, I do believe that if we follow the voice of Jesus (even when it comes to us cloaked in the desires of our hearts) that we will be able to influence the church (and beyond) to treasure Jesus rightly and follow Him. This was a little sign of this for me today.
How have you experienced Jesus leading you through the desires of your heart? Do you have a tough time distinguishing between Jesus’ desires and your own? How have you resolved that problem? Let us know in the comment section.
Join us on the “Thirty Days to Greater Fruitfulness” experiment. For the rest of September we are spending 30 minutes in silent prayer listening to Jesus and then acting on what He asks us to do. Then we blog about the changes that are occurring in our lives through the marriage of listening and obedience. It’s not too late. If you’re just checking out that experiment feel free to jump in. And if you want more information, you can check it out here.
Photo Credit: September WallPaper Calendar by DewDreams
Cluster Map
Pursuing Glory 