Category Archives: Devotional

Garden Expansion

Posted on September 4, 2010 | 1 Comment

Throughout the month of August, I have been working outside expanding my garden. This physical labor was coupled together with a prayerful intercession for family and friends resulting in a transformation of both my land and soul.

Here is a shot of my backyard when I first purchased the house back in 2007.

In the spring of 2008, my housemate, Kyle Westfall and I built our first ‘garden pod.’

Over the course of a week, I added two more pods to the original pod.

After building these two pods and chopping down a tree, I added a little garden on the side of my house for fruit: blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries.

This work of the land: designing, digging, tilling, building, sowing, watering, mulching, and pruning was a sacramental reality and a means of grace of what the Spirit was doing in my soul. My physical actions were the visible signs of the inward and invisible movements of the Spirit in my inner being.

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Posted in Devotional, Gardening

Growing Pains – Reflections on the Prodigal Son(s) (Part II)

Posted on June 14, 2010 | Leave a comment

Luke 15:11 -32

I began reading Henri Nouwen’s The Return of the Prodigal Son last Fall after a friend recommended it to me at a healing retreat. The reading of the book and the ensuing posts about the younger Son, Elder Son, and Father have been delayed by the events of the last six months: my own wedding, other friend’s and family’s weddings, learning that I am going to be a father ( read more here ), a funeral, and then a long semester of school. But I have arrived and the long wait is over!

Part I of the “Reflections on the Prodigal Son(s)” series was about the younger son in me and in you. I reflected on how conditional the love of the world is compared to the unconditional and dangerously extravagant love of the Father. In this post, I will examine the son that I have come to identify with the past three years… the elder son.

Most people like the idea of the younger son in this parable: a wayward youth with a trust fund who moved away to college and partied it up before hitting rock bottom and returning home in shame to an embracing and forgiving father. Most of us like this part of the parable, because it tells the story of our own spiritual journey and others like it because such a story gives them hope about the character of God.

I relate to this younger son; however, because I am/was him except of course the minor details of the trust fund and the ‘embracing and forgiving father.’ No, I came home from a semester of partying away my savings at Ohio University to a distant and verbally abusive father. In my desperation to get away from my earthly homecoming, I ran right into the arms of my heavenly father  (via reading a Gideon’s Bible). In those early days, I sincerely felt like God was throwing a constant party over my life. As time wore on in my journey, I also grew into a different son. I couldn’t tell you the exact day or even when I realized it, but it slowly became harder to remember that initial embrace and the former lifestyle I was rescued from. I was active in ministry in the Air Force and loving my Father, but my love for my now “younger brothers” became calloused. I began to have a sense of spiritual entitlement like the elder Son in the parable of Luke 15.

Why do you think it is easier for us to empathize with the younger son’s lustful indulgence in the hedonistic pleasures of the world, his repentance, return home, and transformation than the elder brother’s gossiping, deep seeded resentment, judgments, and arrogance? While the elder son may not have left his father’s house geographically, spiritually he traded his birthright to abide in his father’s house at his father’s expense and freedom,  for the satisfaction and bondage of having to prove to everyone that can earn his keep and thus is superior to others in his father’s house.  Nouwen correctly points out that Rembrandt’s painting of the parable in Luke 15 can be entitled “The Parable of the Lost Sons.”

The primary question you and I should be asking right about now is not “Which son am I in the parable,” but, “Can I come home to my Father’s house?” The answers to that later question my friends (regardless of the son) are both YES and NOW.

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Posted in Devotional, Henri Nouwen, Prodigal Son, Rembrandt

Detox Journal : Day XVII

Posted on June 12, 2010 | 1 Comment
“ 21 You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got.  22 But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God’s side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence.  23 You don’t walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message.”

Colossians 1:21-23 (message)

Weight: 17o+?

Feeling: While the pain of the bruising cause by paintball Saturday  is starting to subside, the poison ivy continues to plague me! I think I may also be coming down with something too, I’ve been feeling very tired and drowsy lately. Today I went running and it was rough! I went right after eating dinner in hope to be done and showered before a friend came over… I felt like dinner was going to come up at any moment!

Meals:

Breakfast- SP Shake (w/ frozen blueberries and strawberries,  banana, flax seeds, and water).

Lunch- It had mixed greens, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, and green peppers. Topped with herb-crusted chicken.

Dinner- I had a combination of fresh asparagus, green peppers, mushrooms, brown rice, and pieces of chicken cooked  in olive oil. It was delicious!

Also, I had a SP Shake after dinner.

Reading:  The Christian Secret to a Happy Life, The Divine Hours, Colossians,  Psalms .

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Posted in Devotional

In Christ for the World – Part II – Ministry

Posted on May 1, 2010 | 1 Comment

Previously, in my “In Christ for the World” blog series, I reflected on the implications of our answers to these two questions: “Are you in the World for God?” or “Are you in God for the World?” as they pertain to “politics“. In this current blog, I will reflect on how our answer to these questions influence our concept of “ministry.”

The above picture demonstrates the reality of being in Christ. Unfortunately, when we are “in the world for Christ”, it becomes acceptable to not challenge the injustices of our society under the guise of  ’being relevant.’ Eventually with such a view, the honor system of the world (in our case, wealth), becomes the hermeneutic (translation) for how we understand Scripture and the Christian life.  Consider the modern phenomenon of the “prosperity gospel,” a poor contextualization that is more in line with “western materialism” than it is with Jesus Christ or His historical church. The logic of such a view is that if we are right with God and have enough faith, “God  will make us wealthy.”  God in fact wants to make us rich! I heard one friend tell me how he once heard an Irish preacher say that Jesus Christ was actually wealthy because he had a personal banker (Judas). SERIOUSLY?!?! The fruit of such a false gospel is “Pastors” getting rich on the backs of the poor! The above picture shows the “prosperity gospel” in the second Century – Christians being fed to lions for their confession that “Jesus and (not the Emperor)  is Lord.”

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Jesus really used me to _______”? Or have you heard a person say, “MY ministry is ______.” ? Most of the time when people use such phrases they only wish to convey how the Lord is working in their context and do not mean to sound egotistical. But such phrases highlight what ministry is like when we  operate from “being in the world for Christ.” When my wife asks me to unload the dishwasher and eventually I get around to doing it, I don’t say “My wife really used to me to wash the dishes.” Of course not, we are more than just peons or pieces on a chess board to Jesus.

As Steve Seamands once put it, “Ministry is not so much asking Jesus to join you in your ministry, but you joining Jesus in HIS ministry.” It is not my asking Christ to join me in my ministry, as I offer him to others, but rather it is my joining with him in his ongoing ministry and mission as He offers himself to others through me. When we are “In Christ for the World” no longer do we pray “Lord, help me in this ministry.” But instead, “Lord, help yourself to me in this.”

Consider the “secret” of Mother Theresa’s ministry, “I just want to be a little pencil in the hand of my Lord. So that he can write whatever he wants.”

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Posted in Culture, Devotional, Mother Theresa, Spirituality

Ryan, I’m Turning Down the Volume…

Posted on April 28, 2010 | Leave a comment

So the other day as I was getting ready for a busy day on campus, I felt like Jesus said to me, “Ryan, I’m turning down the volume.”

Now when I write “I felt,” I’m not suggest some emotional run a muck fantasy. Or when I write “Jesus said,” I’m not suggesting that Jesus audibly spoke into my ears. What I am saying, is that when these words entered into my consciousness, every fiber of  my being  knew it to be from the second person of the trinity. It was unadulterated truth in an unexpected moment.

So then I ask the Lord, “You’re turning down the volume one what?” I remember thinking, what in my life is so loud right now? Then the sweet, sweet Spirit of the Lord whispered again to me, “I’m turning down the volume of your future possibilities.” This was a timely word for my soul to hear. As I approach my last year of Seminary, my spirit was almost deafened by the noise of  possible vocations that I may enter into upon graduation (not to mention the added pressure of  learning to be a father to my first child in September). My mind would race, thinking of the possibilities: pastoral ministry (but, with what denomination?), Air Force Chaplaincy ?, campus ministry?, ThM/PhD (but in what?)?, spiritual formation pastor?, do I look for jobs in Ohio near my families or near Wilmore where I currently reside? So, just as Jesus rebuked the storm and the waves and made everything calm, the comforter of my soul is calming the clanging of future possibilities. It’s not that these desires/possibilities no longer exist, but they no longer deafen me to what the Lord is doing in the “here and now.”

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Posted in Devotional, Holy Spirit, Hope

The Lorica of St. Patrick

Posted on March 17, 2010 | 1 Comment

This lorica from St. Patrick always brings with it a seasonal awareness of my need to be in Christ. The word lorica is actually a Latin word meaning, body armor.  So may this prayer of Saint Patrick be a means of the grace for you to be protected and shielded  from all forms of ungodliness that arise from the devil and his demonic kingdom, the flesh, or the world AND may the Holy Spirit  surround, infill, and enliven you to all forms of godliness and Christ likeness. In Jesus’ Holy name, Amen.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me;
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s hosts to save me
From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From every one who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a mulitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and evil,
Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.
Christ shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that reward may come to me in abundance.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation

St. Patrick (ca. 377)

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Posted in Devotional, Prayer, Spiritual Warfare, St. Patrick

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The ‘Great Litany’ Adaption

Posted on February 20, 2010 | Leave a comment

I was asked by my friend Gabriel Lawson to prepare something “liturgical” for the  young adults that meets on Sunday mornings at First Alliance Church in Lexington, Kentucky.  Being a good Wesleyan, I went strait for my Book of Common Prayer and looked up the litany. I adapted some of the language (dropped the “Thou”s and “Thee”s), made it more gender inclusive, and changed a few words/phrases that didn’t culturally jive.  I also included a “what” and “why” section below for those of you who aren’t familiar with litany or liturgical practices.

What is “litany”?

The word litany comes from the Latin: litania and the Greek: λιτανεία (litaneía), which in turn comes from: λιτή (litê), meaning “supplication”.  My definition of litany is a type of corporate prayer that is in agreement with the supplications of saints throughout all the history of the catholic (universal or according to the whole) church.

Why the “litany”?

The litany is historical; it has endured over 1500 years of church history.

The litany is ecumenical; chanted (occasionally sung) by Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics, and some Protestants.

The litany is corporate; including the collective supplications of the local (and universal) church to the Lord.

My Prayer for you, when you pray this “litany”:

May you “know the surpassing love of Christ which surpasses knowledge”.

May you know that you are praying in agreement with the saints down throughout the ages.

May you be “filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

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The Great Litany (adapted from the Book of Common Prayer by rm Kocak)

O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth,

Have mercy upon us.

O God the Son, Redeemer of the world,

Have mercy upon us.

O God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the faithful,

Have mercy upon us.

O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, one God,

Have mercy upon us.

Remember not, Lord Christ, our offenses, nor the offenses

of our forefathers; neither reward us according to our sins.

Spare us, good Lord, spare your people, whom you have

redeemed with your most precious blood, and by your mercy

preserve us forever.

Spare us, good Lord.

From all evil and wickedness; from sin; from the crafts

and assaults of the devil; and from everlasting damnation,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From all blindness of heart; from pride, vain glory, and

hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice; and from all want

of earthly treasures,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From all unwarranted and sinful affections; and from all the

deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From all false doctrine, heresy, and church division; from hardness

of heart, and contempt of your Word and commandment,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From lightning and tempest; from earthquake, fire, and

flood; from plague, pestilence, and famine,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From all oppression, conspiracy, and rebellion; from

violence, battle, and murder; and from dying suddenly

and unprepared,

Good Lord, deliver us.

By the mystery of your holy Incarnation; by your holy Nativity

and submission to the Law; by means of your Baptism, Fasting, and

Temptation,

Good Lord, deliver us.

By your Agony and Bloody Sweat; by your Cross and Passion;

by your precious Death and Burial; by your glorious Resurrection

and Ascension; and by the Coming of the Holy Spirit,

Good Lord, deliver us.

In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in

the hour of death, and in the day of judgment,

Good Lord, deliver us.

We sinners beg for you to hear us, O Lord God; that

it may please you to rule and govern your holy Church

Universal in the right way,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to illumine all Church laity and clergy with true knowledge and understanding of your Word;

and that both by their preaching and living, they may

set it forth, and show it accordingly,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to bless and keep all your people,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to send forth laborers into your

harvest, and to draw all humanity into your kingdom,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to give to all people increase of grace

to hear and receive your Word, and to bring forth the fruits of

the Spirit,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to bring into the way of truth all such

as have erred, and are deceived,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to give us a heart to love and fear

you, and diligently to live after your commandments,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to rule the hearts of your servants:

the President of the United States of America, Congress, the Supreme Court,

Wall Street as well as Main Street,  and all others in authority,

that they may do justice, and love mercy,

and walk in the ways of truth,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to see wars cease throughout the entire world;

to give unity, peace, and harmony to all nations;

and to bestow freedom upon all peoples,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to show your pity upon all prisoners

and captives, the homeless and the hungry, and all who are

desolate and oppressed,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to give and preserve to our use the

bountiful fruits of the earth, so that in due time all may enjoy them,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to inspire us, in our several callings,

to do the work which you have given us to do with singleness of

heart as your servants, and for the common good,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to preserve all who are in danger due to their vocation or their travels,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to preserve, and provide for: all

women in childbirth, the unborn,  young children, and orphans,

the widowed, and all whose homes are broken or torn by strife,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to visit the lonely; to strengthen all

who suffer in mind, body, and spirit; and to comfort with your

presence those who are failing and in poor health,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to support, help, and comfort all who

are in danger, in need, or experiencing tribulation,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to have mercy upon all humanity,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to give us true repentance; to forgive

us all our sins,  our carelessness, and our ignorance; and to sustain

us with the grace of your Holy Spirit to amend our lives

according to your holy Word,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to forgive our enemies, persecutors,

and slanderers, and to turn their hearts to you,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to strengthen our resolve; to

comfort and help the weak-hearted; to raise up those who

fall; and finally to beat down Satan under our feet,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.


That it may please you to grant to all the faithful departed

eternal life and peace,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please you to grant to this fellowship of believers at

First Alliance Church along with all the saints throughout the world, to attain to your heavenly kingdom,

We boldly ask you to hear us, good Lord.

Son of God, we boldly ask you to hear us.

Son of God, we boldly ask you to hear us.

O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world,

Have mercy upon us.

O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world,

Have mercy upon us.

O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world,

Grant us your peace.

O Christ, hear us.

O Christ, hear us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Now would you please join me in praying as the Lord Jesus Christ taught us to pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy Name,

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen.

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Posted in Devotional, First Alliance Church, Liturgy, Theology

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Ephiphany, Week 5 – Beauty Reflections (Part II)

Posted on February 10, 2010 | 2 Comments

“Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.”Augustine of Hippo (Algeria/354-430).

Beautiful Theology

This is my second reflective post on beauty during the fifth week of Epiphany. In my last reflection on beauty, I focused on the beauty of a united Christian community. Today’s reflection on beauty focuses on theology. The goal is not to share a deep theological treatise on what is beautiful, but a reflection on the beauty OF theology.

I was blessed recently in a Sacramental theology class taught by a visiting professor, Dr. Bob Stamps. Dr. Stamps once said something that stuck with me, “Our theology needs to be as beautiful as it is correct.” This summer during my chaplain candidate tour, I engaged in a lot of theological discussions with chaplains of different denominations. Somewhere during the theological dialogues with these friends our theologies and our souls became more beautiful. Now, theologically I am Wesleyan and they are Reformed, but the dialogue sharpened us and made us more like Christ. Once we moved beyond the differing ‘theology’ and got focused on the ‘theos’ (gk. for God), we found our desire to be more like Christ greater than our desire to be more like a John Wesley or a John Piper. A beautiful theology should bring life (and not death) to a Christian friendship. I am not suggesting a relative understanding of truth, but a desire to know the embodiment of the truth (and the way and the life), Jesus Christ.

When you leave the place where you worship on Sundays, do find yourself humming to the theological message of the Pastor’s sermon? Or maybe when you are walking around at your school or work, do you find yourself quoting TULIP, systematic theology, or the ontological argument? No. You usually find yourself chanting a creed, singing the great hymns of the church, or perhaps belting that line from a contemporary worship song that touched your heart in a meaningful way.

Beautiful theology is theology that is sung. This is why the ‘worship leader’ is such a vital role in a church. As John David (JD) Walt, Asbury Theological Seminary, dean of the Chapel, said many times, “the worship leader is the practical theologian of the church.” Revelation 14:3 reminds us that before the eschatological throne of heaven we won’t be saying the right things, but singing a beautiful new song, “And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.”

Being able to sing your theology gives it wings more beautiful than angels.

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Posted in Devotional, Revelation, Theology

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Ephiphany, Week 5 – Beauty Reflections (Part I)

Posted on February 9, 2010 | Leave a comment

Beauty and Christian Community

” Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.” Augustine of Hippo (Algeria/354-430).

The Bible that I am reading through for morning devotions this year is called the Mosaic Bible. At the beginning of this Bible is the Christian Church calendar broken down into weekly meditations. We are currently on the fifth week  in the season of Epiphany, a season celebrating the light and the witness of Jesus Christ to the whole world. This season leads up to the reflective forty-day season of Lent.

The meditative theme for week 5 of Epiphany is Beauty. What is truly beautiful? When thinking of beauty our culture has trained us to think of movie stars, cosmetics, runway models, physical attractiveness or even appreciation for the ascetic beauty of nature. Could it be that this cultural type of beauty is only a surface understanding of what it means to be beautiful? It is a beautiful thing to see a child being born, an African sunrise on the equator, the deliverance of an evil spirit, the restoration of a broken family, and the return of a Prodigal son (see yesterday’s blog).

There is beauty also in community. How we love one another can be a beautiful thing. More beautiful even than the Sistine chapel or any work of man or nature. To see a community that loves extravagantly, forgives generously, and shares their hope compassionately is truly a beautiful thing to behold. To see a united church as Christ prays us to be, to see the church act as one body as Paul told  the Corinthian church to be, and to see the church adorned with grace, mercy, love, and humility is to behold the bride of Christ.

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Posted in Augustine, Devotional, Henri Nouwen

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Return of the Airman…

Posted on December 4, 2009 | Leave a comment

View on my Missiology blog, missit me Dominus.

http://sendrmkocak.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/return-of-the-airman/

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Posted in Culture, Devotional, First Alliance Church