In the Courtyard by the Fire

A few months ago - maybe last year sometime - I took a class from BeADisciple called Reading the New Testament with Fresh Eyes.  One of the Bible study methods we explore was an Ignatian Method.  At the time, I wrote a post about it here.

This morning, I spent some times reading from Rachel Billups' book, An Unlikely Lent. I'm on the second chapter; it focuses on the servant girl who accuses Peter of following Jesus. As I read that chapter, the Ignatian Method came to mind. There are a few questions in that method that I think can "take us into" the scripture. 

For this exploration, I'm reading Mark 14:66-72

Picture the scene....What is the setting? Who are the people in the scene? What can be seen, heard, or smelled in the scene?  It's helpful to read Mark 14's previous verses. Peter has followed Jesus to the courtyard of the high priest. While Jesus is on trial in front of the chief priests, elders, and scribes, Peter is in the courtyard, sitting near the fire with the guards. I imagine it is the time of day that is still night but poised on the edge of sunrise. The light would have been inadequate to make out details, but just beginning to hint at the day to come. The fire would have cast shadows around the courtyard.

Peter would be able to hear the guards talking and the conversations of anyone else who enters into the courtyard. Were they talking about what was going on? Was Jesus well known enough for their to be speculation among those gathered regarding what was happening? Could they hear the questioning? Jesus' answer of "I am"? Could they hear blows striking as they beat Jesus? What about when they condemned him to death?

The courtyard would have been full of the scent of the burning fire and of the men around it. I imagine they could have smelled the fear as Peter sat with them, sweating and afraid.  This man of action probably couldn't have set very still - his feet would have been shuffling and his hands would have been moving around each other and across his beard, clothes, and hair.

And when the servant approached him, and asked him if he were a follower of Jesus, would he have sprung guiltily to his feet? Or tried to maintain calmness by staying in his place by the fire? All those around him would have heard the question and his answer. Unless he had a "poker face" I think he would have looked startled and afraid.

As I write this, I am sitting in my living room, and I can hear a rooster outside. (The neighborhood rooster crows all the time - just annoying). They are not quiet birds, so that crow would have been loud and unmistakable. Peter would have remembered what Jesus told him about his betrayal. His fear would have been compounded now by the guilt that was just under the surface as he started to cry - maybe now leaving the fire to hide.

Lent Photo-a-day: Live

 

Book Review: Between a Rock and a Holy Place

Information about the book

Between a Rock and a Holy Place by Thomas Patrick Nolan.  Published by Archway Publishing in 2025.  Available as a paperback, audiobook, or e-book (Kindle).  Amazon link.

Summary

From Amazon: Sermons and stories of faith, hope, and love from the heart of a friend and follower of Jesus. With humor and grace, these simple but profound writings will lead you into the presence of One whose word brings healing and hope to longing hearts.

Impressions

This book is a collection of about 36 sermons written by an elder in the West Virginia Annual Conference.  Tom is currently a retried elder who attends my church, and I've heard him preach several times. He's a fantastic preacher, and you can hear his words as you read the sermons. I wish I had seen the audiobook prior to reading the book - I might have chosen to listen to them instead of read them.

The sermons are divided among the liturgical year, beginning with advent and continuing through Pentecost. I started reading the book in December. When I finished the Christmas sermons, I set it aside, thinking I would pick it up during each season and read the sermons at a liturgically appropriate time; however, once I started reading again near Lent, I just continued it until I finished. I didn't want to stop and wait until after Easter to continue. The book works well for a devotional time - read one sermon a day to give yourself time to consider the words throughout your schedule.

Tom's sermons are very engaging, full of excellent illustrations that lead you through and to a deep message. I rated this book five stars and would highly recommend it to you.

Posts about book

To see posts I read that were inspired by this book, explore the tag Nolan Holy Place on my blog.

 

Life Note

Just a quick life note. You may have noticed that over the past few weeks, I haven't been posting as regularly, and that my posts, when I do upload them, are more photo orientated than words.

Mom had surgery a couple of weeks ago. It went well; the outcome was good, and her recovery has been at her home instead of in residential rehab, which is a good thing, and what she wanted. I'm amazed at how well she is doing. That said, it does mean that when I sit down to blog, I don't always have any inspiration. I've set aside the idea of taking classes for the time being (classes often provide blog inspiration) and my reading of spiritual development books has been slow. Plus, I sit down to work on the blog, and I just ... well ... don't. So I get up and walk away.

That said, I have gone back and filled in some blanks. I'm using the Lent Photo-a-day challenge from the United Methodist Church to write some posts. I like those - I look through my image gallery to see what connection the word inspires and post those.  If all goes to plan, those will replace my Friday Perspectives posts for the rest of Lent. If all goes to plan, the other posts will be my regular "thoughts" posts.

I'm reading a new book (for me) called An Unlikely Lent by Rachel Billups. I might not have chosen this to read, but my pastor did and is using it to lead a Lenten study at my church. I'm not able to attend the study, but I like to read what the class is reading, so I've picked it up. I say I wouldn't have chosen it, because I wouldn't have run across it, but I very much like it.  You'll see some upcoming posts inspired by it.

Also, I spent some time at the end of last year updating my library of blog images. I keep a Dropbox of images to use on the blog, ready for posting. These are often from our travels around the state and country.  Once I post them, I move them out of the Dropbox to avoid using them more than once. The stock of images was getting kind of low, so it has been renewed.

I hope you are having a blessed Lent and look forward to Easter with great joy.

 

Perspectives: Ring the Bell

 I love signs.  I love to "collect" them. This one was funny to me.  It just asks me to ring the bell. No reason, not for service - just ring the bell.  I was tempted.

Judgment and Grace

This was published as a Lenten Devotional from the West Virginia Annual Conference (written by me).

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. (John 7:24)

 

Don’t read the comments.  I give myself this advice all the time. Don’t read the comments on Facebook posts, on online newspaper articles, anywhere – just don’t read the comments. The comments are littered with people making judgements and assumptions. The comments can be mean; they are filled with anger and hatred. Don’t read the comments.

 

A friend of mine was in the middle of a horrible experience. Her elderly mother had been driving and had made a wrong turn. She ended up three states away, lost. While they were looking for her, an article was published in the local newspaper. I made the mistake of reading the comments. People were judging the situation with such cruelty.  It was a situation about which they knew nothing, and yet they felt they were the experts in this story. And that is only one illustration I could have shared with you – one of many.

 

John 7:14-31 tells the story of Jesus preaching in the temple. There are those who are seeking to kill him, motivated by his healing of a man on the Sabbath (among other things). Jesus says, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

 

What is “right judgment?” Do you remember the song “Father’s Eyes”?  It was written by Gary Chapman and released in 1979 by Amy Grant.  Maybe I’m the only one old enough to remember it!  According to the song, God’s eyes find the good in things, find the source of help, are full of compassion, and can discover what challenges people. I think that defines “right judgment” – judging not with our own understanding, but with God’s.  We sometimes call that grace.

 

We would do well to let grace lead.  In all the situations we encounter in life – on the internet, in what we read, in our day-to-day conversations – we should let grace lead. We are not equipped by God to judge; instead, we are called to love. We are to live a life full of light and grace, so that the world will be changed. 

 

Share love, not judgment. Don’t read the comments, but more importantly, don’t write the comments. Work to see (and respond) to those around you through the grace-filled view of God’s eyes.

 

Prayer: Loving God, help me to be an instrument of your grace. Amen

 

Lent Photo-a-day - Revealed

I am a card maker, and this is a Easter card I made a few years ago.  It came up in my photos when I searched for the word "revealed."  It is a revelation, isn't is, when we proclaim a risen Christ?
 

Perspectives: Two Roads

Have you heard the poem by Robert Frost entitled "The Road not Taken"?  I memorized it in fifth grade.  Paths diverging like this always remind me of that poem.

Lent Photo-a-day - Harvest

 

Lent Photo a Day - Deep

 The word deep brings to mind lots of images - deep love, deep understanding, deep faith.  As I browsed my images, though, this one popped out to me as Deep.

Perspectives: Church Sign

 I love to look at church signs. I think this one might be one of my favorites.

On the Mountain. In the Valley.

View from Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park

A couple of Sunday's ago, our worship scripture was the transfiguration. Remember that one? Jesus Peter, James, and John go up on a high mountain. Jesus is transfigured - his face "shone like the sun and his clothes became bright as light." He was joined by Moses and Elijah. Peter asks Jesus if he should set up three tents on the mountain, but Jesus leads them back down the mountain to the valley below.

Mountaintop experiences are uplifting, aren't they? They booster our faith and provide us with strength to continue the work. I imagine Peter's faith was changed forever when he heard a voice from a cloud speaking.

That said, remember that Jesus came with them off the mountain. In times when we are in the valley, Jesus isn't on the mountaintop - he's in the valley with us. Can you think of a time when your faith was strengthened in the valley?

I've been thinking about this. Is it easier to see (and experience) God on the mountain, or in the valley? Do we come close to God in darkness, in the valley, because our need of God is so great?

Thank God that God is on the mountains and in the valley with us.

 

Beloved

 The Lent 2027 Photo-a-Day challenge for today is the word Beloved.

That's a lovely word, isn't it? Beloved. What makes you feel that you are a beloved person?

I think my husband's love language is doing for others. He certainly "does" for me, and it makes me feel beloved - special, loved, cared for.

How does God make you feel like a beloved person?

Perspectives: Bath Tub