Posts tagged as:

Henri Nouwen

Don’t Play Life Safey by Simply Being a Visitor in This World

by Rhett Smith on March 31, 2010

[image by epSos.de] God is Not Safe, So Why Do We Play So Safely There are lots of books, stories and examples displaying how we tend to play life too safely at times, and the need for us to overcome this complacency. One of the examples that is always in my mind is this exchange [...]

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Haiti Day #4: Displaced People-Displaced God-Displaced Disciples

by Rhett Smith on February 15, 2010

[image by Anne Jackson of tent city of 5000 in Marassa] Displaced People About one month ago one of the most horrific disasters in human history struck the small island of Haiti. In the wake of that destruction thousands upon thousands of lives were lost, and thousands upon thousands of people were displaced. We have [...]

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Self-Care Is Not Just About Doing, But About Being–And Some Books for the Journey

by Rhett Smith on October 13, 2009

[image by Tamara Areshian] In my last post, When You Refuse To Take Care Of Yourself, You Are Refusing To Take Care Of Those Around You, I just briefly reflected on some comments by Rob Bell at the Catalyst Conference 2009 and how I felt they played into self-care. Self-care is a large topic. For [...]

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Are You Able To Be FULLY Present To Others?

by Rhett Smith on September 21, 2009

[image by mikebaird] One of the unique things about being a therapist is that it requires me to be able to be fully present to those who sit across from me in my office. No cell phone. No computer. No interruptions. No distractions. For45-50 minutes they get my full, undivided attention.  In fact, one of [...]

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Diagnosing Our Online Busyness So That We Can Live More Holistically

by Rhett Smith on July 9, 2009

[image by Winstonavich] Earlier this week I wrote a post on our identity in our engagement in social media and technology. I believe that at the heart of our online engagement are large questions of identity. And unless these questions of identity are addressed, we don’t fully live into what God has called us to [...]

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Our Identity in Social Media/Technology Engagement

by Rhett Smith on July 6, 2009

[image by LollyKnit] Identity in Christ One of the most crucial passages of scripture in the Bible in regards to our identity is Mark 1:9-14: “9, And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 10, And straightway coming up out of [...]

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Do Ministers Talk Too Much?

by Rhett Smith on June 15, 2009

[image source] In the great book, The Way of the Heart: Connecting with God Through Prayer, Wisdom, and Silence by Henri Nouwen, he talks quite a bit about one’s “inner fire.” Last week I posted You Must Protect Your Inner Fire if You Live Online. I want to pick up on that theme where Nouwen [...]

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You Must Protect Your Inner Fire if You Live Online

by Rhett Smith on June 10, 2009

[image by Capture Queen] I have been thinking a lot…a lot about Anne Jackson’s recent decision, Saying Goodbye to Facebook. And then yesterday she followed it up with an article at Purpose Driven, Why I Kissed Facebook Goodbye. Something that Anne said in the article really stuck out to me: The ultimate question, for the [...]

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Good Friday: Death…Awaiting Resurrection

by Rhett Smith on April 10, 2009

Painting: White Crucifixion by Marc Chagall How often have I lived through these weeks without paying much attention to penance, fasting, and prayer? How often have I missed the spiritual fruits of the season without even being aware of it? But how can I ever really celebrate Easter without observing Lent? How can I rejoice [...]

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Paradigm Shifting, Life Shaping Books

by Rhett Smith on March 17, 2009

It seems we all like books. And we especially like making lists of books. In 2005 I wrote The Five Books I Would Recommend to a College Student…or Actually, to Anyone!, and listed in another post the Top 100 Religious Books of the 20th Century According to Christianity Today. If you want you could access [...]

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