20 Jun, 2011
P.A.P.A. Fest, Mother Bears, Fathers Day
I just returned from P.A.P.A. Festival. A five day gathering of Christians living in communities that are working to alleviate the symptoms and causes of poverty in our world. One night during worship the lead singer shared a beautiful reflection and song from Hosea that I thought was appropriate as we think about Father's Day. Here is the line that stuck out to me:
"O God, Mother Bear.
Roar Again that we may hear."
Below is the text from Hosea that the song was inspired by.
HOSEA 13:4-8 (NIV)
“But I have been the LORD your God
ever since you came out of Egypt.
You shall acknowledge no God but me,
no Savior except me.
I cared for you in the wilderness,
in the land of burning heat.
When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;
then they forgot me.
So I will be like a lion to them,
like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
Like a bear robbed of her cubs,
I will attack them and rip them open;
like a lion I will devour them—
a wild animal will tear them apart."
- Search the scriptures for the images used to describe God and identify the one's that speak to you the most. Think about why those aspects of God resonate with you the most.
- Make a list of names for God that come from your own personal experience. The Bible calls God, a "bright morning star", "redeemer", "savior", "rock of salvation". What image does your relationship with God call to mind for you?
How can I connect today's God Story to Their Story?
- Talk with your dad about how the image of God as father has impacted his fathering.
- Talk with a friend about the image of God as an angry mother bear.
- May 2012 [14]
- April 2012 [19]
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- August 2011 [22]
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- June 2010 [20]
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- March 2010 [23]
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- August 2009 [20]
- July 2009 [21]
- June 2009 [22]
- May 2009 [18]
- April 2009 [15]
- March 2009 [7]
- February 2009 [17]
- January 2009 [20]
- December 2008 [23]
- November 2008 [19]
- October 2008 [22]
- September 2008 [22]
- August 2008 [19]
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- June 2008 [11]
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- April 2008 [22]
- March 2008 [21]
- February 2008 [18]
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- December 2007 [18]
- November 2007 [15]
- October 2007 [19]
- September 2007 [18]
- August 2007 [12]
- July 2007 [12]
- June 2007 [9]
- May 2007 [11]
- April 2007 [10]
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- January 2007 [7]
- December 2006 [4]
- November 2006 [13]
- October 2006 [17]
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- July 2006 [10]
- June 2006 [3]
