Mudshot Eyes Mudshot Eyes Mudshot Eyes is a reference to a biblical story from John 9 where Jesus uses mud to heal a man from blindness. This site is a place for reflections and queries on life with Christ, in his world. It is for Christ-followers or the Christ-curious. Articles
weakly prayer - memory and pain
2007-04-11 03:51:00 From Prayer s Plainly Spoken, by Stanley Hauerwas: “Crucified Lord, your creation is full of pain. Our lives are filled with pain. We must appear happy, to be OK, to others and ourselves. After all, we know no one likes to be around people in pain. So we cannot even be around ourselves. ... More About: Memory , Pain , Memo , Raye
Jesus? resurrection: does matter matter?
2007-04-09 01:44:00 Christ the Lord is risen today! Alleluia! Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia! Church-goers of all shapes and sizes came out of the woodwork today to go to church. Easter brings them in as if the church was giving away free money! Most of these churches spend their Easter morning celebrating the resurrection ... More About: Jesus , Matter , Matt , Resurrection , Jesu
the inbetweenness of life
2007-04-07 23:16:00 This article from the New York Times tells how many people from the battered region of Darfur, in Sudan have found a haven in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Fawzia Suliman, a mother and wife from Darfur, talks about how Fort Wayne has been a welcome place for her and a growing community of Darfuri people. ... More About: Life , Between , Ness , Ween
face of Jesus, face of God
2007-04-04 04:35:00 Here is a poignant passage for holy week, from a book by Frederick Buechner, The Face s of Jesu s : Our age is full of people for whom the language of religious faith is a dead language and its symbols empty, for whom the figure of Jesus is vague and remote as a figure in a dream, powerless ... More About: God
weakly prayer - palm sunday
2007-04-02 03:55:00 Messiah Lord, Why did you ride on a donkey to receive the praise of the crowd? Were you trying to tell them, to tell us, that your triumph was not a contest of strength, but a display of weakness? While the armies of this earth display their strength by shedding blood, taking away the lives of their ... More About: Prayer , Sunday , Palm , Raye , Pray
God?s world
2007-03-28 06:47:00 This quote from Philip Yancey’s book, The Bible That Jesus Read is a good follow-up to a discussion regarding what Genesis 1 is really all about. He’s speaking about the Old Testament in general here, but I think it applies: Like a drumbeat that never stops, in the pages of the Old Testament we hear ... More About: God , World
scientists are our friends
2007-03-25 03:04:00 I remember when evolution was presented in science class during my high school days in the late eighties. We were instructed on how the cosmos came into being through natural means, which, from my perspective, took God out of the picture by default. It was like my science teacher was saying, “Everything you’ve ... More About: Friends , Scientist , Friend , Scientists , Ends
weakly prayer - glory and creation
2007-03-12 05:44:00 Creator God (Elohim), This sunset view from 35,000 feet makes me wonder if You gave us the airplane simply to have a better view. Is there any place more important right now than seeing Your glory through this small window? I?ll stay right here and look with all my eyes. Before now, I did not expect so much color in Your glory! (We always think ... More About: Prayer , Creation , Raye , Pray , Glory
never completely
2007-03-09 12:45:03 The following Augustine quote reminds me of Romans 7, where Paul says, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate…” When I thought of devoting myself entirely to you, my God . . . it was I that wished to do it, and I that wished not to do it. It was I. And since I neither completely wished, nor completely refused, I fought against myself and tore myself to pieces. ? St. Augustine Thank God for Romans 8, where I am hearing the hope of the Spirit for real, each-day living. He loves enough to interrupt our self-pity and move us to revel in God! More About: Comp , Ever , Never , Complete
weakly prayer - for eyes to see God at church
2007-03-06 00:42:01 Lord of the Sabbath, Today is Sunday, as you know. It is the day you have made, just like Monday, but this day is set apart. You want us to set ourselves apart for teaching, for fellowship, for the breaking of bread, for prayer. It looks good on paper; it’s the reality that troubles me. When next Sunday comes I will gather with the saints. I think it would help if I saw you there. Amen More About: Church , God , Eyes , Prayer , Raye
life in the kingdom
2007-03-04 12:40:06 I occasionally take time to review The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard. I read this book a few years ago, and was profoundly impacted by it. Today as I flipped through, I was looking for wisdom about what life looks like when we place ourselves in the care of God’s rule. Depending on which preacher has the floor, I have heard two different things about life in God’s kingdom. One idea is that I should prepare for a life of discomfort and difficulty if I choose to follow Jesus. All the relevant Scripture passages are used to support this, like the times that Jesus told his disciples to take up their execution device (cross) and follow Him. Unfortunately, this idea doesn’t tell the whole story. There is also joy in this journey. The other idea I’ve heard also sounds extreme. The claim is that life with God is the “good life” and that life’s circumstances improve when we are following Christ. It is an attractive extreme that can... More About: Life , Kingdom , The King , King , The Kingdom
playing religious defense
2007-02-27 12:36:02 In my college days at Samford University, I argued and debated theology like it was a recreational sport. One evening, Mark Watkins and I locked horns on the long enduring debate over human free will verses God’s sovereignty. It was a classic duel between two over-confident college students who believed that winning this argument had cosmic importance. Once our discussion had dragged about an hour beyond its usefulness, there was silence between us. We had defended our ground and both sides were bloodied and word-weary. Our common ground came only by appealing to the mystery of God, realizing for the first time that we had missed the point. Theology is a mystery to explore, discuss, and experience, but we used it as a weapon for intellectual posturing. As such, it had no life-giving quality. We were exhausted and discouraged until we reflected together on our own inability to fully grasp these things. Then I began to experience something like humility, and it was a ... More About: Play , Defense , Ligi , Ense , Religious
sign up for email updates!
2007-02-22 12:30:04 Submit your email address in the box below (or the permanent box in the sidebar) and you’ll receive the latest posts to mudshoteyes.com as an email in your inbox! The sheer volume of response I expect to get from this may overload the entire internet, but I’m going to just keep my fingers crossed… :) Enter your email address:Delivered by FeedBurner More About: Mail , Email , Dates , Updates , Update
weakly prayer - for God?s interference
2007-02-17 12:27:01 Faithful God , When we have trusted you and staked our claim with your power, your interference has been obvious. You interfere with our worry. You interfere with our failings. You interfere with our opinions. You interfere with our relationships. You interfere with our self-absorbed way of living. Sometimes you don’t interfere with our pain the way we would like you to, but even then we see you more clearly in our affliction because of the way you interfere with our blindness. Thank you for getting in our way. We need you to stand in the paths of our brokenness. Amen. More About: Inter , Prayer , Ferenc , Raye
read
2007-02-12 12:22:02 I’m always interested in what people are reading. It makes for great conversation to hear about what someone is learning and what has challenged them lately. I recently took a random sampling from some friends and family to find out what books have been most influential to them. These suggestions came from charismatics, postmoderns, Southern Baptists, and everything in between, so it made for an eclectic mix of books! Here is the list in no particular order, along with links to Amazon for more info. Some books like The Divine Conspiracy and The Ragamuffin Gospel turned up more than once. If you would like to contribute your own 3 or 4 most influential books, just leave a comment with your list. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee Ragamuffin Gospel - Brennan Manning Revolution Within - Dwight Edwards The Life You’ve Always Wanted - John Ortberg The Divine Conspiracy - Dallas Willard Celebration of Discipline - Richard Foster Surprised by Joy - C.S. Lewis Mere Christ... More About: Read
sunday best
2007-02-08 00:18:02 Some of my most memorable arguments with my mom during my teenage years were over what I was wearing to church. Growing up in Florida, where the summer days are hot and humid, I especially remember the admonishment regarding shorts. They were never to be worn to church on Sunday nights. I resisted and got away with it a few times, but most of the time I had to insulate my scrawny legs from the eyes of the other attendees. This isn’t an effort to criticize my mom for carrying on what she and many others had been raised to believe about the dress code at church. Her desire to see me honor God was being played out in those weekly dramas about my clothes. However, I remember another person asking what I would wear to church if I knew that Jesus was going to be there. “Wouldn’t you want to look your best?” they asked. I was always so confused by that question. Why would Jesus care what I was wearing? These memories of wearing my “Sunday best... More About: Best , Sunday Best
money? the root of all upheaval
2007-02-04 12:15:03 Money. Some take a vow of poverty and avoid it altogether, while others are willing to hurt other people to get more of it and keep it. Conflict over money been cited as the number one cause of divorce in America. Just like our government, people are borrowing more and more of it every year. People who play the lottery long for it, and those who win the lottery wish they never had. Money may not be the root of all evil, but it certainly has been at the middle of a lot of botheration. Last week, Rob Curwen and I began facilitating a Financial Peace class at Christ Community Church. Financial Peace is a 13-week course in which Dave Ramsey teaches via DVD, and then we have a small group discussion about saving, giving, budgeting, and a number of other topics. We have a wide range of people in the class who are in a wide range of different places financially. Everyone comes in with at least a portion of their financial story stained by mismanagement, foolishness, greed, or a se... More About: Money , Root
weakly prayer - for agape*
2007-02-04 12:15:03 Agape God, I wonder if I’ll ever learn Love’s way. “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” And the Love, Which was put on display In Your life, Your death. I wonder at the way of Love’s learning. “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me,” To love, All who You love so freely With Your life, Your death. Amen. *Agape is one of the Greek words used in the Bible for love. Click to learn about that. *Why a “weakly” prayer? Click. More About: Prayer , Raye , Pray
?weakly? prayers
2007-01-23 06:09:01 I’ll be posting prayers each week, written by a variety of people including readers, authors, friends, or me. Please feel free to post a prayer in the comments or send one to me via email. If you put it in the comments it will come to me via email and I’ll decide from there whether to post it separately from the comments. Authentic prayer flows out of weakness and need, thus the title (thanks, Brian). More About: Prayers , Prayer , Raye , Pray
prayer for the sick
2007-01-23 06:09:01 Healer God, Is there more room in the house where the man was dropped down through the ceiling? Are the crowds so thick that more cannot touch the hem of your garment? Grant us the wisdom to place limits on the enjoyment of our resources, so that we can place limits on the sicknesses that come to those who have no resources. Grant us the courage to give (so that we heal ourselves). Take away our allegiance to our possessions (they have made us sick). May we find our greatest allegiance in You (our place of refuge). Heal us all, in Jesus’ name. More About: Prayer , Sick , Raye , Pray
I’ve realized that there is a moving on and a staying
2007-01-16 06:03:01 I’ve realized that there is a moving on and a staying behind when losing someone we love. We move on from the intense pain of that first moment when we hear the tragic news. We move on from our dependence on that person for friendship and support. We then are given opportunity to move on to Christ as we rediscover his incomparable companionship. But we also stay behind. We stay in the memories that have been sketched in the corridors of our mind. We laugh as we recall the stories that made times with him so special. We stay in those stories because they are the gift that we are left with. A gift of time and moments that are unique and permanent. Today would have been my cousin Mark’s 35th birthday. A year and a half after losing him to a motorcycle accident, I still think of him on a daily basis, even if just for a moment when some little thing reminds me. I have decided that remembering is OK, even after so much time has passed. In fact, I can’t keep a... More About: Moving , Hat , Real , Here , That
In the Spring of 2003 I ran 13.1 miles in the Country Music
2007-01-16 06:03:01 In the Spring of 2003 I ran 13.1 miles in the Country Music Half Marathon. I vividly remember the moment when the group running the full marathon split off and kept running forward, as I continued down the quarter-mile home stretch. “Those people are nuts,” I thought to myself. “Why would anyone run 26.2 miles? That is insane!” Then the thought occurred to me that before I started training, 13.1 miles probably seemed a little extreme, too. But I did it… twice. I have also ran in the Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, a terrific race mostly because of the last 2 miles on the boardwalk by the beach (after 13.1 miles of running, there is nothing like falling into the ocean for a refreshing salt bath). When asked if I had ever run a full marathon, I could almost tell them “yes,” since two halves make a whole. On April 28, 2007, I am running in the Country Music Marathon, my first attempt at achieving the insanity I thought I wo... More About: Miles
Last year was a tough year for “Merry Christmas.”
2007-01-16 06:03:01 Last year was a tough year for “Merry Chris t mas .” It seemed like every corner store was banning the dangerous phrase from being spoken by employees. Instead, a “Happy Holiday” was wished upon us. There is a HUGE difference between being merry and being happy. Merry people are busy saving the world by making sure that everyone acts like Jesus, even if they don’t know Jesus from Alice Cooper. The merry mission is to strongarm the entire world into behaving as if they already know Jesus. This comes at the expense of His reputation, but for merry people it is well worth it. The new front line of battle last year became a simple phrase: Merry Christmas. If you don’t acknowledge Christ on Christmas, then you are in big trouble, pal. But the tables were turned this year. In almost every retail establishment I’ve been to, there is somebody saying the magic words, “Merry Christmas!” It gives me goosebumps, or should I say, a chil... More About: Last , Tough
I believe God is trying again to make it clear to me that th
2007-01-16 06:03:01 I believe God is trying again to make it clear to me that the most valuable moments are not the ones in the “good ol’ days” or in the looked-forward-to future. Two readings have emphasized this to me lately. The first one is from Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. I borrowed the audiobook from a friend and listened to the first chapter again today. I won’t attempt to outline the entire chapter here, but I can summarize his point. He effectively argues that our instincts are often right because our mind subconsciously picks up on clues in an instant, before we are consciously aware of why we “have a hunch.” It was a reminder to me that each moment is full of clues about Truth. If I am mindlessly moving through my day, I miss the daily reading of the Word that nature and relationships provide. The second passage which prompted my thoughts was from Brennan Manning, in his book Ruthless Trust. There is an excellent chapter titled “The Geography... More About: Hat , Again , Make , Believe
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free:
2007-01-16 06:03:01 Come Thou Long Expect ed Jesus , Born to set Thy people free: From our fears and sins release us; Let us find our rest in Thee. Israel’s strength and consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art, Dear desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart. Born thy people to deliver, Born a child, and yet a king, Born to reign in us forever. Now thy gracious kingdom bring. By thine own eternal spirit rule in all our hearts alone; By thine all-sufficient merit Raise us to thy glorious throne. - Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, by Charles Wesley More About: People , Free , Come
We stayed local for our first Christmas together. Krista
2007-01-16 06:03:01 We stayed local for our first Chris t mas together. Krista’s brother Brad joined us for lunch, and we had a great day together. We started the day with a reading of Mary’s song from Luke 1, and then dove into gifts and food. Click on the collage to view my Flickr photo page… More About: Local , Together
I have decided that with the turn of the year, it is time fo
2007-01-16 06:03:01 I have decided that with the turn of the year, it is time for a new direction with regard to my web presence–if you can call 39 hits a month a “presence.” Let me explain. The other day I ran into an acquaintance who had come across my web site. “You have quite a self-involved thing going there,” he said. Self-involved? Yuck. He may have meant it as a compliment, but it was the very last thing I wanted to hear about my site. Then it hit me. The name of the web site is JASON BARMER DOT COM! I’ve always cringed a little at the self-touting title. It screams, “Hey, come over here and listen to what I’ve got to say!” For a couple of years now, I have wanted to launch a site that didn’t give the impression that it was about me. My writings sometimes contain experiences I’ve had, but I’ve wanted this to be a place to practice the exploration of ideas. I’m setting a new course. I’m not goin... More About: Time , With , Hat , Have , That
“[Jesus] spat on the ground and made mud with the sali
2007-01-16 06:03:01 “[Jesus ] spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man?s eyes with the mud and said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.” - John 9:6-7 This is my favorite New Testament story because Jesus made a mess of this guy before healing him. I wonder how the disciples reacted when Jesus picked up the mud he had just made from his own spit. This was outside the bounds of traditional medicine, even for first century standards! Then to top it off, Jesus plopped the mud into the eyes of the blind man. I would have either been cracking up, or feeling really bad for what probably looked like a sick practical joke. But if Jesus was laughing, it was only for joy as he told the man to go to the Pool of Siloam to wash away his blindness. A lifetime of darkness was about to be washed away with the mess. With a fresh reading of this story, I’m wondering what messes Jesus... More About: Ground , Made , Round
The Florida Gators are going to the BCS National Champions
2007-01-16 06:03:01 The Florida Gators are going to the BCS Nation al Champions hip Game on January 8, 2007! A victory would complete a perfect story for them, even with the one loss to Auburn. The Gators are celebrating 100 years of football at UF, and it’s been 10 years since they last won the National Title. It’s a perfect time for them to win it all. ESPN story here. More About: Florida Gators
Here’s to my precious wife on her 28th birthday…
More articles from this author:2007-01-16 06:03:01 Here’s to my precious wife on her 28th birthday… You are an amazing woman. Thank you for exuding patience, kindness, love, and grace on a daily basis. I’m honored to spend my days with you. ?This is the true measure of love: When we believe that we alone can love, that no one could ever have loved so before us, and that no one will ever love in the same way after us? - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe More About: Wife , Birthday , Birth , Here , Precious 1, 2, 3, 4 |
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