“Flawed, imperfect, fallen. If these things describe me accurately—it should be evident to my friends that they do—then it should be obvious that I need to change. If I insist on remaining just as I am; if I demand acceptance without judgment—or worse, if I also demand that my friends validate my present state and declare it good, then I am asking them to aid and abet my damnation. Just as flowing water is stopped by a dam, I will be condemned to my present state. But that is not what I want. I deeply desire to correct my flaws, put right my imperfections, and overcome my fallenness. I cannot make these changes on my own. Without forthright friends who help me see myself accurately, I am lost. My best friends, therefore, are the ones who see me clearly and love me enough to tell me that I can become better. My best friends are the ones who point me to Christ, He who is mighty to save and Best Friend to all who will have Him.” ChangeFriendsJesus ChristSalvationFallenFlawsImperfectionDamnation Author:Jean-Michel Hansen
“We are, by our human natures, foolish. We engage in all manner of nonsense and create all sorts of problems for ourselves—some of them quite serious. There may be times in our lives when we find our world crumbling around us and see that we are losing that which we value most. In these circumstances, when the voices of our forthright friends are urgent, it would be more prudent to consider their warnings than complain about the tone of their voices or assert that they are not diplomatic. Real friends serve us best when they call out dangers that we cannot perceive. Plainspoken friends, particularly those who may have experienced the things we now suffer, may see and understand more than we can see and understand ourselves. It would be wise to listen to their counsel, even—perhaps especially—when our first instinct is to insist that our circumstances are different, that they do not understand us, or that they have hurt our feelings. Forthright friends are rare. If you have such friends, listen humbly and keep them close: you have discovered treasure.” FeelingsHuman NatureHumilityFriendsNonsenseProblemsFoolishnessPlainness Author:Jean-Michel Hansen
“Luke tells us that Jesus cast the devil out of a boy who repeatedly threw himself into fire and water to destroy himself. Of all the unfortunates in the New Testament we are, perhaps, least likely to see ourselves in this boy. Yet he is the best symbol for us: we too continually plunge ourselves into all sorts of nonsense and engage in a diversity of dangerous and self-destructive beliefs and practices. This unfortunate is Everyman. He shows us truth: of our selves we are lost—Jesus only can save us.” TruthDevilBibleJesus ChristBeliefsNew TestamentSymbolEveryman Author:Jean-Michel Hansen
“Boys climb hills “because they are there.” Men climb mountains because they know there is something beyond them and they want to see it. They want to see what is “behind,” “farther in,” and “deeper down.” Men are not afraid of what they will find. They know something is there because no matter where man has looked, there has always been more. Armchair explorers call that more “randomness.” Real explorers call it God.” MenGodBoysExplorationMountainsRandomness Author:Jean-Michel Hansen
“Like our bodies, our minds are also flawed. And, as in the case of the body, the flaws in our minds might also not be imperfections but rather divinely-designed invitations to seek healing through Jesus Christ, who is mighty to save. If this is the case, we must be humbly grateful for these flaws. And we must diligently seek His healing, thereby exercising our agency to receive the restoration that only He can provide. Christ only is the Author and Finisher of our faith.” MindBodyHealingGratitudeJesus ChristAgencyFlawsRestorationImperfections Author:Jean-Michel Hansen
“If you wish to rebel, think for yourself. Relentlessly seek truth. But beware: the truth-seeking rebel’s path is a lonely one. Not many travel along it. The relentless pursuit of truth often—even usually—puts you at odds with the masses, who tend to follow the herd and respond to the loudest, most insistent voices. Resist these. Yes, you will often walk alone, but not to worry—truth gives its own rewards: purpose, progression, and peace. Seek truth, engage with it, and act upon it. It will compel you to listen, to love, and to lift.” TruthPurposePeaceLonelinessRebelRelentlessProgression Author:Jean-Michel Hansen
“Every assertion of my will is an illumination of His infinite patience. But the day will come when He will see that I have gotten as far as I can go. He will say, “Enough,” and my rebellion will end, either because I have finally seen truth and submitted myself to it, or because I finally admit that I cannot see it, and He mercifully calls me Home, where only truth exists.” GodTruthMercyRebellionSubmission Author:Jean-Michel Hansen
“Choose truth. Resist not-truth. Think courageously, meaning boldly. Reject the propaganda of the world. Choose truth. You won’t find it in the loudest, most insistent, most demanding voices. Truth is quiet. Very quiet. Truth is found in stillness and privacy. It brings peace. Be still. Choose truth. Believe. Be grateful.” BeliefPeaceGratitudeNoisePropagandaAgencyChoiceBoldnessTruth Courage Author:Jean-Michel Hansen
“So why am I so reluctant to surrender to God? Why so slow to yield? Perhaps it is because I am not only in enemy-occupied territory, but because I am enemy-occupied territory.” GodHumilityPrideMoral Agency Author:Jean-Michel Hansen
“There is but one peacemaker: the Prince of Peace. He is a revolutionary: His teachings run counter to the prevailing assertion that the “other” must change. He quietly asks me to see myself as I am: messy, fallen, sinful. He gently invites me to change. Then He enables me to become, in Him, what I cannot become in and of myself. As He changes me, I experience His peace. As he changes me, I begin to understand that the “other” is my brother. As He changes me, I desire to love and serve my brother. These changes He enables in me transform me from trouble-maker to peace-maker. It is through the Prince of Peace – and through Him only – that I experience peace and become a peaceful man.” PeaceJesus ChristRevolutionaryFallenMessyPeacemakerTroublemakerSinfulThe Other Author:Jean-Michel Hansen
“With it’s transition from darkness into increasing light, Advent symbolically shows me my journey from the weaknesses I acquire because I live in a fallen world, to the enabling grace offered to me in Christ’s life, ministry, atonement, crucifixion, and resurrection. His ministry to me is individual, tailored to my specific needs. He saves me by changing me, transforming me, and making me into something I am not now. He can convert me—if I will let Him—into a fit traveler, able to walk the covenant path that leads through the temple and back to my Heavenly Father. Jesus willingly walks with me, inviting me to take on His yoke (which is easy) and to exchange my burden for His (which is light). Advent reminds me to invite the Light of the World to illuminate my life. O come, o come, Emanuel!” Jesus ChristBurdenSaviorResurrectionMinistryIlluminationAdventYokeEmmanuelCovenant Path Author:Jean-Michel Hansen
“If there is a devil—and I believe there is—his work is to divide. If there is a Savior—and I believe there is—His work is to unite. It follows, therefore, that where division is, the devil is nearby. My proper response to division, then, is to disengage myself from whatever is causing it. If I would be on the side of the Redeemer, then I will do His work: I will engage in acts of reconciliation; I will become a peacemaker.” DevilUnityDivisionSaviorRedeemerPeacemakerReconcilation Author:Jean-Michel Hansen
“The weaknesses, faults, and flaws in our bodies are easy enough to discover. As time passes, they increase. We lament them. But perhaps we miss the point. Perhaps our bodies are actually perfect, divinely designed to give each spirit precisely the tutoring it needs to learn dominion and overcome the self and the world. Perhaps one day we will discover that each flaw in our bodies is a magnificent gift that invites us to seek help at the hands of the Master Healer.” GodBodyWeaknessPerfectionFaultsFlawsDominionTutoringMaster Healer Author:Jean-Michel Hansen
“The desire for perfection is evidence that God exists. It is a reminder that this imperfect world is not our home. That flaws cause us distress and leave us longing for perfection’s restoration indicates our familiarity with the flawless. We came from Perfection: a place of light and truth and beauty; a place of wholeness and completion; a place of perfect love and perfect peace. The small griefs flaws cause us are expressions of our desires to return to the Home—and to the Parents—from which we came.” GodHomeHeavenGriefPerfectionFlawsWholenessCompletion Author:Jean-Michel Hansen
“As we light our Advent candles, adding a new one each week, we move from darkness to light. Our ritual symbolically anticipates the birth or our Savior, Jesus Christ, who will actually move us from darkness to light if we will let Him. Advent invites us to worship at the manger, but if we stop there, we have missed the meaning of Christ’s birth. His advent is the beginning of the path that takes Jesus from the light of the wonderful star that signals His birth, to the terrible darkness of his full and final sacrifice, and then on to the blinding brilliant light of His resurrection, which is the advent of ours. As we return to the manger, let us not forget the meaning of his birth and the purpose of His life. He came to save, deliver, and redeem us: O come, let us adore Him!” LightDarknessJesus ChristRitualAdoreSymbolismAdventRedeemDeliver Author:Jean-Michel Hansen
“When I am so certain—expressing my views, asserting my narrative, and moving my agenda forward—I cannot hear God. His voice is quiet; a whisper that is easily missed in the din and clamor of the world. But I will hear Him: either now (because I step away from my insistence that I am right) or in the end (because all of my nonsense will flee away in His presence). And when I hear Him, error will fall silent and truth will shine forth like the beautiful light of dawn after a dark and lonely night.” GodLightTruthSilenceDarknessNoiseErrorNarratives Author:Jean-Michel Hansen
“As my Advent celebration approaches its end, I remember how merciful the Lord has been. My eyes move reluctantly from the manger. But if I emulate the wise men, who followed the star that led them to Jesus, my view will move across the poignant scenes of Christ’s mortal life, be stopped short by wonder and gratitude as I consider the incomparable gift of His atonement, crucifixion, and resurrection, and then lift to the promised dawn of His second coming. As I consider His promised return, I might ask myself, “When that day comes, will I kneel and joyfully exclaim that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Light of the World, my Redeemer, Deliverer, and Savior, or will it be truth that compels me to confess His name?” Today, as my celebration by candlelight of His first advent draws to a close, I resolve to let Him prevail in my life so that my adoration of Him in the brilliant light of His second advent will be spontaneous, heartfelt, and unrestrained.” LightJesus ChristMercyResurrectionAdorationAtonementAdventSecond Coming Author:Jean-Michel Hansen