Jeff Eggers, Speaker & Author

Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It strikes us when we walk through the dark valley of a meaningless and empty lifeIt strikes us when, year after year, the longed-for perfection does not appear, when the old compulsions reign within us as they have for decades, when despair destroys all joy and courage. Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying: You are accepted. Manning

PROPHETIC CULTURE SHIFTS - VOICES FOR JUSTICE Justice is a timeless issue. It’s not a ‘Republican’ or ‘Democrat’ thing. It wasn’t invented in the United States or created to be used as a political tool. In the community of God’s people, (whether Israel or the early church), there was no difference between ‘religious justice’ and ‘social justice’, there was simply ‘justice’, as the reflection of both the righteousness of God, and the expression of mercy and compassion. Consid...Continue reading

0 my soul, love a God who is bound like a criminal for you; a God scourged like a slave for you; a God made a mock-king for you; a God, in short, dead upon a cross, as the vilest outcast for you! Yes, my Savior, my God, I love You, I love You! Alphonso Ligouri

PROPHETIC CULTURE SHIFTS - STANDING IN THE FACE OF THE WIND One Allegiance, One Loyalty, One Love - Those who would speak for God must have a commitment to try to get it right, regardless of the direction of the religious cultural of the day. It's the difference between using our voices to shape culture instead of being shaped by culture. This means standing strong even when our message isn’t popular, when our words are contrary to the norm and even unsettling to some. It is ...Continue reading

This was a hate crime, and not just about a pseudo Christian kid who loved God and guns, being frustrated by his addiction and having a bad day. Why should we think that? He planned his attack. He didn't choose a massage parlor with predominantly white women. He didn't choose to attack a white strip club. He didn't choose white prostitutes or a white porno club. He targeted Asian businesses and shot Asian women. Captain Baker should also be held accountable for the lack of sensitivity he showed in explaining the shooter's pain instead of identifying with grief of the victims and the Asian community. We as a church can do better by standing with our brothers and sisters of all ethnicities, by speaking out against the hate, and by extending the love, mercy and grace that we have received to the people of diverse cultures around us.

5 MINUTE EPHESIANS CHALLENGE - A PRAYER FOR UNITY Day 11 - Chapter 6 This is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. It has wonderful instruction about living in submission to God, practical spiritual warfare, and ends with a corporate message of peace. So, once again, pick out a few verses here and think on them from a corporate perspective. Today I landed on the closing verses, and turned my meditation into the prayer below. There are lots of opportunities for us to be anxious, divisive and unkind today. Paul's closing thoughts call us higher. Join me in the prayer below, based on these verses. "Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen" Eph 6:23-24

I voted, but whatever the outcome, there will always and only be One True King. He is over the earth, He is in control, and all His purposes will be fulfilled. Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, And are counted as the small dust on the scales; All nations before Him are as nothing, And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless. It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,... He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.Is. 40:15,17, 22-23, 29 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron you will dash them to pieces like pottery. Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Ps. 2 7-12 The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name. Zech. 14:9 See more

If we bear with hardship in prayer and wait patiently for the time of grace, we may well discover that meditation and prayer are very joyful experiences. We should not, however, judge the value of our meditation by how we feel. A hard and apparently fruitless meditation may in fact be much more valuable than one that is easy, happy, enlightened and apparently a big success. Thomas Merton #MysticWisdom

5 Minute Ephesians Challenge Day 10. Chapter 5 This is such a great chapter to pray through a corporate lense because the individual ramifications of obedience bring great corporate blessing. When we read and pray beyond ourselves we see how to bless others. Read, pray and post below if you like.

It's not alright. It will never be alright, (till Jesus returns). ...But it's alright. Walter Brueggeman

5 MINUTE EPHESIANS CHALLENGE Day 9 - Chapter 5 contains many instructions on living the Christian life. In thinking 'we' and 'us', the challenges in this chapter help us see how the behavior of the 'one' affects the whole community for good or bad. Choose a verse for reflection and feel free to post observations below.

EPHESIANS 5 MINUTE CHALLENGE Day 8 The challenge is to continue focusing a scripture meditation from chapter four through a corporate lense. Beyond how God sees me, into how He sees us. Who are we together? What He desires for me, He desires for my neighbor. That is the lense of outward blessing. Choose a verse in chapter four to meditate on. Feel free to post in the comments section.

5 MINUTE EPHESIAN CHALLENGE Day 7 - Chapter Four This is a great chapter to maintain a corporate perspective on. Paul addresses the heart of five fold ministry - (to build the WHOLE church), and instruction on individually behavior that, when corporately pursued, gives great testimony to the unbelieving community about the beauty of Jesus. So continue to think in terms of 'us' and 'we', see what verses the Lord highlights to you, and feel free to share reflections below.

God is the God who is faithful in the unfinished... Walter Bruegman

The following quote was written about the monk that separates himself to be devoted to God. Yet in his separation, his meditation causes him to hear the cries and pain of the world he left, and so, to intercede. This is true for us as well. Being near to God's heart in prayer should naturally lead us into hearing the cries of those who are oppressed and deeply loved of God. This is an age that, by its very nature as a time of crisis, of revolution, of struggle, calls for the... special searching and questioning which are the work of the monk in his meditation and prayer. For the monk searches not only, his own heart: he plunges deep into the heart of that world of which he remains a part although he seems to have left it. In reality the monk abandons the world only in order to listen more intently to the deepest and most neglected voices that proceed from its inner depth. Thomas Merton #MysticWisdom See more

5 MINUTE EPHESIANS CHALLENGE Day 6 - Chapter Three Something changes in our outlook and perspective when our focus in scripture shifts from 'me' and 'my', to 'us' and 'ours'. The Body of Christ, despite its glaring weaknesses and brokenness, is the Beloved Bride of Christ. There is yet a mystery of the Nature and Beauty of God to be revealed and released through His Church. One key to unlocking that mystery is our movement away from hyper-individualism and into Christ centric, body focused understanding of who we are together in Him. As you read Chapter Three, settle on a verse that moves your heart, and think on it from a 'we' and 'us' perspective. Feel free to post your reflections below.

5 MINUTE EPHESIANS CHALLENGE Day Five - Staying with praying and reading through a corporate lens. Highlight the verses that speak to you and feel free to comment below.