Mark Whitten's Blog (18)

[The following is an excerpt from Mark's latest re-monk.com post on the New Marks of Monasticism.  At the end of the article, you will find 12 New Marks of Monasticism - from a slightly different perspective]

Although we are grateful for the pioneering literary works of Shane Claibourne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove on the “12 Marks of New Monasticism”, we do not feel that they are expressive of, or inclusive to the whole body of New Monastic believers and worship communities. Some of…

Friends, i pray you are well in the Lord.  This week, i felt impressed to include a message i preached about two years ago called "The Coming King of Offense."  i pray it will serve not only as a warning, but as a blessing of encouragement to those who have ears to hear. 



Please check back…

It was Oswald, King of Northumbria, who caught the spirit and the vision of God's Kingdom in the early 600's AD when he invited Aidan, the Irish monk-priest from Scottish Iona, to come and share the teachings of Isu Mac De (Jesus Son of God) with the people of his kingdom.   As mentioned in "Of Kings and…

Financial abuses have run rampant in the Church for the past three to four decades.  Scandals, a lack of accountability, and misappropriation of church funds have left a wound in the hearts of many would-be givers, namely those in whom the Lord has given the gift of generosity.  Monies that should have gone to the extension of God's kingdom have been diverted to other secular causes and charitable institutions as a backlash for the…

In 604 a King was born in Deira, Northumbria.  A few years earlier, in Ireland, a boy was born who would later become the “apostle to the English”.  It was a time of great division both in the kingdoms of the British Isles and within the Church.  For such a time as this, did God send Oswald and Aidan.  A King.  A Priest. More Here

Friends,

i apologize for not posting this past weekend!  School recently started back and as my friend Darren Davis used to say, i have been "blowin and goin bro".  Whew...

Saturday, i spent the day weed-eating Johnson grass at my Dad's (poppy) farm for some extra cash, and…

It's been 3 months since my first go at re-monking my life.   Since then, i've quit tobacco products completely, begun to read the Bible every day, and have prayed for my marriage on a near daily basis.  i cannot yet say that my life has "radically" changed, however, i have definitely taken ground in some key areas of my life by implementing some…

The average American will eat 15 cows, 24 hogs, 900 chickens, and 1,000 lbs. of assorted animals that either fly or swim over the course of their lifetime. That is a great deal of flesh to consume for a body that was originally designed to digest fruit, nuts and vegetables. Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours…

Have you ever stopped to consider why monks, nuns, and catholic priests take vows of chastity?  I mean, why in the world would anyone want to abstain from something that can be so pleasurable and fulfilling in the appropriate context?  And could the classic vow of chastity have relevance for us today?…

As we began to look at the triumvirate of holy vows in last week's post, we saw that the ancient vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience were employed as a channel of grace for monks and nuns to counterbalance the three most deceptive areas of the carnal nature: the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life as mentioned in 1…

For centuries, our monastic brethren have offered their strength, intellect, and physical bodies to be available for God's use.  The most classic and common offering generally came upon the innauguration of a monk or nun's vows, namely the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Upon first glance, the list of untouchables makes us cringe with the thought of vowing to abstain from such things that seem so natural and good.  Why would…