The God of Disruption

Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the rightside of the house, from south of the altar. And he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate, by the way facing east. And behold, water was spurting out from the south side. As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, hemeasured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through waterthat was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?” 
‍- Ezekiel 47:1-6‍

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“I would summarize the modern sense of self as that which prioritizes inner feelings over pretty much everything else.”  
- Carl Trueman, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self

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If your mind gets distracted ten thousand times in twenty minutes of prayer, it’s “ten thousand opportunities to return to God.” 
‍- Thomas Keating

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Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia. In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work.  
‍- Ezra 3:7-8

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When they arrived at the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings toward the rebuilding of the house of God on its site. According to their ability they gave to the treasury for this work. 
- Ezra 2:68-69

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When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.  
- Ezra 3:10-11