The Archives
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09.15.08Selfish vs. SelflessWhile sitting in small groups yesterday, studying the early church and how we should care for others, I was struck by this thought. We are selfish because we've come to believe the best way to survive and prosper is to look out for ourselves and our own interests first. The early church way to thrive was to live in loving, selfless community with one another. What do you think?
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08.14.08How do you swim?I've got more Twitter conversation to bring you. I'm loving how my circle of tweets continues to be a group I interact with and share prayers, ideas, encouragement and questions. The feedback very often gives me exactly what I'm looking for, or spurs me to deeper creativity and/or thought. Here's one of the latest conversations. I just threw out a question—not knowing what the response might be, if any—and this is the result. A good little bit of banter between myself, Dean Lusk, and Russ Hutto. It got me thinking a little more. Unless you've been under a rock, I'm sure you've ...
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08.01.08DesperationI'm reading through Six Prayers God Always Answers by Herringshow and Schuchmann—which I'll be reviewing in the next few days— and I ran across the following statement. "Desperation forces us to overcome our inhibitions—we have nothing to lose." Granted, this quote from the book is in relation to a prayer for desperate needs, but it got me thinking in a worship context. What would truly being desperate to know God look like? What would happen if we were truly uninhibited in our worship and service to Him—a "nothing to lose" attitude? What does complete passion for Jesus look like? Do I have the guts ...
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07.31.08Pray like you tweetIf you're in my circle of tweets, you likely got to be a part of the birth of Chris from Canada's newest little girl. Around lunchtime Chris sent out a tweet saying, "Ok twitter time to pray. This baby doesn't want to come out and this family doesn't want a C-section. We need some movement!" Many of us responded that we were praying, and I myself took some moments here in my office to stop what I was doing and concentrate on praying for this need. A few minutes later, we received this tweet that said, "I don't know who said ...
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07.15.08Greater sinsLet me state for the record before I start, that I'm not trying to postulate an erroneous theology of some sins being more heinous than others. I agree that you will find evidence in Scripture where there are some sins that are more "serious" in the eyes of God than others (those He lists as "abominations"). I don't think there is an unforgivable sin (other than rejecting Christ as Savior and Lord), and I agree that all sin, great and small separates man from God (for the unregenerated) and breaks open fellowship with Him (for the regenerated). Having said all that, ...
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07.14.08Worship Confessional: July 13, 2008Pretty low day in attendance yesterday, typical for a sunny July weekend I suppose. I'm going to be a little more transparent than usual with this post so hold onto your hat. This is actually going to be a confessional. Over the last five years in my current place of service, we've been working on a slow shift towards a more "contemporary" offering in our services. During the last few months, I've grown more and more certain that the shift is not working, and is not likely to work in the future no matter how much time and energy are thrown ...
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07.01.08Blogger Small Group: Romans 3:21-31This is a Blogger Small Group entry in partnership with Run'n Like a Vagabond. Romans 3:21-31 = This is going to sound really simplistic, but my take on these verses this week came as a subtle but pointed reminder. There's a whole lot of theology going on in this set of verses, but here's what's resonating with me. We're all sinners, all of us. No one is exempt from that label: Sinner. Being a sinner should humble us. The more imperfect we realize we are, especially in relation to perfect, holy God, we should be humbled all the more. Here's the deal, those of ...
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06.25.08The Blessings of DisciplineDisclaimer: At no time in this post am I claiming my children are perfect, or better than other children. I am just stating observed facts, and using my children as an object lesson. If you are offended in any way by this post, you have a problem that is your own to solve, and the application of this post's topic in your own life just may be the solution. We are full swing into Vaction Bible School at our church, and I am being given my yearly opportunity to see dozens upon dozens of children all at one time in one ...
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06.24.08Blogger Small Group: Romans 3:9-20This is a Blogger Small Group entry in partnership with Run'n Like a Vagabond. Romans 3:9-10 = I love how Paul essentially points out in the first eight verses of the chapter that the Jews really did drop the ball. They were chosen as God's people and entrusted with the truth so that they could show it to the world. They failed. Paul does this so that he can point out in verses 9 and 10 that the advantages of being a Jew are null and void. All mankind, regardless of race or creedal past, is under the curse of sin. Therefore, ...
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06.10.08Blogger Small Group: Romans 2This is a Blogger Small Group entry in partnership with Run'n Like a Vagabond. Romans 2:1-5 = Don't forget where we just came from. The chapters and verses are nice and everything, but Scripture wasn't originally written that way. So, remember what Paul was talking about just before these verses—people who have completely turned from God and worship either self or some other thing, and are involved in all kinds of vile behavior. Now look at what Paul says to us. Paul very astutely reminds us that it is God we are dealing with here, and not just one another. We are ...
recent posts
- A Prayer God Won’t Answer?
- Worship Confessional: Sunday, October 5, 2008
- Mutual Following
- Book Giveaway: Six Prayers God Always Answers
- Review: Six Prayers God Always Answers, part 3
- Worship Confessional: Sunday, September 28, 2008
- Where am I?
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