The Story

Last week, I was in Dallas and I had an opportunity to speak with the leader of the conference I was attending.  As we chatted, he mentioned another conference that he insisted I needed to go to.  “Wow, it’s that important?”, I asked.  “Yes!  This man is the guru to all the screenplay writers and he specializes in story-telling.  In fact, he is an atheist, but he starts his seminar with these words: ‘God put you on this earth to tell a story’.”  Even an atheist has a hard time getting around the idea that there is a larger story that weaves us together and a God behind that story.  

And he is right!  We are all here to tell the story of God’s love and purposes for humanity.  I hope you are getting ever better at knowing that story, telling that story and praying for opportunities to share that story!

Serving Others

A couple of months back, I was serving at a BREATHE event for the special needs community (which happens every third Friday of the month) and had to serve in a rather unpleasant way.  Someone came to the event and got sick; Rebecca Hamilton and I found ourselves scrubbing the carpet on our hands and knees.  Certainly there was nothing glorious in this ministry!  

True, all ministry that exalts Jesus brings glory to Jesus.  But this seemed like a very distant connection to the Spirit’s empowering presence.  For months I missed it—I was where I belonged before God: on my hands and knees.  I was serving with another, in community.  And I was serving the least of these (at least by this world’s standards).  

Ministry is sometimes behind-the-scenes.  Ministry is sometimes grimy.  But there is no doubt that God saw this small act, and all of the other unnoticed acts that go on inside and outside our building, and it pleased Him.  Serving others, even in the small things, is one more way to worship Christ!

Doctrine

I hear people say things all the time in reaction to abuses or misuses.  One of these reactions is to the issue of doctrine in the church.  Maybe it was because some major argument broke out in the church over a secondary issue and it ended up dividing the church.  Perhaps it is because we have bought into the idea that if it is connected with faith, such knowledge is more one’s preference or belief than it is truth.  

The letter to the Colossians is intent on changing our minds about things that are truly important to know.  And the applications have less to do with how to act and much more to do with how to think!  

Think hard about what Paul says to us in this great letter to the church: think about Christ, think about what it means to connect with God, think about what the ministry truly is!

Everything You Need

I am so excited as we begin this new series on Colossians!  The more I have thought about a healthy church and spiritual formation, the more I have gravitated to this small letter to a church that Paul had not even met yet!

I challenge you to spend the next six weeks working diligently through this all-important letter in the New Testament.  You will find amazing theological truths that allow scholars to ruminate and ponder the mysteries of God.  You will find practical advice for your home life and your life in the community in which you live.  And you will find the heart of a person who is sold out for God, writing from prison in order to bolster the faith of His spiritual family.

Fellowship's Cross

As we talk about the very painful subject of infidelity and the balm that heals such a deep wound, it is such a joy to see God move on His own timetable.  We have discussed a cross for the Atrium for over two years and much thought and prayer and discussion has gone into the cross.  My own frustration at how slowly the discussion was moving was shown to be my own pride, because God had a plan and today, we can see it!  

Far from any planning we could do, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place to unveil a cross created by one of our own, David Masters, on the day when we talk about a wound inflicted by sin that seems almost irreparable.  But, that is the power and glory of the cross!  The cross that takes the rubble of our life choices and forms it into something new, something beautiful, something redeemed is what we unveil today!  May this reminder of the faith be a blessing to our people and a source of pleasure for our God.

Embrace The Difficult!

God has a way of taking bad things and turning them into something useful. This past week, I was sidelined with pneumonia. And as miserable as I felt, God gave me two gifts: a powerful antibiotic and time to just read God’s Word. I needed time to simply read and reflect. It heals my soul! Sometimes, we miss the opportunities that troubles can bring.

In this marriage series, some of the turmoil in families is coming to the surface. This could feel bad, but it might also be the very opportunity you need to address an issue, to bring healing and to grow stronger! My encouragement is this: don’t shy away from the conflict that needs to happen. Instead, face the conflict with the grace of God, an honest look and a resolution to fight for a God-honoring resolution.

Embrace the difficult! It just may lead to something better!

Happy New Year

Well, we have made it to a new year, 2013, but it seems that we came to the end of 2012 with some real pains and concerns as a nation. There was the destruction of Hurricane Sandy, the political unrest in Washington over the fiscal cliff debates, and, of course, the intense sorrow over the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

We always start the New Year as though we have a new beginning, and yet, perhaps this year we have struggled with searching for a basis for such hope. I was reading about the history of Jewish liturgy this week and about the mindset of the Jewish New Year. In the Jewish liturgy, the New Year’s worship service was always longer and the emphasis of the celebration was the kingdom of God - its meaning to all people, its acknowledgement that God will reign and the acknowledgement of all creation of God’s dominion.

I could not think of a better emphasis to begin our New Year, nor a better basis of hope for 2013. Truly then - Happy New Year!