The Church is incurably congregational. Where ever God calls people to faith in Jesus, he calls them into congregations. The idea that “I can follow Jesus all by myself and worship him all by myself in a field” may represent rugged American individualism, but it does not reflect either Biblical teaching or historical Christian living. Christians gather together in congregations. […]
This is not just the pastor’s job. This is the call of each Christian. This is the reality of each Christian. Each of us represents Jesus. The issue is how well we represent him. Focus on Love. Jesus taught his disciples, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35) As representatives […]
“No” is a tremendous gift. It was part of the giftedness of the perfect Creation. When God created the heavens and the earth, he included for Adam and Eve the gift of “no”. He said, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, […]
Words are power. Beware the words. Here are three words that lead to trouble. The Problem of Pride Watch pride, the word. Everyone seems to be proud. Victorious sports teams celebrate with pride. Parents speak with pride about their children’s accomplishments. Companies that seek success do so by instilling pride in their workers. Pride is everywhere and everyone has it. […]
God went all out when he created eyes. The complexity and flexibility of the eyes astound. Cameras and other mechanical devices may approximate what the eyes can do, but they cannot begin to compare to the wonder that is the human eye. There is one major limitation to the human eye. It tends to see only what it is already […]
Please use them. You represent the King of Kings. Mind your manners. Be polite. It is never right to be rude. Here are a few to keep in mind: Take your hat off inside, unless you are a lady, although even ladies should not wear “men’s hats” (like ball caps) indoors.Be on time for your appointments or call to let […]
Smile. God really does love you. Really. Yes, you have a lot going on. Plenty of things fill your day: family commitments, work deadlines, bills due, chores at home. Life is hard. But smile. Smiling may be the Christian’s strongest confession of faith. (It certainly is a lot easier than reciting the Athanasian Creed!) Look at this word from Habakkuk 3: […]
… for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ… If we are clothed in Christ, does it matter what else we wear? This may surprise you, but pastors talk a lot about what they should wear. Some wear a robe in worship; others don’t. Some wear casual clothes all the time; some wear dress […]
SHHHH… Let me encourage you to turn off everything and spend some time in peace and quiet: no TV, no iPad, no Pandora, no Netflix. I remember studying spiritual disciplines with some friends. We talked about the usual topics: Bible reading, fasting, prayer, tithing and the like. Then we talked about silence. Have you noticed how little of it there […]
When it comes to boundary management, selective neglect is a crucial club. Use this carefully. But use it. Sometimes good enough is. Sometimes you must let some things go. You cannot attend every meeting. You cannot make every game. You cannot read every book or journal. You cannot do it all. You cannot. You are a follower in the Lord’s […]