As the night gives way to glorious light and the angels declare the glory of God as they war –
As wise men pursue a heart of worship and shepherds share the good news of great joy for all time and eternity…
As jealous kings and underlings cling to power and the world still groans with sighs of the taxed and moves along mindlessly…
I pray for you to the God who can still make the darkest of skies a canvass for His glory on this day. [click to continue…]
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(In 100 words, every New Testament reference, in order, from John to 1 John, describing God’s vision for how Christ followers act toward each other. Read this slowly. Thoughtfully. Out loud if possible. Learn some things… watch the flow, note the repetitions… and remember, this means both giving and receiving, so go back and re-read it as a potential receiver. Leave a comment and tell me what you find. )
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“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends” (Revelation 3:20, NLT).
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Open the door, Someone is knocking.
Someone who awakens dormant dreams,
Who sees through the terrible darkness that surrounds you
And who feels with you in your sorrows and joys.
Open the door, Someone is calling.
Someone who feels the gaping distance,
Who reaches relentlessly across the heart-spaces,
And presses on to show you His boundless love. [click to continue…]
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Come on, admit it… when you first saw this title you started hearing the old hymn in your head, didn’t you?
I once was lost, but now I’m found,
Was blind, but now I see.
If not, I’ll bet you are now.
With apologies to Philip Yancey for borrowing the title of his excellent book, I had a curious collision with “amazing” the other day and thought I’d share it. It started when I read this simple greeting from the Apostle Paul to a group of Christians in Corinth.
I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus.
Isn’t that sweet?
Any believer anywhere can testify, as John Newton and the Corinthians could, that the grace of God has been given to us by Christ Jesus. And if this verse had no other context or backdrop it would be precious enough. But our thinking about it would soon lose its edge. Sure, everybody who knows Christ can testify of the grace of God.
Next!
Sure, we were “wretches” and now we’re saved. But that was a long time ago for a lot of us. In the immortal words of Janet Jackson, what have you done for me lately, Grace?
The answer to that – Grace in the present, not the past – is what’s so amazing about grace. [click to continue…]
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Because of God’s great faithfulness and love, I enter boldly into His presence today to stand in the gap for you. I pray that on this day that He has made that He would grant you to be…
Established in hope, and renewed in the expectation that a greater day awaits tomorrow…
Loosened from every limiting fear or false belief… [click to continue…]
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Why?
It’s the favorite question of three-year-olds, because at three you’re still innocent enough to believe it always merits an answer.
But as time passes and our “whys?” become more sophisticated, we begin to understand that there are often multiple layers and perspectives of answers to that question.
Then sometimes there is no answer at all. At least no answer that will ever satisfy our demand to know what on earth (or heaven or hell) is going on.
I don’t know why, and probably never will, somebody decided to stop dead still with no lights of any kind on in the fast lane of a freeway in New Orleans – just around a little curve.
I don’t know why, and probably never will, that had to take place just ahead of me.
I don’t know why, if such an appointment was necessary, it couldn’t have taken place during one of the many times I’ve cruised that stretch of highway alone, instead of when I was driving with my daughter and two grandsons.
I don’t know why, and probably never will, that high-speed rear-end collision turned into a hit-and-run. I hit and he ran, never to be seen or heard from again. [click to continue…]
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It doesn’t take much for a breeze
To become a roaring fury –
Or a gentle, soaking shower
To become a fierce, howling squall.
In a matter of mere moments,
The elements that nourish you
Can soon threaten to destroy you
Or just paralyze you with fear.
That is true in the natural…
More so in the relational.
Sometimes the waves that pound at you
Are tides of public opinion.
Sometimes the winds that howl to you
Are the voices of the critics.
Sometimes the raindrops that pelt you
Are problems with no solutions.
When storms are raging,
It’s time for engaging
Your faith, your hope, and your love. [click to continue…]
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Update: You can see the video here:https://vimeo.com/124875667
Love where you live.
That’s the theme at our church for the next few weeks.
There are lots of planned ways to do that over the next few weeks, and it’s fun to be a part of that. But the goal, as Pastor Alan explained yesterday, is to help us get to the point where we do it in the moment. Don’t just plan to love where you live sometime next week. Love where you live in this moment.
His inspiration, in part: Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan.
Alan said he’d been reading that story over and over, and was impressed by the fact that the Samaritan loved his neighbor in the immediate. He didn’t say, “Hey, if you’re still in the ditch when I come back through I’ll stop and help you.” He helped him as soon as he encountered the need.
I loved it. He said it kinda funny, so I laughed, but totally agreed with the point.
Then came the curve ball. [click to continue…]
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Closer than you may realize,
And darker than you can imagine,
Someone you know languishes now
Under black clouds of fear and despair –
Clouds that never seem to break enough
To let the light in.
The only hope that they have
Is the light that shines through you.
Believe fervently for them.
Hope confidently for them.
Love them gently
As you hold them tightly in the night. [click to continue…]
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I don’t knit.
My sister tried to teach me when we were kids.
It wasn’t pretty.
My wife knits.
My daughters too.
Not me.
But you know who else does? [click to continue…]
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