Finding the Center (Part Two)

Finding the Center (Part Two)

I know life is busy.  I have four children who are all very active.  I have a wonderful job that keeps me running.  I have so many friendships and relationships that I am trying to maintain.  So I get it.  But rather than let these demands run my life, I have made a commitment to create a rhythm that helps keep me centered on Jesus.

Following Jesus

Following Jesus

We have to stay alert as weeds spring up threatening to choke off the new life that's emerging in us through Christ. And it's not enough just to clear the ground of our old vices, we have to plant new virtues as well.  We have to be intentional about sowing seeds of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  That way, we will reap a harvest of godliness over the course of a lifetime. 

The Dangers of Pride

 "The highest wisdom is to navigate one's course - with contempt of the World as your chart - towards the Heavenly Port." So says a fourteenth century Augustinian monk named Thomas in his classic work, The Imitation of Christ. It's a book about the danger of vanity. Pride. Arrogance. "If you're not humble, you make the Trinity nervous..." he writes in another place in the same work with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Intergenerational Ministry

Intergenerational Ministry

But here's the real truth. We can die on a lot of hills in the church. Most of which simply aren't worth it. This is one hill worth dying on. This is one battle worth fighting. Study after study shows that the most effective evangelism takes place when one generation reaches another with the good news of the gospel. When one generation makes it their aim, their goal, their passion to pass on the faith to the next generation. Parents to kids. Grandparents to grandkids. All so that, as one generation is "gathered to their fathers", there remains another generation to take their place.

Purpose

Purpose

God either gets it all or He gets nothing. He doesn't leave us the choice to accessorize our life with a little Jesus. As if I can live my life the way I choose and "season" it from time to time with some Jesus. Like He's there to give my life a little spiritual flavor. God is not some spice. Some condiment. Some add-on to life. He is the Life.

First...Jesus

First...Jesus

I am simply a guy who got ambushed by Jesus over twenty years ago on the campus of the University of Colorado.  And I am still working out the details.  It's a lifelong process.  You don't learn it in school.  You don't naturally fall into it in life.  Putting Jesus first requires an almost relentless intentionality that is not easy.

Heart Check

Heart Check

 

Today I go for my annual heart check.  I'll spend about a week on the treadmill.  Stress test.  EKG.  The whole work up.  My doctor will meet me in a place called Gojo in a country called Ethiopia which is literally on the other side of the world.  He won't be gentle...Why do I do this?  Because of something Jesus once said to me.  "I came not to be served but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many."

Real Life in Real Community

Real Life in Real Community

 

Her name is Wanda.  She is an older lady who is living in the later stages of dementia.  She loves horses and it seems like the only memories left to her are of the horseshows she attended when she was younger.  Each Sunday she dresses up in her western style clothes, puts on her makeup, and comes to worship with her caregiver.

Truth vs. Lies

Truth vs. Lies

 

We live in constant danger.  Bombarded by messages through mainstream and social media.  So much information is being thrown at us on a daily basis, it is hard to separate truth from lie.  Fantasy from reality.  So much of how we think about life or think about the people in our lives or even think about ourselves is shaped far more profoundly by our culture than by the truth God has revealed in the Bible.

Christian vs. Civil Marriage (Subtitle: "What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?")

Christian vs. Civil Marriage (Subtitle: "What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?")

 

Our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian values and, as a result, the church has enjoyed "home field" advantage for centuries.  A respected place in society.  Tax relief.  Housing allowances.  These are just some of the tangible privileges we've grown accustomed to and there are many intangible benefits as well.  Those are now going away.  We are beginning to taste what life is like for most of our Christian brothers and sisters around the world where the church is not so closely aligned with the state

Rise of the Nones

Rise of the Nones

 

I have to say I don't know any "nones."  I do know Maggie.  I know Steve.  I know Bonnie and Amanda. I know Simon and Keri.  I know Emily.  I know Ted and Amy.  I know Matthew and Michael.  I find them thoughtful, gracious, loving people who are trying their best to find their way in this world just like all of us.  If you asked them what they believe, they all might take a moment.  They honestly just don't give it much thought which doesn't mean they are "belief-less."

Caring for the Caregivers

Caring for the Caregivers

In the midst of a crisis, the caregivers are often forgotten.  Not only by the community they serve but even in their own minds.  They will tell themselves they should be stronger.  That their struggles are not as bad as those they serve.  That they can get through it.  That things will get better once the ordeal is over.  This gets compounded by the image of strength they project to those around them.

Jesus Wept

Jesus Wept

 

Our God is faithful.  Even unto death.  He is with us in the valley of the shadow of death.  He is with us when we are afraid of death.  He is with us as we face our own death.  Even suicide.  Suicide is not the unforgivable sin.  It in no way separates one from God because our God knows death intimately.  He experienced it.  He defeated it.