This is running as my church’s August 2014 newsletter article… 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 In John 3, a Pharisee named Nicodemus approached Jesus in the cover of night, likely from a desire not to be seen by the other religious leaders who wanted to silence Jesus. Nicodemus sought to flatter Jesus by telling him, “We … [Read more...] about It’s About Transformation
A “Pray as You Go” Challenge
A weekish or so ago, I wrote some thoughts on some recent time spent in 1 Timothy and in particular 2:1-8. By far, my thinking on the passage has not subsided. The other day, in fact, 2:1 drew my mind in further. One translation of it reads: So, then, this is my very first command: God’s people should make petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings on behalf of all people. In this verse, Paul mentioned four particular types of prayers, and commentators and lexicons abound with ideas about the differences between the first three terms. Despite those best efforts, I think a good … [Read more...] about A “Pray as You Go” Challenge
What’s Your Story?
This is my article for my church's July 2014 newsletter... Psalm 145:1-7 1 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. 6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. 7 They shall pour … [Read more...] about What’s Your Story?
Leadership: or, that moment you realize you’ve been praying for the wrong thing…
I’ll admit it: I’m one of those guys that if I didn’t believe so strongly in gathering together as a church then I could be completely content spending Sundays in nature “connecting with God”…just me and him, and the ant crawling by. Fortunately there are other days in the week to get alone into nature; unfortunately I don’t get the pleasure of doing that as much as I would like. Last week, however, I forced an excursion. Waking up and staring at my ceiling, I had a single thought in mind: I need to get out and get alone, just me, my Bible, my notebook, and God. And so I did. After a … [Read more...] about Leadership: or, that moment you realize you’ve been praying for the wrong thing…
The forward looking hope of Good Friday and Easter (a meditation)
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the leaders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. ~ Matthew 16:21 Anticipation. When you read through the story of the Bible, one of the things that makes it gospel or good news is a forward looking expectation of better things that will come, even if for the moment they look worse. There is a longing for something greater, something better that hopes beyond the ultimate veil in life which we call death. In realizing our mortality, we are … [Read more...] about The forward looking hope of Good Friday and Easter (a meditation)
Some things I’ve learned in ten years of being a pastor…
May 8, 2014 will mark 10 years to the day that I first started pastoring a church (the tiny, almost middle of nowhere Conway Community Church near South Boston, IN—the more I reflect back, especially when it came to my preaching, the more I feel sorry for those poor congregants!). I will actually be celebrating that mark (along with my birthday and Mother’s Day) on the campus of the International Bible College of Zambia. I can live with that… Anyway…reflecting back over the past decade, I wanted to share some things I’ve learned along the way, in no particular order: First, I have … [Read more...] about Some things I’ve learned in ten years of being a pastor…
We don’t kick tables, so…
…why do we kick people? In the auditorium of my church’s main building, there is a side door in which you can enter, walk down a slightly curved aisle that cuts in front of the stage, and come to another side door to a storage room. In the midst of your journey, you pass by a table used to house the Lord’s Supper and other items. Unless you are just not paying attention, you step around this table. And why? Because running in to it would hurt. In fact, when you first step into the auditorium, if your eyes are open, you see the table and your brain instinctively begins to calculate … [Read more...] about We don’t kick tables, so…
Truth, Community, Missions: A Paradigm for Discipleship
I love Jesus’ prayer in John 17 and have ever since I first preached through it in 2006 (side question: does it seem like 2006 should be that long ago?). As Jesus prayed on behalf of all of his followers throughout the ages (17:20), his primary concern was for the glory he and the Father share. The glory of the Father through the Son becomes the blood that pumps through the first five verses of the prayer (indeed, through the whole prayer). Jesus shared glory with the Father before they created the world, he glorified the Father by accomplishing his task upon the earth, and he would culminate … [Read more...] about Truth, Community, Missions: A Paradigm for Discipleship
Death and Life: A Meditation on the Words We Speak
Death and life are in the power of the tongue. ~ Proverbs 18:21 Most of us probably heard the rhyme from our mothers at some point in our childhoods: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me. Why do we seek to instill such rhymes into the minds of our children? Because, we all have experienced the truth: Words do hurt. The Bible tells us repeatedly that the tongue is a powerful member among the parts of our body. Solomon said that in the tongue reside death and life. In a rather frightening passage, James wrote that the tongue though small is like a rudder that … [Read more...] about Death and Life: A Meditation on the Words We Speak
Discipleship is life…
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in1 the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." ~ Matthew 28:16-20 “How are we going to do discipleship?” It’s a question that I think gets … [Read more...] about Discipleship is life…