Archive for the ‘Biblical Thoughts’ Category
Continued from Part 1 If the church is a reflection of an infinitely creative and original God, then how does a congregation manifest that creativity? How do we start to climb out of the boxes we’ve learned to live in? I think it starts with an understanding. We can choose […]
Read More...“In the beginning God created…” (Gen 1:1 NIV) The very first thing we learn about God in the Bible is that He is creative—and for the first 26 verses we see God at work masterfully creating an unfathomable cosmos, life-sustaining systems, invisible atoms and everything else imaginable (and unimaginable). Then, […]
Read More...In Acts 12 Herrod gets a great idea to persecute the leaders of the new sect of Christ-followers. He arrested and executed James, the brother of John, close friend of Jesus, and former business partner of Peter. That won the “king” political points with the Jews, so he promptly seized […]
Read More...Luke 4 reflects the amazing journey that Jesus took from baptism to anointed ministry. I’ve read verse 32 often and thought “I want to minister with authority like Jesus did”—and that’s a healthy desire, because He calls us to serve with that same grace (John 14:12). But how do we […]
Read More...People define the local church in many ways. Even in the New Testament, though there are some ecclesiological imperatives, there also seems to be much room for unique structures and creative styles from city to city, and from church to church. Here are a few pictures that help express how […]
Read More...Many of us find it nearly impossible to stay still. “If you’re not moving, you are dying”; sometimes that seems like the battle cry of our culture. We feel we must maintain momentum—the big MO—in personal and organizational life at all costs. To sit still and wait is a vice; […]
Read More...A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of speaking in the pulpit of East Hill Church in Gresham, Oregon. This Church means a lot to me, as its last three leaders are men of God who I respect. Jerry Cook is, in my opinion, a rock star (though […]
Read More...This is part deux of my most recent blog post. Though I learned quite a bit about myself— including about some obsessive patterns—during my online slow-down, I am in no way suggesting we throw out the baby with the bathwater. Telling someone to stop emailing or Facebooking because they do […]
Read More...As I was reading Ephesians 4 and 5 this morning, something jumped out at me. The wisdom about how to live a life worthy of the calling we have received is at the same time deeply powerful and intensely practical. To begin to mine the depths of this wonderful calling, […]
Read More...I just read an article about the liquid church. The gist of it went like this: “We don’t need the church gathering anymore, because real church consists of interconnected people and Christ flowing through those relationships”. While there is some truth here, the idea throws out the proverbial baby with […]
Read More...Once in a while we are “blessed” with the opportunity to have to hear the Lord regarding a directional issue in our lives. Those times when God seems to be about to change something in our assignment (like a job or a ministry) a relationship (like dating or marriage) or […]
Read More...Muse: To be absorbed in one’s thoughts. The writer of Psalm 77 (Asaph) is in distress. He feels like God has deserted him, and he doesn’t know why. During sleepless nights, his brain and his heart are working overtime. Questioning. Wrestling. Seeking. The NIV translates this activity as musing. Eventually […]
Read More...Yesterday I heard a great sermon about the different ways we encounter God. At one point, the speaker, Glenn Burris Jr., said, “Someone else’s God encounter could be found through your life”. For instance, someone may be praying for encouragement, and you look that person in the eye and speak […]
Read More...“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity…it is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mt. Zion. For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore.” (Psalm 133) A couple of years ago I had the joy of hiking some trails around […]
Read More...After church on Sunday, my family hung out at a great park in Costa Mesa. This park had one of the coolest playgrounds I’ve ever seen. It was great fun for the 8 and 5-year old boys, but was also built with a system of ramps for wheelchair accessibility, so […]
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