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Archive for January, 2010

Peculiarities of People On a Plane

Posted in Humor on January 13, 2010| Leave a Comment »

After yesterday’s Tough Topic Tuesday, I thought I would ramble a bit about the amusing aspects of air travel.  (Wow, that sentence had all the alliteration of a good sermon).  I have been traveling quite a bit over the past two weeks and have had the opportunity to be reminded of the funny things we do when we fly.

It begins with the trip to the airport.  We rush around and fret over getting to the terminal early.  And when we arrive what do we do?  We wait!  Peculiar!

We get all dressed up to fly with our business casual dress, freshly showered and well groomed and then we get to security and what do we have to do?  Undress!  Peculiar!

I think airports should have locker rooms, inside security, with all the amenities.  Then we could get up in the morning, get in the car, drive to the airport in our pajamas, go through security, and then get ready for the day – just an idea.

We finally get on the plane and take off for what normally is the only stress-free leg of the journey.  But as soon as we land what do we do?  We rush to get off the plane, getting frustrated with the person in front of us when they have trouble retrieving their bag from the storage compartment.  We rush through the terminal to be the first to baggage claim only to do what?  Wait some more!  Peculiar!

But when it is all said and done, I still prefer flying to driving on trips over 5 hours.  When you think about it, it’s pretty amazing to think that I can be sitting in a comfortable chair 32,000 feet in the air somewhere over Texas, traveling at 300+ miles per hour and writing this post all at the same time.

So I think I will live with the peculiarity – and even contribute to it at every opportunity!

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Terrifying Change

Posted in Church, Community, Grace on January 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Do new ideas make you nervous?  How about the thought of change?

Now before you get pious and think, “I am ready for change – the church needs to change;” let me suggest to you that all of us resist change.  Change is not an issue as long as the change does not touch on areas that are dear to us.  All of us have levels of comfortability and as long as the change is not encroaching on that untouchable area of comfort then we are fine.

The problem is, each one of us has a different threshold when it comes to change.  You might say, “We should be more inclusive in our church,” and be completely honest in your suggestion.  But what if a woman convicted of indecency with a child wants to join the fellowship – and teach Sunday School?

Granted, that is an explosive topic and would present many varied issues, but I throw that example out to get us to think about the ramifications of change.

Matthew 2:3-4 speaks of the fear of change.  You can read here that Herod and all of Jerusalem were frightened when they heard that God was coming to Earth.  Herod was the leader of the Jews and Jerusalem was the center of Judaism.  Now why would the religious leaders of the time be frightened at this news?

When it comes to religion, change is difficult.  We don’t like it when God wants to move us into the unknown.

I ran across this prayer from Eugene Peterson this morning and want you to think about it today and pray it if you can:

Prevent, O God, the Herodian spirit from filtering into my life: the spirit that uses religion to protect itself, and jealous of any hint of rivalry, responds to your Spirit only with suspicious fear.  Amen.

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Missionary Passion

Posted in Missions on January 11, 2010| 1 Comment »

I have the unique opportunity to be in El Paso, Texas, today, meeting with a number of local pastors about their respective ministries.  God has blessed me over the past eight years by allowing me to build relationships with men and women who are living their lives in service to God, ministering to some of the forgotten of society.  One such person is Adan Medina.  He ministers to people in the projects on the west side of El Paso.  He is a pastor and mission coordinator who serves tirelessly in this area.

When I talk to Adan, I am inspired to strive harder to become all God wants me to be.  He has such a passion for what he is doing that it excites me.  Have you ever encountered anyone like Adan.  Maybe a better question would be, does our passion for serving God inspire others?

Stop today and think about how God has blessed you and how God’s love for you should lead you to love others.  Then find a way to show that love today.

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Are You Seeking

Posted in Formation, Hope on January 8, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday we talked about Moses and the caling he received when he took the time to sit long enough to notice the miracle in the burning bush.

Today’s thought is short and to the point – Moses never would have heard God had he not been listening – had he not been seeking.

What are seeking today, or better yet, WHO are you seeking today?

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Miracle in a Burning Bush

Posted in Formation, Grace, Hope on January 7, 2010| Leave a Comment »

In his children’s book, Does God Have a Big Toe?, Marc Gellman writes a story about God’s calling of Moses in the wilderness.  He paints the picture of shepherds out on the hillsides watching their sheep, all of them busy with their daily routine.

In the midst of the activity, God decided to call out to one of them by setting a bush on fire.  The bush burned and burned but did not burn up.  But in the midst of this strange happening, no one stopped to notice.  Finally, one shepherd took the time to stop and see what was going on and he heard from God.

Now this may not be a completely Biblical retelling of the Moses story but don’t miss this one line from the book: “No one took the time to sit long enough to watch the miracle happen.”  Wow!  No one took the time!

I don’t know about you but I don’t want that to be something said about me.  Unfortunately, all too often it is true of me and I am sure of you as well.

Where is that bush burning in your life?  Today, right now, take the time to sit long enough to watch the miracle happen.  Find God and watch – look for God and see!

Take the time and listen – God will not disappoint.

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Perception or Reality

Posted in Formation, Motivational on January 6, 2010| 1 Comment »

I am sure you have heard the phrase, “perception is reality.”. There is a lot of truth to that statement but we must always remember that perception isn’t necessarily truth.

I ran across this quote today in “A Guide to Prayer For All Who Seek God,” and the quote is from Norman Shawchuck. He said, “To view reality from a slightly different perspective often yields a view of things totally unlike what they appeared to be. If we take just a couple of steps in another directon, what we view as reality is often profoundly changed.”

This thought is relevant on several levels but today I want to focus on only two. The first is this: if you disagree with a person about something important to you, before you close your mind to the possibility that person might be right, try viewing the issue from their perspective.

The second thought I have is this: many of us are faced this very day with circumstances that seem overwhelming. But before you throw in the towel, try taking a few steps to the side and looking at the situation again. Never forget that God sees the big picture. God loves you and has your back. What you perceive to be reality might not be real at all.

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Progression of Becoming

Posted in Formation, Hope, Motivational on January 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »

So have you given yesterday’s post much thought?  What are some specific things you are going to do this year in an effort to become more like Jesus?  Here are a few ideas:

Simplify – sometimes our lives are too cluttered to hear from God, what are some areas of your life you could organize to create more “space” for God?

Silence – it is hard to hear from God if we are always talking – learn to be still and listen

Space – set aside a place and a time for you to meet with God at least 3 days per week for at least 20 minutes

Service – we really don’t understand God’s love for us until we put it into practice – find a way this year to serve regularly out of sheer love and not out of what you can get out of it

Now a word of encouragement – you don’t have to reach the fullness of Christ today.  The worst thing you can do is try and make major life changes all at once.  In fact, if you try and do all these things to the fullest today, by the end of the week you will probably be burned out, feel guilty and give up.  The life of following in the Way is a journey, a progression.  We often get discouraged when we don’t see dramatic results in a week but let me assure you, if you begin a little at a time to implement these suggestions, a year from now you will be amazed at the progress God has granted you!

Take heart and get going!

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The Most Important Resolution

Posted in Formation, Motivational on January 4, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I have taken some time off this past week and it has been good to shut down and get some things done around the house.  To be honest, I could use another week or so to get it all done.  But one thing I have not enjoyed about my few days off is that our internet has been down at home.  So no blog posting.

I had planned to post something on New Year’s Eve regarding the coming year and possible resolutions.  But, given the lack of a connection, you are getting that post today.

It is hard to believe 2010 is already here.  The new year means re-focusing our attention on things that maybe we have let slide over the past few months.  Many people go so far as to make commitments or resolutions that things are going to be different in some way this year.  We resolve within ourselves that we are going to lose weight, or start exercising or become more active in church or other organizations.

Regardless of what the “thing” is, we make up our minds that “I’m going to change” and “things will be different.”  But what happens to most of us?  Let me ask you more specifically, here it is January 4th, if you made resolutions, how is that working out for you?  Still keeping them?

All of those things are worthy, but before you start a guilt trip, let me offer a suggestion.  As Christ followers, the most important change any of us can make in this fresh, new year is to strive to be more like Jesus on December 31, 2010, than we are on January 4, 2010.

That is very easy for us to agree to but without accountability, “it ain’t gonna happen!”  So here is my challenge for each of us today:  resolve to strive to be more like Jesus this year – now be specific as to how you are going to do it.  Once you have specific ideas, let someone know what you are going to do to make it happen and ask them to check up on you throughout the week.

In fact, I would like to hear what your ideas are so please leave comments as not only a way of accountability but also as a means of sparking ideas in each of the rest of us.

Come on, take the challenge!

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