Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Formation’ Category

The Calling of a Parent

Posted in Church, Family, Formation, Hope on May 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »

This Sunday, we will see all the work of the last few months come to fruition with our children’s musical drama here at 1st B.  We are dedicating the entire morning service to children.  I am excited to see and hear their message.Boy Singing

Last night, during their rehearsal, I watched from the doorway for just a minute as the children sang and spoke their parts.  I was caught up in the importance of children being involved in leading and living out the truth they have been learning since their beginning.

Parents – you have no greater responsibility in this life than to provide for and raise your children.  And the top priority within this calling to be a parent is raising your children to trust in God.  The church is here to help.  The purpose of a healthy ministry to children is to partner with parents to make sure our children grow up to be spiritual giants.

Did you catch that – the church is here to help – to partner with parents.  The responsibility rests with the parents – not the church.  What our culture needs is parents who are committed to being parents.  Parents who will do the hard work of raising up their children in the way they should go.  Parents who will instill a Godly example.

This is not a job for the faint of heart.  But when you see children on a stage, singing their hearts out to praise their king – you realize – it is all worth it!

Stay strong parents!

Read Full Post »

We All Could Use Some Renovation

Posted in Formation, Hope on May 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Kristi and I celebrated our anniversary this past Sunday.  23 years ago we began a journey together that has included three wonderful sons – each of which we are extremely proud – a couple of relocations, and a lot of joy.

The way we celebrated our special day was to spend the long weekend working in the yard.  Yes, I know – I am such the romantic!  (We actually did have  nice dinner one evening).

Our middle son is graduating from high school this Friday and we have family coming for the big occasion, so we had some things around the house we wanted to get done before company arrives.

One of those things included reworking some flower beds in the back yard.  We put in a patio and added some plants.  All in all, the “remodel” was a success.  We have a back yard that is a bit more welcoming now.

This morning, I ran across a quote about remodeling as it pertains to our spiritual journey and I love the images it evokes.  A. W. Pink, in talking about holiness said this: “Holiness . . . consists of that internal change or renovation of our souls whereby our minds, affections, and wills are brought into harmony with God.”

The “renovation of our souls.”  What a great way to describe transformation or the progression of becoming who God wants us to be!  As followers in The Way, we are to be in a constant state of renovation.  Our souls, due to our sin, have become something less than God’s perfect desire for them.  So our commitment to follow Jesus is a commitment to be formed into his likeness.  It is a decision to allow God to renovate your soul and bring your entire being into harmony with God.

So what will God be renovating in you today?

Read Full Post »

Just Take a Breath

Posted in Formation, Grace, Hope on May 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Do you ever get worn out?  Just reach the end and think “I could not do another thing”?

We stay busy.  In fact, the most common thing I hear when I ask the question, “how are you doing?” is this, “I’m doing good – just busy.”  In the game of calendar bingo, we have bought into the fallacy that the objective is blackout.  We need to fill every block on the calendar to win.

Wrapped up in this sickness is our self-worth.  We have decided somewhere along the way that we have to keep up the pace or become irrelevant or worse – worthless.  We look to others who seem to have it all together and think, “Well, he can do it, I just have to suck it up and get it done.”

This week I have been preparing to speak this Sunday on rest.  My reading has taken me on a self-reflection journey that has enlightened me to some things.  Things like tying my value as a person and believer to my accomplishments instead of to God.  Things like disregarding God’s commandment to practice a Sabbath.

So today, I ask you the question.  Where do you find your value?

God loves you because of who you are and who you are becoming – not for your busyness.

Take a moment to rest in the arms of God this week.  All those things pressing on you will not go anywhere.  In fact, maybe, just maybe, the time of rest might just help you realize that those things aren’t that important anyway.

REST.

Read Full Post »

Who Do You Trust?

Posted in Community, Formation, Hope on May 6, 2013| Leave a Comment »

You have probably seen the commercial where the attractive young lady is conversing on the street with a gentleman about the fact that things can’t be on the internet if they aren’t true.  As the spot continues, a rather homely young man approaches looking like he just woke up and through on shirt.  The young lady tells the man she has been talking to that her date is approaching and that he is a french model.  The date makes an attempt at speaking french and we learn immediately that he is obviously not french and not a model.  But because she read it on the internet she is confident that he is who he says.

I find this commercial humorous but also rather alarming because I think the commercial describes much of our world.

Skeptic

Jiim Dennison, long-time pastor and modern day theologian, pointed out that now days, Google has gained a trust level that is rivaling the church.  In fact, in Great Brittain, 17% of the population trust the church, while Google gets a 28% trust level rating.

As the church we can shake our fist at our culture and shout, “What’s wrong with you people?”  “Did you fall and hit your head on something?”

But here is my question for us:  How did we get to this point?  Why is it that the world sees the church as irrelevant and not trustworthy?

Maybe its time for us to be the church!  Maybe its time that we hit our knees and pray for God to bring revival and renewal.

As cliché as this is – and trust me, it’s cliché – it is still true.  People don’t care what you know unless they know that you care.  (I told you it was cliché).

It is time that we get real about showing people we care and demonstrating that the church and God are more relevant today than at any other time in our lives.  This matters!  This makes a difference!

Pray with me that we will see God move in unimaginable ways in our generation.

And may it start with me!

Read Full Post »

I Wuz With God

Posted in Church, Community, Formation, Hope on May 2, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Image

As I stood at the door and shook hands and hugged necks after our service this past week, I was trying to acknowledge each person as they left the building to go BE the church in the community.  It is always a challenge to try and make eye contact with each person as they are trying to hustle out to beat the crowd to the local restaurants.

As I was in the midst of this frenzy, I noticed a 6 year old little girl making her way through the crowd – around an elderly gentleman and through a young family – she was on a mission.  Her eyes were locked on me and nothing was going to stand in her way or slow her down.

I was moved by her resolve and so when she finally made her way to me, I knelt down to one knee to talk to her.  She looked me in the eye and smiled and then stuck out her hand with a pink index card for me to take.  All she said was, “This is for you.”  She stood there a couple of seconds and then she was gone.  I looked at the card and then, being pressed to continue my smiling and hugging, stuck it in my pocket without much thought.

After lunch, I returned to my office to get some work done and as I sat down at my desk, I noticed the card still in my pocket.  I removed it and laid it on my desk.  As I looked at that card, I became overwhelmed by the realization that a child, in her innocence and sincerity, had just shared with me her experience for that day in church.  And her experience was the fulfillment of our goal as a ministry team.

You see, when we gather to worship each week, our goal as a ministry team is to create an environment in which people are moved to shift their focus from themselves and their lives and focus, at least for a little while, on God.  God is always with us but we seldom notice.  Our hope is to help people experience God in fresh ways each and every week.  All of us get busy.  We don’t always take time to truly meet God.  But when we do, transformation begins to take place.

That is why, each and every week, our heart is to give people the opportunity to say, “I wuz with God.”

And from the heart of a 6 year old, we got it right.  Now that is motivation to try again this week!

Read Full Post »

Want To Spice Things Up?

Posted in Formation, Hope, Motivational on April 29, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Does your life ever grow stale?  Does it ever seem that each and every day is just a routine that you go through – just going through the motions?

I have to admit, I got home last night after a very long day and I was exhausted.  As I made my way to my bedroom, the thought crossed my mind – “In a few short hours I will get up and do all this again.”  Truth be told, I felt a little defeated in that moment.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love my life.  I have been blessed with the most wonderful, understanding and loving family a person could ever want.  I have a calling that I cannot imagine doing anything else.  But every once in a while, when I get a little more tired than usual, it gets to be a bit overwhelming.

Then I come to one of my readings this morning and I read this:

Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life – gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life.  To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow will bring.  We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God.  As soon as we abandon ourselves to God and do the task He has placed closest to us, He begins to fill our lives with surprises.    —    Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

When we begin to feel like things are a little stale, maybe we need to review our focus.  If we are focused on the work, then it will grow to the point that it overwhelms.  But, when we surrender ourselves fully into God’s hands and put God in the driver’s seat we shift our focus to God’s desire and heart.  All else fades in importance and we sit back with expectation.

In a sense, we say to God, “Surprise me.”

Read Full Post »

Put A Face On It

Posted in Community, Formation, Hope on April 25, 2013| Leave a Comment »

This morning I am up early and in Lubbock to meet a couple of guys – fellow believers and ministers.  One of them I have never met before.  It will be good to put a face with the name.

As I think about that common phrase, “put a face with the name,” it causes me to pause this morning.  We may know about someone.

Baby funny face

We may communicate via email or Facebook.  We may even talk over the phone (yes, I sometimes forget, this device that is inseparable from my back pocket also makes calls).

But until we sit down face to face, something is missing.  We want to actually see who we are getting to know.

Isn’t it that way with Jesus.  We can tell people about Jesus.  Folks can read God’s word and learn about his life.  They can look at the heritage of the church and see something must be real about this person known as the son of God.

But, deep down, they want to be able to put a face with the name.

Here is the deal.  You and I . . . we are that face.

As followers in The Way, as believers in the risen son of God, we are the hands and feet and yes, the face, of Jesus to the people we meet.

Represent you king well today!

Read Full Post »

The Roar of Silence

Posted in Formation, Hope on April 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Have you ever noticed how suffocating silence can be? Silence can get pretty loud. If you are like me, you get in the car and turn on the stereo. You get to your office and turn on the iTunes or Pandora. If you are exercising, you are very likely to have wires connecting your ears to your phone or iPod.

We don’t do very well with silence. It scares us. Maybe because in silence we are forced to be alone with ourselves – alone with our thoughts. We have grown so accustomed to noise that we don’t know how to act in silence. We don’t know what to think. We struggle with how to feel.

But I have found that when I am worn out or stressed out, silence can be very important. We get so busy with our routine that it can become more about going through the motions. Our service to God and others becomes more of an obligation and less of a calling.

I was reminded of something very important today in some of my reading. If you have been around Clay In The Hands for long, you know that one of my favorite Christian thinkers is Thomas Merton. Merton said this: “When I am liberated by silence, when I am no longer involved in the measurement of life, but in the living of it, I can discover a form of prayer in which there is effectively, no distraction. My whole life becomes a prayer.”

“My whole life becomes a prayer.” I love that statement. I am not sure I can say that about my life very often. But isn’t that how it should be? I believe when we set aside the distractions and keep our focus on God and God’s holiness, then our lives become a prayer and everything we do becomes worship.

Slow down and worship with passion today!

Read Full Post »

Take Another Look

Posted in Formation, Hope on April 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Today, I have a meeting in Plainview, Texas, and so I made the trek a little early so that I could stop in at a local coffee shop and get some work done.  As I sit here taking in the sights and meditating on all of God’s glory, I am sitting next to the front window.  That is nothing special except for the fact that, for ambience, the establishment has hung a window frame over the top of the store front window.

Image

As I sit and gaze through an empty window frame and on through the plate glass, I am reminded that much of life is about perspective.  Often what appears to be real is not real at all.  Often what we see is tempered by our pre-conceived ideas.

As you look at your world today, try looking at it with a fresh set of eyes or from a new perspective. I think what you will see is that God is at work all around you and you just had not noticed it before.

Be blessed today!

Read Full Post »

Worship With Your Life

Posted in Formation, Grace on April 15, 2013| Leave a Comment »

We have been talking on Sunday mornings about the nature of God.  We began by laying the groundwork that it is a humbling task to try and describe the indescribable and comprehend the incomprehensible.  But through creation, scripture and the person of Jesus Christ, we get a glimpse of what God is like.

God is totally other.  There are no words we can use to adequately describe God’s majesty and size, or power and knowledge.  God escapes understanding.  We simply need to look into the sky at night and see the billions of stars to realize that we are talking about a huge God.

Stars

 

But even as big as God is – and as powerful and knowledgable – God is still person

al.  God knows your name.

Let that sink in:

God      knows     your     name!

And even more, God loves you.  God has a plan for you.  God cares about what happens to you.

We can’t understand it.  But it is true.  God’s mercy and grace make it possible.  When we come face to face with this reality, we echo the words of Isaiah, “Woe to me!” I cried.  “I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:5)

When we begin to understand more about God, we realize that our lives aren’t long enough to truly give back to God what we owe.  So all we can do is make the most of our time here on earth to live in The Way each and every day!

Worship with your life today!

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »