Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Grace’ Category

The Mundane Cross

Posted in Grace, Hope on May 10, 2010| Leave a Comment »

In our church, we have  a huge cross that hangs over the baptistry behind the stage.  It has lights behind it to make it stand out.  It is a meaningful part of our auditorium.

However, yesterday, as we sat in the service, one of the lights behind the cross began to flicker.  All through the service the light would flicker on and off at random.  While this was somewhat distracting, I pondered on the cross yesterday afternoon.

That cross hangs there every day.  Every worship service we have in that room is done at the foot of that cross.  But because it is a permanent fixture, it blends in with the rest of the decor.  At Easter, we put a drape on it and it draws our attention to the cross.  But here we are, a little over a month past Easter, and already, the cross has become a mundane part of the service.  If it had not been for the blinking light, I dare say most of us would not have thought much about the cross yesterday.

Has the cross event already become a mundane fixture in our lives as well?  May it never be.  Take some time to remember Christ’s sacrifice today.

Read Full Post »

Be a Blessing Today

Posted in Grace, Missions on May 5, 2010| 3 Comments »

This morning I was up early.  Today is the last day of the Drive Conference here in Atlanta – this afternoon I’ll be on a plane and back in Levelland by bed time.  As I laid in bed this morning praying before getting up, thinking about the day ahead and what I have experienced here at this conference, God impressed on me one simple thought.

You have heard me talk about my friend LaPinsky Phillips – he is my brother from another mother we like to say.  He lives right here in the Atlanta area.  Oddly enough, we haven’t run into each other while I’ve been here (it’s not like it’s a big city or anything).

At any rate, when LaPinsky is asked how he is doing, his common response is, “I be blessed.”  And then when we say goodbye he always says, “Be blessed.”  I have adopted that for many of my email correspondence and even the closing of the blog post many times.

But today, God impressed me with this simple thought:  Instead of being blessed, today, your focus should be “who can I bless today?”

So today, my prayer for you and me is this:

God, make us sensitive to ways and situations in which we can be a blessing to someone else today!

Read Full Post »

Portal to the Heart

Posted in Formation, Grace on April 29, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Whatever is in your heart comes out in your actions and your words.  Matthew 12:34-37 speaks to this – you can read it here.

This is a powerful passage.  Our words are a reflection of who we really are inside.  We can say, “I didn’t mean that,” after we have said something we regret.  But the reality is that the words coming from our mouths are an overflow from our hearts.  Our mouths give the world direct access to our being – scary isn’t it?

I don’t know about you, but some days I need a check valve in the line from my heart to my mouth.

We can work on keeping our words in check but the point for us to wrestle with today is this:  the key to this dilemma is to constantly work on what is in our hearts.  If our hearts are filled with hate, jealousy or selfishness, then the words coming from our mouths will reflect that reality.  My prayer for us today is Psalm 51:10 – “Create in me a pure heart, oh God.”

What is filling your heart today?

Read Full Post »

A Thirst for God

Posted in Formation, Grace on April 20, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I have mentioned before that I regularly listen to the Jesuit podcast, Pray as You Go.  It is a 10 minute daily devotional done in a guided Lectio Divina format (spiritual reading).  I encourage you to check it out.  You can do that here.

At any rate, the opening question in yesterday’s podcast was this, “Can you feel that thirst within you that only God can quench?”

I had to wrestle with this question.  I am not sure that I can, at least not on a regular basis.  Sure, there are times when I am sensitive to God’s leading in my life and to the desire that I have to be guided.  But on a daily basis, I have to admit that I get wrapped up in doing what I think “has” to be done and neglect the fact that I should be more focused on what God wants me to do.  I should thirst for God as if my life depended on it because it does.

Do you ever find yourself in this situation?  Perhaps you are there today.

If so, here is my prayer for us today:

Father, you know that we love you – that we desire to be loved by you.  But so often we get busy in our routine and neglect to truly seek after you.  Fill each of us today with an insatiable desire and thirst for you – for more of you!  May we not be able to truly rest unless it is in you!

Amen

May you be satisfied today by the Living Water!

Read Full Post »

Living and Loving By Grace

Posted in Community, Formation, Grace on April 14, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I read an article last night by John Ortberg, a pastor and author in California who often writes about the spiritual life (You can link to the article here).  In this particular article, John made a statement with which I am still wrestling.  He said that we as a church, teach people that we are saved by grace – we cannot earn our salvation.  However, we fail to teach how to live by grace.  The conversion process happens when we realize there is a gap between us and God and that we cannot bridge that gap without a relationship with Jesus.

But then, we proceed to try and live the Christian life, and it is not very far down the road that we begin to see another gap – the gap between the person we are and the person God wants us to be.  The problem is, we have conditioned ourselves to believe that this gap is on us to bridge.

Ortberg points out that we can not bridge either gap.  All we can do is humbly desire to be led by God’s Spirit and do what Jesus says to do.  But what does this look like?  The church has defined this “maturity” level as being committed to the church and the it’s programing.  The problem with this criteria is that Jesus condemned the Pharisees for having the same expectations.

Perhaps the real measure of spiritual maturity is how we love.  Do you love the Father and your neighbor as Jesus does?

Real spiritual maturity can be depicted in selfless love humbly offered with no strings attached.  And we can only offer this kind of love out of the abundance of love we have received from God as a result of our relationship.

Live by grace today!

Read Full Post »

The God of Renewal

Posted in Formation, Grace on April 13, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I left the house very early this morning and noticed something refreshing – it was 60 degrees outside.  Spring is truly here.

I love this season – thunderstorms, warmer temperatures and things growing.  The change of seasons reminds us of God’s continual care for us.  Just as our world is not stagnant and still, neither is our God.  God is fresh everyday.  God is in the renewal business.

So today as you see grass greening up and flowers beginning to bloom, be reminded that regardless of what your life is like, God is in the renewal and renovation business.  God seeks a vibrant, growing relationship with you!

Start fresh and be rejuvenated today!

Read Full Post »

Rejected Love

Posted in Formation, Grace, Hope on April 2, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I have had plenty of rejection in my life, but three experiences rise to the surface for me.  One of those was a denial to enter the PhD program in seminary.  I committed my life to serving God professionally in high school and because of my love for students I planned on becoming a student minister.   But as I worked through my undergraduate studies in college, I began to have a deep passion for scripture and the history that goes with God’s word.  So I began to believe that God had plans for me to teach New Testament studies at the college level.  In order to prepare myself for that ministry, I had to earn a PhD.  So I completed the degrees necessary to enter that program, my undergraduate and a masters degree (I even through in an extra masters degree for good measure).  I took the tests, wrote the papers and did all the things required to be accepted into the PhD program – and then I waited.  Finally, the letter came in the mail – DENIED!

I was devastated.  I had spent the last eight years of my life fulfilling the requirements for acceptance and then, without explanation – rejected.  It was painful.  I felt completely alone.  But worse than all of that, I felt God’s back had been turned on me.  Obviously, that was not the case, but that is how I felt.  The road that I had been on for so long ended in a dead end and there were no detour – it was over.

I am sure you have experienced rejection in your life too.  It is a part of the package – if we are going to live, it means risk and anytime there is risk, there is the possibility of rejection.  Maybe for you it was a failed relationship. Or maybe it was a job promotion you felt you should have gotten but didn’t.  Or maybe an award you felt you deserved but didn’t get.  Whatever the situation, we all experience rejection.

While I am not trying to make everyone feel depressed today, I do want you to think about the pain of rejection.  Because that is what Jesus felt.  Some of the very people who were praising him five days ago were shouting “Crucify” today.  The disciples he had spent the last three years pouring his life into were no where to be found – in fact, Peter  openly denied he even knew Jesus.  But on top of all that rejection, on the cross, Jesus asked the question of God, “Why have you forsaken me?”

We must never downplay the physical pain of the cross event for Jesus.  It was the most brutal form of corporal punishment of that day.  But just as painful was the emotional rejection Jesus felt hanging there completely alone.  But the wonderful thing about Easter, the fact that makes this Good Friday, is that Jesus endured all of that willingly out of his love for the world – for you and for me.

That is what remember today – on this day!

Read Full Post »

You’re Welcome

Posted in Community, Grace, Missions on March 31, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I remember when the slogan became popular.  I was young but even then it made an impression of home and prompted thoughts of friendliness and being welcomed.

Tom Bodett had no affiliation with the motel chain, but was a voice that helped launch the chain into the forefront of the market.  But the ad-libbed slogan is what people remember (at least if you are my age or older).  Anyone know what I’m talking about?

Yep, you guessed it – “We’ll leave the light on for you!”

A very simple statement that communicates a world of images and has stuck with the chain for over 20 years.  I had not heard a radio ad for Motel 6 in years for some reason, but just this week I heard the familiar voice recite the familiar slogan on the radio.

All this got me to thinking about hospitality and providing a welcoming environment to others.  Leaving the light on sends the message of “We are ready for you and we want you here.”

Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is the church.  Is your church welcoming of others?  Do the individuals in your community know that they are welcome in your church?  Do you go out of the way to “leave the light on?”

But the focus on my mind today is a little more personal – a little closer to home.  How welcoming are you?  We talk a lot about showing people God’s love and grace and many of us do that regularly – but on our terms and our time frame.  What about the inconvenient drop-in to your office or to your home?  When you are in the big middle of a huge project, how inviting are you to someone who needs to talk?

God’s call on us as followers of the Way is to show love and grace as a way of lifestyle, not as a project we do on “Outreach Night” at the church.

My prayer for each of us today is that we will be welcoming and inviting to those who need us.

I have done this before, but I want to make the invitation to you again.  If you need to talk or just simply want prayer for a need you may have, my email is to the right – please feel free to contact me.

“I’ll leave the light on for you!”

Read Full Post »

Preach the Kingdom

Posted in Formation, Grace, Missions on March 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Today I was reading through Luke chapter 9 and ran across these verses.  Jesus was giving the disciples their daily marching orders.  He told them that they had the power and authority to heal the sick and cast out all kinds of demons.  He also left no question as to the fact that they were to “preach the kingdom of God.”  When I read this, I was reminded of a quote that is typically attributed to St. Francis of Assissi.  The quote:  Preach the gospel always and when necessary, use words.

Jesus told his disciples that as followers of the Way, they needed to be about caring for others and preaching the kingdom.  Is that still our calling?  I believe it is.

So what does living out these verses look like today?  I think St. Francis hit the nail on the head.  We are to live our faith in the way we love and care for others.  But don’t miss the fact that we are to share our faith verbally.  Obviously, if our life does not reflect the love of Jesus, then our words will make no difference at all.  But if we are trying to rely on our actions alone, how will anyone ever make the connection between compassion and the love that God wants to offer them.

Preach the kingdom of God today – using words and actions.

Read Full Post »

Grace and a Bicycle

Posted in Formation, Grace on February 25, 2010| 4 Comments »

My brother and I are very close and always have been.  I cherish our friendship and the relationship with which God has blessed us.  But, as with any relationship, we have had our disagreements.  Fortunately for us, ours happened when we were kids.

One time in particular comes to mind in which my brother instilled in me the meaning of consequences for my actions.  I do not remember doing anything to him – I am sure I was minding my own business – ok, truthfully, I don’t know what I did but I am sure it was not loving and brotherly.  At any rate, he chased me out of the house.  I beat him to my bike and rode off.  Of course, being the mature older brother that I was, I then proceeded to ride back in forth in front of the house mocking him each time I rode by.  What came next was a lesson I have never forgotten.  He grabbed a broom and would attempt to hit me when I rode by.  I am not sure that his strategy included his next stroke of genius but the last time by, he stuck the broom handle into the spokes of my front wheel.

Now I am sure you understand the ramifications of such actions.  At 15 to 20 miles per hour, when a front tire ceases to turn, the bike stops.  Unfortunately for me, the rider does not.  I face planted onto the pavement in the street in front of our home.  Of course this was long before the thought that one should wear a helmet while riding a bike (helmets were reserved for motorcycles or when jumping our bikes off 15 foot embankments).  Now that I think about it, the fact that I wasn’t wearing a helmet could explain a lot!

At any rate, I learned the hard way that day that it is not polite nor acceptable to chide and mock another person.  However, the lesson from this painful story is this:  relationships work because of grace, forgiveness and understanding (and in this case, a hard head).  Through the years, our relationship has grown because of his willingness to forgive me and my willingness to forgive him – all because of the love we have for each other.

God provides this grace with no strings attached.  So if today, you feel you have gone too far and God can never accept you as you are with all your faults, I am here to tell you that he offers grace, forgiveness and love.  Your actions will always carry consequences but God’s grace is sufficient to see you through.

Lean on God’s grace today!

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »