I love Disney – it is the land of adventure but it’s also the land of meltdowns for both parent and child. Thousands of people corralled through a handful of entry points who then walk miles, only to wait in line for hours (in all kinds of weather), for a 30 second ride. Expectations are high. Kids are over excited. All it takes is one little kink for one’s patience to implode and we’re over reacting and saying things we don’t really mean.
Talk about highs and lows of emotions.
|
Change is good. Except when it’s change for the sake of change. Then it’s short-sighted, ineffective, and not entirely useful to anyone. But real change, deep change, heartfelt change, individual change, is its own revolution. And I don’t mean to use the term revolution too lightly. This kind of change is nothing short of a miracle. Here’s what I have in mind when I talk about this kind of deep, heartfelt change. Paul was a religious man who set out to destroy the church of God (so he hoped) in order to please God (so he thought). And one day, he encountered Jesus. Here’s what he said: “Who are you, Lord?” Paul goes on to be saved, begins preaching in the synagogue, goes to Arabia, goes back to Damascus, ends up in Jerusalem, and begins his missionary journeys. Thirty years go by, and here is what we find him now writing: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain…My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better [than remaining in the flesh]” (Philippians 1:21, 23).
continue reading
|
But now I’m a little different. I like tattoos. Was out the other night and saw a mesmerizing one from across the room. The lighting was dim, so at first I couldn’t make out more than a kaleidoscope of hues. But as I moved closer, the colors wrote themselves into, RUINED FOR LESS. I rarely remember Scripture references, so if it weren’t for this phrase being in the Acknowledgements of my first book, I would've missed it. But I did. In Isaiah 6, the prophet describes a radical experience of coming face to face with God. “Woe to me, for I am ruined,” he said, aghast that the majesties of God chose to intersect with him. And never again, he implies, may we be ruined by anything less.
continue reading
|
I mentioned in the last blog that I'll probably be posting less this Fall because of the season's speaking commitments. True. So I thought I'd sign in and share a bit of what's simmering in my soul as I'm preparing this weekend's message. On Friday, I'll be flying to Memphis, Tennessee to partner with Dr. Frank Thomas of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church. The Boulevard is launching a new location in their city. Pastor Thomas graciously invited me to speak for their Consecration weekend. The opportunity feels pregnant with God's Spirit and weighty with responsibility... The theme is consecration from Joshua 3.5:
continue reading
|
|
When I was a kid, our family spent a week each summer on the California coast. One of the highlights of that week was a trip to the boardwalk. One of the highlights of the boardwalk was the fun house, where for a quarter, you could slip into a magical world of crazy mirrors, tubes that turned, wave machines, slides, and best of all, the spinning thing.
continue reading
|
It's tough to stay up-to-speed on global and local news, sometimes due to busyness, or laziness. And other times just because I don't feel ilke the post-read depression.
continue reading
|
I often think I like change. In fact, I am one to push for change, and I love the idea of it, that is until it happens to me. Recently my family and I have been undergoing massive change, causing us to question, doubt, and pretty much just feel very uncomfortable most of the time. When I am in the midst of change, I have this feeling of being stuck in a small place, that is very constricting and uncomfortable, and yet somehow wanting to stay there because it is what I know. It kind of reminds me of the nation of Israel talking about how they would rather be back in Egypt. So the other day I read this verse that illuminated my feeling and helped me to get beyond it. I thought I would share it, and perhaps someone else can benefit as well. Psalm 118:5 says, "In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered me by setting me free."(NIV) The NRSV states the second part of that verse as "the LORD answered me and set me in a broad place."
continue reading
|
What will the spiritual environment of the U.S. look like in the coming year? How will the world be different now that there is a new, African-American President sitting in the oval office? A man who has claimed that our country will see change: financially, diplomatically and even spiritually. Aside from your political allegiances (or lack thereof), you may be wondering the same thing. Let’s talk about the book—the Bible—the President-elect will place his hand on when he is sworn in, and what the voices of the ancient prophets, recorded in that book, tell us about this historic day.
continue reading
|
As America basks in the glow of a peaceful and smooth presidential inauguration, people are hoping for change. Big change. What they don't realize is that big change is already here, and the one behind it is far above our new president's pay grade. We humans are an egotistical bunch. We think every change--whether scientific discovery, technological innovation, economic goof up, or presidential election--happens because we make it happen. So instead of staying humble about change and acknowledging that we don't have all the answers, we act as if every discovery is ours to claim, every trend is ours to exploit, every goof up is ours to fix, and every election is ours to celebrate. In short, we act as if we are the center of the universe. What arrogance. Such a self-centered perspective is nothing new. Humanity-at-the-center-of-the-universe is as old as, well, humanity. The thing is, the old perspective doesn't work, not if we want things to change for the better. For that to happen, we need a new point of view, centered in something outside ourselves and our limited, myopic viewpoint.
continue reading
|
|
|
