One of my favorite bible verses comes from one of the most intimidating books of the bible, Revelation. In this book, John writes his view of the end of the world from heaven’s perspective. It’s a wonderful book filled with rich imagery, meaningful promises and some fairly terrifying examples. Nestled in this book are seven letters written to seven churches throughout the region of Asia minor. But these letters aren’t just for these churches. I have a hunch there’s something for you and me today. Continue reading
Category: Catalyst (Page 23 of 26)
A catalyst is one that sparks something. The catalyst speaks from experience and enables others to move forward more freely. These articles are written to act as a catalyst in your life.
Confession time: I’m a control freak. And not just a minor version of this either. I’m a Type-A control freak. Being a control freak doesn’t mean that I’m always in control or that it even has to be all my way. It just means that I have a tendency to look at the outcomes of a situation before they happen. I work diligently to anticipate problems and create solutions before they become problems. Continue reading
While out to dinner not too long ago, I noticed how the people at the table asked to have their food cooked. Some like their steak well done, almost like a hockey puck. Others prefer to cook just long enough to make sure it’s no longer alive. Then there are those who like to have theirs cooked with just enough pink remaining that the juices fill your mouth when you eat it. We don’t get upset when someone wants a medium rare steak. We could care less if someone wants theirs dry and tough. Continue reading
I remember as a child running up to my grandpa, sitting on his lap and asking him to scratch my back. I used to love having my back scratched! There was something so soothing about it. It was relaxing to say the least. Anymore however a back scratch is more functional. It’s because there’s an itch that I just can’t reach. But there’s a problem. Continue reading
I’ve had it! I mean enough is enough already. I can’t turn on the television without seeing another image of death and devastation on the screen. This week has been a tough one. It started with the news of two local police officers responding to a 9-1-1 call only to be met with gun fire that eventually claimed their lives. Then news of an officer in Chicago losing his life in an act of violence. And now the shooting in a school in Florida. When’s it going to stop? And who’s to blame? Continue reading
Dreaming is fun! Well unless you dream you’re being chased by a giant orange, but that’s not really relevant to this post. Part of living and visioning is dreaming. When we put together a hope for a better future, when we vision what we’re going to be/do in the days, weeks, months and years to come – it’s like we’re dreaming. But how big is your dream? Continue reading
On Saturday, January 21, 2017, millions of women gathered around the country to march for something that was meaningful to them. They marched, shoulder to shoulder they stood for a common cause. They stood for those who couldn’t stand. They spoke for those they felt didn’t have a voice. They marched with varying purpose yet as a single group. They were undivided even by their great diversity. If they can do it, why don’t we? Continue reading
I’ll be the first to admit it. In church-topia we have our own dialect. Sometimes you walk through the doors of a church building on a Sunday morning and it’s like you’ve entered a foreign country. You hear all kinds of things that are just not part of everyday speech. Actually some of the things we do in a worship service are a bit confusing but that’s a topic for another time. Continue reading
My kids are big into The Avengers. I’m not sure if they have a favorite because all of them are so amazing. Take the HULK for instance. The man, Bruce Banner, is a fairly normal guy. He’s smart but nothing out of this world, but when he gets angry – look out! His anger turns to rage and the beast we know as the HULK comes out and there’s just not stopping him. Then there’s Iron Man a billionaire, playboy, philanthropist who likes to respond to trouble by suiting up in his home-made, jet propelled suit of armor.
But the problem is…none of these guys are realistic! They are all setting up the idea in our minds that we have to be someone with extreme powers to be worth something in the world. It’s not just superheroes either. It happens all over the place, even in the church.
Many church going people get the image in their minds that they need to preach like the Apostle Paul or they’re not good enough. Or they must have a following of someone like Billy Graham. Or they have to do as many good deeds as a Mother Theresa. These superheroes of the faith are wonderful people who did many great things, but we don’t have to be them!
The truth of the matter is everything needed for our salvation was already done. We don’t have to do anything because Jesus did everything. This means that while powerful preaching is great, it’s not necessary for our salvation. Gathering great crowds of people to demonstrate the greatness of God is a worthwhile endeavor but it’s not essential to our eternity. Doing good works is definitely something great to pursue, but even this is not a mandatory piece to gain favor with God. Everything needed for our salvation was already done for us in Jesus.
When Jesus went to the cross he completed everything that was required of you and me. His death was the payment needed for our sins. His resurrection was the completion that opened heaven for us. Now there’s simply nothing we have to do because it’s all been done already on the cross. This now opens us the world for us. We now by the power of Christ in us are empowered to accomplish great and amazing things in our daily lives. We’re not superheroes, nor are we supposed to be. But we’re ordinary people who God calls to live our lives following Him.
It’s that simple. The message of the church throughout the book of Acts was just that – Jesus did it all. Now we’re invited to follow Christ on his mission in the world today. You don’t have to do anything because Jesus did everything for you.
In the book Five Challenges for the Once and Future Church we’re introduced to five specific things that are happening in our world today of which we as the church need to be aware. I’ve already summarized challenges one, two and three. Feel free to check them out.
In this post we’re going to look at the fourth challenge that lies before the church. In a word the challenge is community. In digital age is one where we hold our community in the palm of our hand but never really engage with physical people. It’s merely a virtual world in which there’s only community through media. Intimacy and physical interaction isn’t necessary but it’s so needed!
You can live your entire life without ever having to interact with someone in a real way. If the church is going to maintain its presence in society it will need to begin to create safe spaces for community to happen. We need to make sure to be clear on this point. The issue is community. The world doesn’t simply need another worship opportunity – it needs community.
The challenge we’re going to face here is that many people believe that when you get people together for a church event, we feel the need to preach at them. But this is not community. We have to be willing to let people gather for the sake of the relationships that are being built around the cross. Even if the message of Jesus isn’t proclaimed fully, Jesus promises to be present.
At Living Word we’re embarking on a mission to create safe spaces for community to occur. This is our summer mission. We’re providing the materials for members of the church to host parties in their homes. We’re calling them Party Pails. In each Party Pail, we’re going to have everything a person will need to throw a party. We’re even going to have backyard games available for people to take home and use. The purpose is simply to establish community spots throughout the neighborhoods represented in our church.
When we realize that we carry the presence of Christ in us, we’ll be able to see these safe communities as Christ Communities. Since Christ is in me and I’m in community with the people where I live, work, and play then I know Christ is working in my community as I am working in my community. Often without saying a word, we’ll bring Jesus and his message of forgiveness and grace to these communities just by how we live his love out loud. It’s something called the sacramental we. Jesus is present in me through his promise and his Spirit.
So take a minute and think about how you, carrying the presence of Christ in you, can establish community where you live, work, and play.