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Tag: disciple (Page 18 of 30)

Are You A Good Friend?

August 6, 2021 / / 0 Comments

So I’ve been doing a little thinking lately (can you smell brain cells burning?). I’ve been thinking about friendships and what it takes to be a good friend. I really didn’t think about writing anything about this because, well to be honest, I don’t consider myself a super friendly person. It’s not that friendship isn’t important to me but it seems in life friendships come and go based on preference and time. But perhaps it’s because we don’t really understand how friendship works at its core.

I believe that many friendships are internally focused. We kind of ask the whole what’s in it for me kind of question when it comes to friendships. But that’s really not what friendships are about. Friendships are not about me but about the other person. If we’re asking the me questions then we have the wrong focus. And I fear that we have an improper focus in a lot of areas.

So if friendships aren’t about me then what are they about? The other person!

We enter friendships with questions like why don’t they do things how I want? or I don’t like it when they tell me that truth, even though it’s truth, because it hurts my feelings.

I recently ran across an article titled 7 Tips for Being a Good Friend. It had some pretty golden points in it. I’ve linked the article here, but below are the 30,000 foot view of those points. By all means follow the link to check out the full article.

  • Face to Face is Best – we live in a tech savvy world and often prefer text and social media to actual contact but when it comes to friendships in person is always the best option.
  • Establish Rhythms – when our friendships are not intentional they’ll easily dissolve into something unhealthy and eventually just fade away.
  • Ask Deeper Questions – friendships sometimes deal in some pretty surface level stuff, but a lasting friendship will go deeper to what’s behind the obvious.
  • Be Affirming – there’s nothing better than to have someone who’s opinion you value give you some affirming feedback. Give and receive this affirmation well.
  • Get Away Together – so this might be a little more challenging in some circles but taking a friend-cation might be a fun thing to do to deepen and grow your existing friendships.
  • Be Early Stay Late – one challenge the last 18 months has brought us is a lack of connection at church. So when it comes to worship, show up 15 minutes early and don’t bolt when it’s over. Instead stick around and strike up conversations with people you care about.
  • Dig Deeper with Discipleship – So for those of us who are Jesus followers taking a friendship to the next level will happen only when we bring Jesus into the middle of that friendship.

While this list is likely not exhaustive, nor will it fit all friendship circles, there is certainly some friendship gold in here for all of us. I have some friendships that don’t do all of these things, but the biggest part of friendship is being present in the moment.

Finally, if you and your friend don’t see eye to eye on something, it doesn’t mean you have to disown them. You can be friends with people with whom you don’t agree. Have some robust conversations. Engage in dialogue. Listen well. Be there for them. Most of all be kind it goes a long way in a world that’s void of kindness.

Dandelions don’t produce apples

May 14, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Ok so that title is a little odd but if you think about it for a second and give me a few paragraphs I’ll hopefully explain.

As a pastor I believe that many people think they can become more like Jesus if they’re close to Jesus people. We can go to church or even memorize a bible verse or two. But we don’t really want to go through any major shift in our way of thinking or living.

There’s a story in the Bible where Jesus says I am the vine, you are the branches. This is pretty powerful. He doesn’t say I am the vine, all you need to do is be close. We are the branches. We need to be connected to the vine. All too often we act like a dandelion planted by an apple tree and expect to be able to produce apples. Dandelions just don’t produce apples!

And if we’re comfortable being near Jesus but not changed by Him, then we will never bear fruit for him either. Jesus says that for us to bear fruit we need to be connected to His word. That means we need to dive into, drink deeply from the message of the Bible. It’s not enough to be comfortable with a little being enough. It’s not ok to think we’ve spent enough time with Jesus or to excuse our time with Jesus because we weren’t feeling into it.

If you’re feeling like a dandelion planted by an apple tree then it’s time to start drinking deeply of the water of life. Fill yourself with the things of God. Read his word. Worship in person if at all possible. Surround yourself with people who bring you peace.

I pray this message is helpful for you as you attempt to connect with the things of God that you might produce the fruits of God to reach the people of God.

Where Is God?

January 22, 2021 / / 0 Comments

There are times in all of our lives when we wonder Where did God go! Generally these moments are filled with anxiety, fear and worry. When things don’t go our way, we jump to blaming some higher power for disrupting the flow of our lives. When calamity strikes and panic sets in, we readily jump to the finger wagging and fist pumping toward God. So when bad things happen in our lives, where is God anyway?

This week we take a deeper look into Mark 13. This chapter of the Bible kind of address this where’s God question without actually asking the question. I’d encourage you to read the first portion of Mark 13 then take a listen. If you can’t listen now or that’s just not your thing, then keep reading the next couple of paragraphs.

So where’s God when bad stuff happens? The long and short of it is, this question comes from a misunderstanding of who God is to begin with. God is not some cosmic slot machine. He’s not some ridiculous magic genie who grants us our three wishes. He’s someone who wants to have a relationship with us. He wants to be with us in the good times and in the bad times.

If you’re only looking to blame God when bad stuff happens but not celebrate with him in the good things, then perhaps you have a misinformed view of who God is. If you want to find God in the bad things, then try to see him in the good ones first.

The more easily find God in the everyday moments of life, the more visible he'll be in the rough ones. Share on X

Here’s the message from Wednesday night. I’d love your comments and thoughts.

Old vs. New

January 5, 2021 / / 0 Comments

A New Year typically brings time for a reset. We start a year with goals and ideas and images of the new you that you’d like to see in the new year. But this new year I imagine is a little different. We all made plans for 2020 and most of them really didn’t pan out the way we had planned!

As we kick off 2021, we’re slowing down a bit here at Living Word and looking back to see forward. Our series in church as we kick off the new year is all about getting a fresh reset. Sometimes we reset because there’s a problem. Sometimes we reset because we just feel the need for a fresh perspective. Whatever the reason, doing a little reset is a very good way to start a brand new year.

The first stop in the reset series is to compare old verses new. There’s nothing wrong with the old. And you don’t want to move onto something new just because you are easily bored. But evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of where you’ve been will better prepare you for what adjustments you need to make moving forward.

Jesus did something similar in Mark 12. He took the people of his day back to the Old Testament so they could better see why he was there and what he was going to accomplish. Our first message in this series looks at the rules of the Old Testament then gives them a fresh perspective. Perhaps this was the original intent to start with and we missed the point all along? Perhaps the reset was needed to help bring deeper meaning to the truths they had known since long ago?

Whatever the reason, Jesus brought a hard reset to the way the first century followers of God saw life. And I think we’re due for that same reset today!

Good Friend, Good Conversation!

December 15, 2020 / / 0 Comments

For the past week or so we’ve looked at four different daily habits we can start right now to help improve our outlook on life and help us manage some of the challenges we face. Now we turn to some key habits that aren’t really feasible to be done daily but more on a weekly basis. All of these eight habits in total can be started in whatever sequence you’d like. None of them are magic, but they are all things that can be very beneficial if done intentionally.

One of the greatest blessings in life is having good friends! A really good friend can be a rock to lean on when times are tough. A shoulder to cry on when sadness strikes. Someone to laugh with at the good times. Someone to sing off key with to the favorite song on the radio. And someone to just talk to who will help keep you grounded in life. That’s today’s habit actually.

Time to Talk

Having a good friend is great but making time for that friend to share your good times and bad times is really important. Today’s habit is about intentionally setting aside time to talk to a friend for about an hour a week. This can be one friend for an hour or a couple of friends for shorter times, but don’t cut these conversations too short!

Practically speaking you can do all sorts of things. You can schedule this as a time to talk face to face over coffee or supper. You can make this conversation happen while exercising. If you’re married, then you can have this weekly conversation as a couple. However it works best for you is how you should do it.

The point of this weekly conversation with a friend is to just talk and catch up on life. So take a few minutes to list out the friends who you truly value. Then set times to call them to catch up. You can talk to the same person each week or a different friend each week. Just feed your soul with a good conversation with a great friend and enjoy all this life has to offer as you do life together.

Phone Second

December 14, 2020 / / 0 Comments
The Pros and Cons of cellphones in schools – Dobie News

The final daily habit we want to take up in our creating a new daily habit series is to not grab the phone first. This is probably harder than most people realize. Unfortunately the phone has become an extension of ourselves to the point that we grab it before we grab anything else.

This isn’t a healthy scenario. Grabbing for our phone, whether it’s for work or social media or even just playing games, it sets our minds and hearts in a distracted place. When we reach for our phone to scroll our social media feeds, we are all too tempted to start comparing ourselves to the likes and shares of those around us. We don’t have teeth as straight as the perfectly polished selfie we just saw. Our tree doesn’t look nearly as nice as theirs does. We wish we could lose weight the way she did. Or be as strong as he is.

There are so many things that happen in our social media lives that are just not healthy or good. But it’s not just there either. When we roll out of bed and glance through our work emails or fiddle with our virtual games we set our minds on things that don’t provide any lasting benefit.

Instead a practical first step for us should be to grab our Bible and start each day as followers of God with a quick read through something from God’s word. It may sound cheesy or like a bit of a gimmick but it’s honestly the best way to start the day!

When we open the bible first thing in our day, we automatically set our minds to be looking for the ways that God is already at work around us. Try it for 7 days and see what happens. Let me know how it works for you. Tomorrow we’ll begin looking at some weekly habits we can start that will again be helpful in setting us up for greater success in life.

Revolutionary

November 16, 2020 / / 0 Comments
Revolutionary by Josh Wilson on Amazon Music - Amazon.com

Ok so I’m going to just be blunt for a minute. I’m sick and tired of this mess. No, I’m not talking about the whole covid thing, although I’m getting tired of that too but something bigger than that. I’m not even talking the politically charged world that’s become the normal, at least for now.

I’m talking about the hate. I’m sick and tired of the hatred people are slinging around lately. Have you ever been to the zoo? Ever watch the monkeys when they get upset with each other? They sling their crap at each other. Well, this world is starting to act like a bunch of monkeys doing just that very thing. And it’s ridiculous.

Look – I get it. You don’t agree with your neighbor. Who cares? Your family member voted for a different political candidate. Well, good for them. You don’t wear a mask but your friend does. Sure sounds like a ridiculous thing to let ruin a friendship to me!

Can you please tell me when hate became the new normal? Why is it that we feel so much more comfortable throwing people under a bus than having an honest and civil conversation? And when you have that conversation, don’t expect the other person to bend to your will. You see that’s the fallacy many are working with right now. They think that as soon as they present their case in a well-thought out manner, the other person no longer is allowed to disagree.

Well, sorry to be the bearer of truth here but if you’re allowed to have your opinion, then your neighbor is allowed to have theirs too.

This is not rocket science. It’s not even science! It’s common sense! Just be kind. Quit trying to be king. Just be kind! Don’t agree? Get over it. I’m not trying to be mean here but seriously don’t let a disagreement tear apart a friendship or family. Be kind!

You see if you really look at it. We can all defend our position. You can defend your political stance, but so can your neighbor. You can find someone who speaks your viewpoint on covid, or seatbelt use, or vaccines, or the safety of online shopping. But so can the person who does things different than you. The issue isn’t that we do things different. The issue is that we let difference divide and breed hate. Be kind!

Today’s Music Monday is about just that. It’s time for a revolutionary idea. Let’s get back to the basics of humanity for just a minute. Be kind! It’s really that simple. Disagree and be kind. Agree and be kind. Argue but be kind. Be angry but be kind. It’s possible – you should try it!

Just One

September 29, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Being a part of the church growing up was a great learning experience. I attended a Christian school and went to church nearly every Sunday. Growing up in the church we went through something called confirmation. This is when we learn the ins and outs of what we believe and actually claim it as our own. Up until this point, you’re learning but if I’m being honest it’s a lot of going through the motions. But in confirmation something clicks. we grow deeper and ask more questions and being to be able to apply what we know.

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