There’s a lot of talk these days about safe places. These are places where people are free to be themselves. They are places that lack judgment and allow the freedom to be accepted no matter the person’s preferences, history, or genetic make-up. Continue reading
Tag: disciple (Page 27 of 30)
Last week the moon here was truly amazing. 
It was big, bright, and full. I’m certainly not a guru on scientific matters, but I do remember from my childhood science class that the moon absorbs the light from the sun and reflects it back. This is why the moon shines at night. It’s more of a glow or reflection than shining its own light.
As I was driving home the other night, I started thinking about this whole reflection business. The moon has nothing to offer but simply reflects everything that the sun shines on it. It got me thinking about my life as a pastor, and if you’re not a pastor just as a follower of Jesus. How much of my life is spent trying to shine my own light? How much of my time is devoted to casting some light of my own?
I find it all too often the case that well-meaning followers of Jesus try to be the best at something so as to make a name for themselves. It’s disheartening to listen to pastors and churchgoers talk about my church and our focus is on growing our own church by any means possible.
I honestly think we can learn something from the moon. It does exactly what it was created to do – reflect the light of the sun. It does exactly what Jesus did in His ministry – it only reflects what’s given to it. Jesus taught a lot of powerful things. He was put in some pretty tricky situations and even was bombarded by temptations from a very powerful enemy. But in the midst of all of this He never did anything on His own. He only reflected what the Father gave him. It says in John 5:19 the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing.
What a powerful thought! Jesus, the very Son of God who had all the power of God at his disposal didn’t do anything that wasn’t a reflection of the Father’s will and action. This means that Jesus’ death and resurrection were a reflection of the Father’s love for us.
Now as followers of Jesus we’re not called to come up with some bright and witty statement of faith or some great tactic to share who Jesus is with those around us. We’re just called to be a reflection of his presence where we live, work and play. This is the Jesus in me. We’re called to reflect the presence of the Son of God into our everyday situations.
Today don’t try to be your own light. Don’t push to come up with your own presence and power. Instead, today try reflecting the Son into your daily relationships. As you reflect Jesus’ love, people will get a glimpse of the power of God in normal, everyday situations.
Have you ever watched one of those home rehab shows? You know the kind of show where someone buys a house that is rundown and falling apart. Then they sink some serious cash into fixing it up. And when it’s all said and done, you can’t even tell the house was run down in the first place. I do love watching shows like this. I love to watch old things made new. It’s very rewarding to be able take something that is broken and fix it, making it good as new. Continue reading
Have you ever felt like you didn’t have what it took to accomplish a job? Like the burdens of your day were too much for you to handle? Like you were under qualified for a task? This is a scary thing for many people. When we don’t feel confident for the task at hand it’s as if we’re wearing someone else’s armor.
In the movie Men of Honor a young diver goes through intense pressure to become a Naval Diving Officer. After an accident, he loses his leg and needs a prosthetic to allow him to walk. After a period of recovery, he attempts to finish his officer training only to find out that the regulations have changed and the armor is now heavier. The climax of the movie comes when he is called to walk 12 steps carrying this new armor’s weight using his prosthetic limb. Continue reading
Just about everyone carries a smart phone now.And even if you don’t chances are you have a method of connecting with people quickly at your home. With the enormous uptick in the use of social media and instant message methods, there is virtually no one who can’t be reached. 
Several weeks ago a good friend of mine moved away. Not just around the corner or to a new church, but he move across the country. I have to be honest and tell you that I was not all that excited about this. But I knew that he was going where he needed to go. After making his decision to go, he packed up the family and the belongings and headed across the country for a new start. Continue reading
I
recently ended a sermon series titled Jesus Says at Living Word. The whole series was intended to aim us at the power of God’s words. Here’s what I believe about the words of God.
I believe that God’s word has power. It has the power to do exactly what it says. Like when God spoke in Genesis Let there be… Well, there was. I believe that His word carries His very power and His presence. I believe that God’s words speak not only His intent but also the ability to accomplish that which He desires. Continue reading
I’ve recently been asked if Christians are allowed to be happy. It may seem like a strange question to some while a valid one to others, so I thought I’d share a little of my insights on the matter. Let’s start by looking at both sides of the matter: Continue reading
There’s a story in the bible about a
man named Jonah. He’s probably most well-known for his failure to follow God’s command. He was supposed to go to a place called Nineveh, but he really didn’t want to. As a matter of fact, when he was called to Arise and go to Nineveh, he decided to board a boat going in the opposite direction. Eventually the captain of the boat finds Jonah, realizes that he’s the reason the storm is so bad, and throws him overboard. God then sends a fish to swallow him whole! Continue reading
Perhaps you’ve heard some of the church people in 
your life referring to something called Epiphany lately. Maybe you are a little cloudy on its meaning. Don’t worry you’re definitely not alone. I would venture to guess that many followers of Jesus don’t even know what it really is all about.
Here’s a quick look – Epiphany – We use the word to describe the moment when we finally understand something. It’s like the whole lightbulb going on moment.
Epiphany is actually an event in the history of the bible. It’s the event known by the church as the visit of the wisemen, or more accurately the Magi. These were men who weren’t part of the Jewish heritage. They were outsiders or what the bible calls Gentiles. The word Gentile is a description of people from other nations.
Epiphany is the day when the church celebrates the visit of the wisemen to the place where Jesus was living. They saw the star (a light in the sky) and it revealed to them a new thing. Much like an idea is marked by a lightbulb today!
So all in all this day known as Epiphany is a day of a new idea or a new thing coming to the world. This new thing was Jesus. Epiphany is the marker for the time when God revealed himself to people outside of the Jewish tradition. It was God intervening in the history of the world in his son Jesus.
Whether you are a churched person or not, Epiphany is for you! You see Jesus came to the world to show you a new way of living. He came to show you a new thought, idea, life. Perhaps today you can turn on a light and be reminded of the light of Jesus that came to the world to show you his love. If you’re a Jesus follower, then you are a light to the people around you.
So there it is, Epiphany. Today take a moment and relish the new idea!