verse4today: As the Lord said to Moses may he speak to us: "I have seen..., I have heard..., and I have come to rescue you.... (Exodus 3:7-8).
Posted on 2012-02-01 via Twitter
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) ran a commercial during our most recent Advent-Christmas season. It featured Sarah McLachlan, a pop vocal performer with several Grammy Awards on her shelf, discussing the unfortunate plight of abandoned dogs and cats. During the first half of the commercial viewers read a message on the screen and witnessed close-up photos of several dogs and cats whose eyes shouted "help me," (unlike the eyes of … Read More …
I would like to think that I am a Reformed Charismatic but I wonder what that means. So, here’s one attempt to clarify the convictions of a Christ-follower who believes that the Holy Spirit is alive and well and that John Calvin had a pretty good understanding of the apostle Paul. What is a Reformed Charismatic? First and foremost, a Reformed Charismatic is that person who seeks to harmonize the dominant convictions of the Reformed faith, as … Read More …
Parker Palmore, in his book Courage to Teach, writes that “the hallmark of the community of truth is not psychological intimacy or political civility or pragmatic accountability, though it does not exclude these virtues. ... The hallmark of the community of truth is a web of communal relationships and we can know reality only by being in community with it.” (95) As I read those words, I wondered if something similar could be said about the … Read More …
As disciples we may be compared to sheep of a flock following a shepherd. But how do we live as sheep in the flock? What does our life together look like? Those familiar with the life and work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer may seek an answer to those questions in his excellent book titled Life Together. It is a must read for the contemporary Christian.But we can also look at the apostle Paul’s teaching in this area … Read More …
In his masterful teaching describing our lives as disciples, Jesus compares us to sheep and assures us that he is the Great Shepherd (John 10). While we may be offended temporarily by the comparison to silly sheep, we receive encouragement from the promise that Christ is our Shepherd. Like the Psalmist, we testify that the Lord is our shepherd and, therefore, we shall not be in want. However, we often overlook an essential piece of Jesus’ … Read More …
It's difficult to keep up with the discussion of what it means to be missional, but I do know this much: it has something to do with Jesus. And, I am thinking it is a pretty safe bet to guess that Jesus is the original missional man. I will venture one more bet and guess that those who claim to be missional must share Jesus' response to the people he encountered during his three-year ministry on … Read More …
I never wanted to be one of those guys, one of the guys people look at it and say “There’s a Christian!” You know what I am talking about. I am willing to bet that once in your life you looked at a person walking down the street and you said, “There’s a Mormon!” So it felt good to come face to face with Jesus’ teaching about public displays of piety. In his “Sermon on the … Read More …
Last month I attended the midnight Christmas service at the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Palos Hills, Illinois. I had always wanted to attend such a service, but had never been able to until this past holiday season when my schedule allowed. Last week, at the invitation of my son, I attended the Saturday afternoon service of Parkview Christian Church in Orland Park, Illinois; we were drawn there by the presence of Josh and Kate … Read More …
A few Easters ago, following the example of many preachers, I offered a sermon in which I asked “Are you a Good Friday Christian or an Easter Christian?.” The premise of the message was that, from time to time, we live as if Christ were still in the grave, instead of living as followers of him who walked out of the tomb and ascended to heaven from which he reigns as King of Kings and Lord … Read More …
When envisioning the shape of the weekly gathering of Living Hope Church, I thought that at least once a month individuals should be encouraged to share testimonies of how God has worked in their lives. Over the years I have heard several individuals share testimonies during Sunday morning gatherings and, with a few exceptions, found them to be personally encouraging and God glorifying. Plus, I had a hunch that people would benefit from hearing that the … Read More …
Last week I blogged on The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose. In this book Roose tells about his one-semester experiment as a Liberty University student. The book is filled with remarkable insights, including this one on the local church (page 232): "If I had to guess, I'd say the meaning of church is changing for me. I used to define church as a series of events - the sermon, the worship music, the collection, … Read More …
As the church moves from the hands of one generation to another we observe changes both in the context within which the church lives and works, as well as in the manner in which we do church. The healthy congregations find ways, with the help of God, to navigate these changes. One change that has already come upon us is in the area of leadership. The AARP generation, more often than not, has affirmed a solo leadership model. They … Read More …
I love stories. My favorite songwriters share why they wrote the song. My sister spent a year in the Dominican Republic, teaching during the day and playing dominoes over shared pots of rice at night; she recounts the conversations in great detail. One of my best friends from college just travelled with his brothers for two weeks throughout Europe, and wore one suit the whole trip. I can listen to each of these people for hours. Truly, everyone … Read More …
Many people want God but aren't so sure - or are real sure - that they don't want the local church. That's understandable. Carlo Caretto, the great Italian spiritual writer, spoke for many of us when he wrote these words: "How much I must criticize you, my church and yet how much I love you. How you have made me to suffer and yet how much I owe you. I should like to see you destroyed and yet … Read More …
From time to time, I come across writings that prompt fear about preaching, like Jeremiah's words to the prophets kicking around Jerusalem: "I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied" (Jeremiah 23:21). Then, in words which suggest things haven't changed much over the last 2,500 years, the Lord says through Jeremiah, "I have heard what the preachers say who speak in my name. They say … Read More …
A friend recently pointed me to The Holy Longing: The Search For A Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rolheiser, a contemporary Roman Catholic author who writes for those followers of Jesus who struggle with following Jesus. In this book, Rolheiser, among other things, writes about the current struggle with spirituality, as well as some of its essentials. In the process, he pens a chapter entitled "A Spirituality of Eccesiology." In this chapter, he speaks to my situation as the pastor of … Read More …
Can't seem to get past what seems to be a contradiction between the desire of many pastors to count the number of worshipers each Sunday (coupled with the requirement by many denominational agencies to report attendance) and the story of King David counting his army. In I Chronicles 20:1 we read, "Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab. the commander of the tropps, 'Go and count … Read More …
H2O: At some time in your academic training you learned that H2O may appear in three different forms: water, ice, or vapor. You also learned that it can only appear in one form at a time; that H2O cannot simultaneously be both ice and water. You also learned that the three aspects of H2O share essential attributes, like hydrogen and oxygen, but also hold distinguishable characteristics that allow us to identify one form of H2O as water and another as ice. THE CHURCH: In the New … Read More …
If you witnessed the inauguration of Barack Obama as our 44th president, either in person or through the television, you are mostlikely proud to be an American. We live in a country where the peaceful transition of power is expected, and where an outgoing and an incoming president embrace one another with sincere affection. We live in a country with meaningful traditions which link us to the past while we enter the future. We live in a country where people of color … Read More …
“Rejoice with those who rejoice,” wrote the apostle Paul (Romans 12:15). It sounds simple enough, but it not always as easy as it sounds. Sure, if we share a common experience it’s pretty easy. A mother, for example, may easily rejoice with a first-time mother by drawing on the memories of her joy when she gave birth to her first child. And we can even rejoice with those with whom we share a vaguely … Read More …
Interestingly, I did not read those words in a book on contemporary Christian worship. "Don't Mess With The Organ" formed the header of an article in the November 10 issue of the Chicago Tribune, an article about the Chicago Black Hawks, one of the “original six” teams in the National Hockey League. The heart of the article dealt with the sites and sounds of a National Hockey League game at the United Center. One of the sub-titles … Read More …
Over the last 100 years, nearly every industry has experienced significant change. Take the ice business as an example. My grandfather was an ice man. It was a good job for a dependable man who loved hard work. In the early years of his business, he delivered blocks of ice (like the man in the picture). Early in the morning, he went to the ice house, loaded his truck with 300 pound blocks of ice, and … Read More …