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Confessions of A Christian
2 Peter 1:3-11
“Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”
This short confessional statement makes it clear that the realization that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior produces a life change. So when this confession is made, what does it mean? Most Christians hear these words so often that we can repeat them without considering their implications. As a result, I am going to attempt to define each of these loaded terms with regard to their Biblical context and describe which aspects we as a culture tend to omit or elaborate. Read more »
My Little Man
There is a little man who has captured my heart. He has blue eyes and blond hair and little peachy cheeks. He looks up to me and likes to hold my hand. Last night, we watched Toy Story and played on his drum-set while singing, “Little Bunny Fou-Fou.”
He is two-and-a-half years old.
He is my baby brother.
Last night, we shared snack time. He climbed up into his little chair and wanted two Go-Gurts. “One for you and one for me!” he said.
I look at this little man and I love him. We have the same father, and we have the same blood. We are bonded together forever in that way, because we have the same family. We are also bonded by the bonds of love. I understand this best when we spend time together, singing songs and sharing snacks.
So it is with the family of God. By Jesus’ blood, we believers are bonded together and share the same Father. We have the same blood forever. However, we don’t fully understand this joy until we spend time together as brothers and sisters enjoying this special bond and sharing our love for each other and for our Father—sometimes this involves singing songs and also sharing snacks! (Colossians 3:16, Psalm 34:8, Mark 14:21-23)
Confessions of a Hard Heart
This week I was sitting with some people telling “inspiring stories” in their Christian lives. Many of the people around in the room were edified as a woman explained her most intimate moment with God, or as a young man told a story of how God provided for him after he prayed. Typically, I rolled my eyes and kept my mouth shut.
Then I realized, theses people do not have a problem, I do. These people’s faith was not naïve, nor were their stories unbiblical. The problem was that I was unwilling to hear them. It was not that their stories were not powerful, but that my heart was (and likely still is) hard. Here was a real moment to find fellowship with other Christians, and I blew it.
stretching it out
“So teach us to number our days?, that we may get a heart of wisdom.” –Psalm 90:12
This is going to be a little scattered. Bear with me. These thoughts are still sifting out in my brain.
American evangelist Billy Graham gave a fascinating interview to Newsweek in August 2006 about a myriad of personal topics, but a lot of it was reflection on growing older. In particular, he said, “I have a certainty about eternity that is a wonderful thing, and I thank God for giving me that certainty. I do not fear death. I may fear a little bit about the process, but not death itself, because I think the moment that my spirit leaves this body, I will be in the presence of the Lord.”
I found it interesting that he was more at ease with death than with the dying process. While many haven’t articulated it like he has, I bet that resonates with a lot of people.
the allure of separation
It’d be nice to get away and stay away, wouldn’t it?
Definitely. That really sounds sweet right now. Some distance. Getting away. Running away. Why not?
Since the inception of the Christian church, movements within Christianity have advocated, at one time or another, a separation from society as a standing way of life. The corruption is rampant, they’ve basically said, and we must cut ourselves off to save ourselves, our children, our faith.
The “Country Club” Church Is Crap.
Say that ten times fast…
Danielle recently made a comment concerning a post comparing Jack Bauer of the TV Series 24 with Jesus Christ:
And I think there’s a comparison to the church in there. Because although the suspense is pretty cool (as in what will happen here on earth, as well as after we die), it is the human parts of the story that compel people to keep reading/listening/feeling/believing perhaps. And the church has been nothing if not revolutionary in history. Jesus’ story is a prime example.
It instantly reminded me of a couple quotes that generally make me want to pick up sword and shield to charge headlong into this cosmic revolution. This is an axe I gring almost continually. Having not grown up in the church, paradigm for what church should be is not as convoluted by tradition and/or fundamentalism. I am perhaps more able to read how the church is portrayed in scripture without the baggage of moralistic rules and cultural taboos. Of course, I do have other things that cloud my judgment, and there are people who have grown up in the church and are able to see through much of that. But this is something that is particularly close to my heart because of my experiences.
For your reading pleasure, here are two of my favorite quotes Read more »
Are you a Jew?
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=B0Ep5yn8GA4]
I know it has been a while since I last posted, so I am sorry for the delay but here is the next video in our series on “How to Read the Bible.” This is gonna lay some groundwork for our discussions as we look at some specific seemingly puzzling texts. By the way, the title is meant to be provocative, not offensive:)
