We live in an ideal world; that is, we live in a world that revolves around ideals. Whatever it is that we find ourselves doing or pursuing, we have ideals that establish standards for our words and actions. Ideals are different from goals. Where goals establish steps for achievement, ideals define the perfect. When we … [Read more…]
Growing up, I experienced Memorial Day as Decoration Day, a day of remembering not only those who died in service to our country but also relatives who had died. It was the day we visited cemeteries to clear any debris from the graves of loved ones and decorate them with flowers. With these traditions I … [Read more…]
While there are risks to adopting business language and models for leading and living as the church, it is a good idea for us to evaluate who we are, what we do, and why we do it as the church to make sure, first, that we know and, second, that we’re doing it. For the … [Read more…]
The world thinks that we, the church, are weird. They think we are strange, even foolish because not only do we follow the teachings of someone who died nearly 2000 years ago but we believe that he rose from the dead. As far as the world is concerned, “dead is dead,” and anyone who thinks … [Read more…]
It hardly seems possible, but I’m already neck-deep in preparing for Resurrection Sunday, which is March 31. As I write this, that’s only five weeks away. Yes, it happens about the same time every year; yes, the preparation and celebration are just about the same every year; however, that doesn’t change the fact that the … [Read more…]
I’ve called the current sermon series through the first book of the New Testament, Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life and ministry, “Mission: Kingdom” because Matthew chronicles Jesus’ single-minded purpose to restore God’s kingdom among the people God created. We see this in the accounts surrounding Jesus’ birth – in his genealogy (Matthew 1:1) and in … [Read more…]
For the last couple of years, I have been trying to restore my physical health. Honestly, I’m not sure I can actually say “restore,” since I have never been measurably healthy by any reliable standards. I have been obese since grade school, and since I graduated high school, I have spent a large portion of … [Read more…]
Is it just me, or does it seem that everybody is really looking forward to celebrating Christmas? As I’m writing this, it’s only the Monday before Thanksgiving, and I’ve been hearing Christmas music and advertisements and seeing Christmas decorations and sales for a couple of weeks, since before Halloween. Unfortunately, a lot of that early … [Read more…]
As I write this article, October is winding down, and the anticipation of November already piques a sense of gratitude. Certainly, we anticipate our annual Thanksgiving observation that we will celebrate with friends and family, within the church, and throughout our nation with various expressions of gratitude. With many folks, especially within the church, prayer … [Read more…]
As I continue to preach through 1 Corinthians, focusing on Paul’s explanation of love being “the most excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31), I have to remind myself – all of us, actually – that Paul wrote this letter to a body of believers who were missing the point of God’s love (chapter 13), namely the … [Read more…]