Are you ready for 2012? I sure am. This year New Year’s Day actually falls on a Sunday and we will indeed be meeting at The Crossings. The plan is to just have one service at 11:00. The main text that we will be looking at is Psalm 90:12 where Moses prayed; “Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” That is a challenging text in many ways. When we take stock of our potential life span and realize we only have so many days allotted to us, we begin to rethink things more seriously. I suppose it’s kind of like when my kids were younger and a couple of older men told me to enjoy these years because they would be gone before I knew it. I didn’t believe it then, but I can really relate to that now because my oldest will be graduating from High School in 2 and a half years. Where did the time go? In truth, all of us have a short amount of time on this earth. The question is how are we going to spend that time. To help us get further along with that road, I’ve listed three challenges below. What else would you add? Read the rest of this entry »
Posts Tagged God
Getting Ready for 2012
Dec 31
Recently I spent some time with Malcolm X. Well, not really because he’s dead. But I did watch a movie about him which I found very interesting. In fact, I believe there are some pointers that Christ followers can learn from his life experience. Malcolm Little was an African American man who came to Islam while in prison from 1946 to 1952. Once leaving prison, Malcolm eventually rose to become a national speaker for the Nation of Islam. He eventually left that group in 1964 shortly before he was assassinated.
Now don’t get me wrong. Obviously I’m not supporting the Nation of Islam. I am in no way agreeing with Islam in general. Islam is a false religion and Mohamed was a false prophet. That statement does not mean that I hate Muslims, but is rather an assessment of the facts. I am not endorsing the methodology Malcolm advocated through most of his public life. But I am suggesting that we can learn a thing or two from the way the Nation of Islam influenced his life, and see an illustrative picture of how the true nature of the Kingdom of Heaven should be lived out today. These are principles which many Christians in the West desperately need to eternalize today. So I’ve listed five quick observations below to begin with. Anything you would add? Read the rest of this entry »
The Gist on Jobs
Oct 7
Honestly I was somewhat intrigued by all the publicity and emotion tied up with the death of Steve Jobs this past week. I mean I know who the guy was and what he did; I just didn’t realize the size of his impact. You’d think an American President had died or something. But on the other hand, it appears that the long term influence of Jobs on the world through technological and cultural relevance may in fact carry more weight than any of our US Presidents in recent history. I called one of my good friends back in Nor Cal this evening to get his skinny on the events as he works for Apple and he confirmed everything I’ve read in the Wall Street journal and other sources. The atmosphere around where my friend works is apparently just as somber as any other Apple center or Apple store from San Francisco, to New York, to Tokyo. Indeed, Steve Jobs was a visionary of mammoth proportions. I like that kind of spirit. Vision is something America has been known for in the past and we certainly could use more of it now. But there are some other things I believe we can pick up from the loss of this great technology and cultural patriarch. I believe there are some quick lessons we can learn from Jobs for Kingdom and Church leaders today. Here are 5 fast ones just off the top of my head. What would you add? Read the rest of this entry »
Have you seen the final installment of the Harry Potter movie empire yet? I haven’t. But with it bringing in some $168.6 million on opening weekend it sure is something to talk about. I wasn’t thinking too much about it until I logged onto Face Book this morning and noticed an interesting post by one of my friends. He jokingly wondered how many “Christians” who loudly protested the first movie a number of years ago were now in line buying tickets to see how the whole series finished up. “God Hates Witches” they shouted back in the day. I remember those days and thought I’d drop a few thoughts on how followers of Christ can better respond to such a phenomena. Here are some things to start with. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m working on my sermon for Mother’s Day and stopped to think about the main ladies in my life. It was one of my favorite preachers, Charles Spurgeon, who said “I cannot tell you how much I owe to the solemn word of my good mother.” Likewise, I probably cannot recount all the good I’ve received from my own mother. Thanks mum for constantly believing in me and God’s plan for my life. Thanks mum for all the hard lessons you taught me and thanks for all the sacrifices you made for me. I would not be here today if it weren’t for you. Thanks Mum. Read the rest of this entry »
Alright, show of hands here. How many of you actually enjoyed taking history classes in High School? Yup, that’s probably about right. History is not the most popular subject with a lot of folks and that’s ok. On the other hand, I’m one of those wired guys who actually enjoyed the study. Don’t know, but maybe it’s just because I liked blowing an hour going to the film room at Tascosa High to watch a WWII documentary instead of sitting through Geometry. But history does have important lessons to teach us in creating a more successful future. If we take time to examine the good and bad decisions and the lives of those who have gone before us, we can learn from their victories and mistakes. So it is with the CHURCH. Read the rest of this entry »
I got a new book from a friend the other day to look over and I think it has some potential. The Next Level takes an honest look at the struggles in our lives and points out that we have a choice to either see them as a prison or as a testing ground in which God can develop our character. The author outlines his plan by examining the tests of 31 biblical characters and then brings some application to our lives. It’s not a bad idea and fits nicely into a month long devotion plan. But I was a bit disappointed early on when I saw what is so prevalent in countless spiritualized self-help books today. In part of the introduction, one of the authors describes his church as a place where they want to help people be “better husbands and wives, better parents, better children, employees, friends and neighbors and ultimately, better people.’” Better people? I read that and thought: I don’t want to just be better. I want to be different; radically different. I want to have a change that is way above anything a simple 5 or 10 step plan can accomplish. I want transformation. Read the rest of this entry »
There’s been a lot of debate recently over the building of an Islamic Mosque and community center just two blocks away from ground Zero in New York. The issue took on more steam this past weekend as President Obama endorsed the group’s constitutional right to construct the building. But then on Saturday, the President was reported as saying that while he upholds that “Muslims have that right, that doesn’t mean he believes it is the right thing for them to do.” There sure are a number of ways to look at this. I understand and have felt the same knee jerk reaction of many who have pointed out that the men who flew those planes into the Twin Towers in New York were led by a strict inner interpretation of the Qur’an (Koran). So the initial thought of a group of Muslims meeting yards away from where such a tragic event happened can cause one to wince. But when the dust clears and the heart beat slows down, I believe the group in question ought to be allowed to carry on with their plans. But my main reason for such a position may not be easy to see at first. Here’s what I’m thinking. Read the rest of this entry »
Ok Bonnie,
There’s a lot you have to say and I like your honesty and being upfront. No need to play games here. So with everything you wrote, (and didn’t write) we’ll just tackle one point at a time.
As I noted earlier, there exists a counterfeit church today which is quite foreign from the real deal. But there is always an element of the real CHURCH in the world no matter what kind of institution is being propagated. You can read more about the authentic church here in Kingdomology under the CHURCH page. But in short, the Church has nothing to do with buildings or institutions. The authentic Church is more about God’s people called to him. When it comes to people, yes, you are quite right, there are a lot of people who make great claims about being good “Christians” but don’t seem to be any different than the rest of the world other than just being a religious pain in the rear because of self-righteousness. I get that. But here are some other points to consider. Read the rest of this entry »
A Time for Review.
Dec 21
Does anyone remember the movie, 2010, The Year We Make Contact? The original flick, 2001, came out the year before I was born but I remember seeing it when I was in kindergarten. I think I was a freshman in High School when 2010 came out. Well 2010 is just around the corner and we haven’t reached Jupiter yet or encountered any black Monoliths on the moon. At least I don’t think NASA is holding out on us. But we are indeed on the verge of a new year and I’m looking forward to what God has in store for us as the Kingdom of Heaven plays out in our lives. Read the rest of this entry »
