Memorial Day Lessons from Shughart and Gordon

by | May 30, 2011 | Kingdom Living

Today is Memorial Day in the US and while Christ followers have to keep central the reality that they are part of a bigger kingdom, the Bible still teaches us to give honor where honor is due.  Memorial Day is such an occasion for that. On one hand, I’m not a fan of taking a Sunday morning church gathering and turning it into an American Patriotic service.  Yet, on the other hand I do believe we can still give honor and recognition to those who have given the greatest sacrifice.  In addition to that, as Kingdom citizens I believe we can learn some things from fallen vets and I think this clip from the Movie Black Hawk Down is illustrative of that.  Some of you may remember the actual events from 1993 in Somalia.  But in short, SFC Randall Shughart and MSG Gary Gordon willingly and purposefully gave their lives to save Black Hawk pilot Michael Durant.  Lesson?  As Kingdom citizens, we are to put Christ and others first.  If you’ve wondered why authentic Christianity can sometimes seem lacking in the west, I believe it’s because we have forgotten something that Shughart and Gordon understood to the very core of their being.  They knew that it was not about them, but others.  So this Memorial Day, remember those who have fallen to save others.  Remember the Christian Martyrs who gave their lives for Christ over the past 2000 years.  Above all, remember our call as Citizens of the Kingdom of God to “deny ourselves and take up our Cross daily and follow Him.”  What can you learn and implement from the example of Shughart and Gordon?

Difficult Love!

by | May 20, 2011 | Kingdom Living

Well I’m getting stoked about my sermon for this upcoming Sunday.  We’re at the midpoint in a series at The Crossings called “The New Agenda” taken from Colossians 3:1-17.  The whole crux of the series deals with living out the new life we have in Christ.  The theme of this third installment in the series will be one of “Putting On” the new life of Christ.  Toward the end of verse 14, Paul exhorts us to put on love which binds everything else together and that makes a lot sense.  When you think about it, by purposefully loving others, we naturally cover all the facets of what it means to treat others from a Kingdom perspective.  But how and who are we to love?  (more…)

Three Cheers for the Ladies!

by | May 4, 2011 | Just Life

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. (more…)