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Archives For November 30, 1999

Misplaced

April 27, 2011 — Leave a comment

This verse punched me this morning:

He [Hezekiah] … broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it.

2 Kings 18:4 (NIV)

wow, silly Israelites.  (be honest, you know you’ve thought that when reading the Bible.  We’d never do the stuff “they” do…)

Yet, how easy it is for us to misplace our worship…even when “good” things are involved.

We focus on a song, a place, a person, a building, a sermon, a feeling, a ministry, a cause, etc. and the way they impacted, made, or make us feel…

… instead of focusing on God.

We assign value to and worship our personal or church-created “bronze snakes” rather than our awesome, holy, and forever-worthy God.

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In The Wake of Friday/Sunday: Tuesday Thoughts

April 26, 2011 — 4 Comments

Friday and Sunday were HUGE for those who follow Jesus.  Those days, the things that Christ did and accomplished are what distinguish the Christian life and worship from other religions.  We worship a risen savior!

At the some time, it’s easy to get caught observing them, celebrating them in a macro sense: “For God so loved the world…”

I pray that we also observe and celebrate them just as much in a micro sense: “For God so loved <insert your name here>…”

Christ suffered, died, and rose for the world and for each person personally at the same time.

Don’t miss that.
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Pre-Construction

April 14, 2011 — Leave a comment

Last night, a new friend shared some great insights on Jesus’ “houses built on the rock and sand” parable.

He initially shared from Matthew 7, but then directed us to Luke 6 and the language used in that recording of the parable.

I’ve often read this parable with the thought that the lesson here is simply about building on the rock versus the sand – choosing the solid foundation of God’s Word.  Good enough counsel; but, as we read in Luke, it’s more than the pre-construction task of finding the right location/foundation:
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World Water Day

March 22, 2011 — Leave a comment

Today was World Water Day at charity:water.

Check out their lesson in how “WATER CHANGES EVERYTHING” for some great information and also their WHY WATER page to see how you an help

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GOOD READ: They Will Know Him By Our Love: Not Our Agenda

March 19, 2011 — Leave a comment

Great post and reminder by Nathan Sutliff over at Contemplative Creativity.

click image to read

That tweet is a gut check on motive and mission, not only in relation to the drastic situation in Japan, but also in our everyday lives as followers of Christ.

It’s often only after we are seen as someone who genuinely loves and is concerned with a person’s basic needs that we will be afforded the privilege of presenting the Gospel.

What’s your reaction to the tweet and Nathan’s post?

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RE-POST: Get Your HABIT On!

March 7, 2011 — Leave a comment

I originally posted this back in 2009 and shared it during our Communion meditation time yesterday at church…

We all worship something (sports, music, the list goes on…) – but GOD commands, desires, deserves our genuine worship!  Our worship of GOD is so much more than Sunday mornings! It must be our entire life – a 24/7-kinda thing.

Our worship of GOD must become a HABIT. We’re all basically selfish (worshiping the things that please us or are interesting to us) and it’s probably not our default to worship GOD.

Keying off the word HABIT, the old English (and French, thanks to my friend Christian) definition of HABIT is “clothing, a condition, or character of something.”

nuns...Keeping in mind the definition above, a nuns outfit is called a HABIT.  Their HABIT is a reminder to them and a sign to others of the cloistered life they have chosen.

As followers of Christ, we have a HABIT – JESUS CHRIST
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Seen in Every Scene

March 3, 2011 — Leave a comment

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.  They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.  Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

– Psalm 19:1-4

Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made…

– Romans 1:20

I see You in every scene, I bet You are thinking about me,
I have such a short memory so You keep reminding me of You

– Scenes, Charlie Hall

This song came up on shuffle play today [iTunes].

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Barbs

March 1, 2011 — Leave a comment

I wear contact lenses.

If you wear them, you know what it’s like to get a speck in your eye.  Annoying.

It bugs to no end: eyes water, nose runs, constant eye rubbing, continual blinking, mumbling to yourself, people asking “are you OK?”, life is miserable for a bit, …the list goes on.

In fact, a while back I had something in my eye and tried to simply deal with it – to get by without addressing it.  Needless to say, it was a long day.  Everyone noticed I was “bugged” and yet I pretended like everything was OK.

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Galatians 5:21-1/2

February 28, 2011 — Leave a comment

Yesterday, during Sunday School, we spent some time in Galatians 5 talking about Spirit-filled living.

The main topic was a follow-on to the sermon that morning about marriage, handling conflict, and “taking the desperation out of the household.”  One thing that jumped out at me was the reminder that there is no middle ground between Galatians 5: 19-21 and 22-26.

Regarding living by the Spirit, Paul wrote:

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

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Is This My Response?

February 18, 2011 — 2 Comments

As I’ve written before, thought-provoking lyrics are my thing…

Every time I hear the two lines below from John Mark McMillan’s Dress Us Up, I am encouraged and convicted.

In a comparative reference between the account of Mary and Jesus’ interaction and our responsive worship, McMillan wrote:

When You walk into the room You know we can’t resist
Every bottle of perfume always ends up on the floor in a mess

x

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