Tis the season for preparing. As a part of your Advent journey, I encourage you to take the less than 90 seconds needed to watch the InstaChristmas video created by Discovery Church (Melbourne, Australia) using 600 Instagram images. So What? The use of many diverse images to weave together a familiar story allows viewers to enter the story in new ways. Which images within the presentation do you still "see" in your mind's eye? What is your main takeaway from the video? Read More …
Discipleship
Jesus Didn’t Say This (#1271)
Just over a week ago, Brian McLaren made the following Facebook post: Jesus did not say, "Blessed are the deserving poor," or "Blessed are the legally documented poor." The power of these brief phrases spread quickly, and led him to reflect on the response. So What? Rarely do we see the poor with the eyes of Jesus. Typically, we bring a good deal of baggage and many invalid or incomplete assumptions to the task of really Read More …
Keeping Christ in Christmas (#1269)
Christmas is now just a week away. This Advent I have heard the phrase "keeping Christ in Christmas" more often than most. It is a phrase with nearly endless possible meanings. A few weeks ago Ron Patterson, Senior Minister of Naples United Church of Christ (Naples, FL), wrote a helpful piece on the topic in the Naples Daily News. Consider these excerpts: Taken literally "keeping Christ in Christmas" might mean imprisoning the power of God in a single day or single season. Read More …
Personally Helping the Poor (#1267)
December is a time for gift giving. In addition to choosing just the right gift for friends and family, many people also extend their generosity to charitable organizations. As I was thinking about my own end of year giving, I happened to read Stephen Mattson's recent blog post featuring five reasons why we should consider going beyond funding charities to getting personally involved in helping the poor. So What? Mattson wasn't suggesting that giving money to organizations that Read More …
Christian Expectations (#1263)
Stephen Mattson recently shared a list of invalid stereotypes held by Christians about Christianity. His list includes: all your questions will be answered; you’ll be “blessed” with wealth, prosperity, comfort, and security; and you're always happy. So What? Christianity is thankfully far too rich a tradition to answer all the questions thinking people ask. It is far too deep a religion to suggest material prosperity is associated with living out one's faith; it acknowledges Read More …
Sermon: Misguided Expectations (#1259)
Sermon Text: Matthew 3:1-12 Sermon Excerpt I begin with a question that has likely never been asked in this sanctuary before during a service or worship. It isn’t the kind of rhetorical question I typically include in my preaching. It will likely surprise you and may even disturb you. Nevertheless I must ask it: has anyone ever tried to scare the hell out of you? During my years in Dallas there was an annual event focused on just such a goal. Of course, the organizers Read More …
Changing Careers, Changing Lives (#1258)
Jeff Ansorge recently made a huge life transition without changing careers when he left his job as an executive chef at a posh downtown Minneapolis restaurant to accept a position as the chef for the Salvation Army Eastside Corps Community Center in St. Paul. He exchanged a staff of 17 for a volunteer team of helpers and saw his salary decrease by 2/3. For Jeff, the change is a part of a wider spiritual awakening. After a childhood during which he contemplated the Roman Read More …
Inviting People to Church (#1257)
One of the most common reasons people visit a church is invitation. Church members and others actively involved in a given community of faith are those most likely to issue such invitations. Angela Jamene recently shared an apology to those who are on the receiving end of such invitations along with her understanding of what typically motivates the ask: On behalf of Christians everywhere, I would like you to know that we really, just whole-heartedly, love you. And, we want to share Read More …
My new eBook: The Jesus Priorites (#1253)
The Jesus Priorities is a collection of eight sermons I preached during the months of October and November 2013. Each sermon is based on one of the eight priorities of Jesus identified by Christopher D. Maricle in The Jesus Priorities: Eight Essential Habits (2007). The priorities are heal, love, pray, spread the Word, store up treasure in heaven, seek God’s will, value children as precious, and live with humility. As you begin your Advent journey, I encourage you to Read More …
Sermon: Ready or Not (#1252)
Sermon Text: Matthew 24:36-44 Sermon Excerpt I am good at many things, but waiting isn't one of them. Once I determine I want something, I work to achieve it. Simply waiting and allowing things to happen in good time seems unthinkable. Perhaps this is why I graduated from high school at the age of 16. It may well be why I purchased my first house while still a teenager. And, I suspect it played a role getting married to Susan less than a year after we first Read More …