Crowds are clueless. They never get it right. They cheer for the superstars, and look past the saints. They glorify the rich and even cast votes for a new American Idol. Crowds are addicted to all the hype, bling and buzz they can consume, but then complain of loneliness, fatigue and overload. They look for […]
“[Saint Anthony] said, in his solitude, he sometimes encountered devils who looked like angels, and other times he found angels who looked like devils. When asked how he could tell the difference, the saint said that you can only tell which is which by the way you feel after the creature has left your company.”― Elizabeth […]
The Three Simple Rules Life can be complicated at times. We often feel scattered and overwhelmed. We come to church seeking peace and direction. We come hoping to gain perspective and fulfillment. Drawing parallels between Wesley’s time and the world today, the feelings of disenfranchisement, doubt and fear are much the same. But Wesley’s three […]
I think everyone should have an “I believe” statement. It’s a place to collect your values, your priorities and your goals. Every cause produces and effect, every effect is looking for its cause. Be more of a cause in your life than an effect. I have found that most people are happy just being an effect […]
His Italian mother named him after the gospel writer, Mark in the hopes that he too would tell the gospel truth. It is ironic that, later when he wrote a bestselling book on his world travels, cynics nicknamed it Il Milione: .The Book of a Million Lies.. And Mark, whose mother hoped would grow up […]
Heaven is not a place you go to, It is a place you grow to. Heaven is the gift of what you pursue in life. If your life is dominated by the pursuit of self-indulgent pleasure and privilege you will be rewarded by living in a world of hoarding and scarcity. If you live by giving and […]
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” Colossians 3:1-2 Have you ever been invited to a wedding celebration? Often there is […]
Are you looking forward to heaven and what God has planned or is it all simply wishful thinking? Does Heaven fill you heart with wonder, excitement and enthusiasm or fear and loathing? In the midst of pain, trials and difficulties, why should we be talking about Heavent? When Jesus knew he was facing the cross and that […]
Why are we not satisfied with this world as it is? Why do we long for beauty, love and fulfillment? Why is pain, suffering and death so revolting and something we fight against? John Lennon in his song “Imagine” suggests we ignore the reality of Heaven and the after life in favor a more immediate […]
We all deal with craziness from time to time and usually believe everyone sees the world as we do. But the Bible is clear that some people are just fools and more conversation is pointless. I share this post in the hope it will as helpful for you as it was for me. ~ steve […]
The Cross enforces three truths: about ourselves, about God, and about Jesus Christ. 1. Our Sin must be extremely horrible. Nothing reveals the gravity of sin like the Cross. For ultimately what sent Christ there was neither the greed of Judas, nor the envy of the priests, nor the vacillating cowardice […]
What is our task in this world as children of God and brothers and sisters of Jesus? Our task is reconciliation. Wherever we go we see divisions among people – in families, communities, cities, countries, and continents. All these divisions are tragic reflections of our separation from God. The truth that all people belong together […]
“We fear the search for who we are. Perhaps because we’re afraid that having located our true souls, we might not like ourselves that much. So, we shrink to step across the threshold to our inner selves and invite God in. … But no matter how we love the busy world of our relationships, the […]
Week of September 11, 2011 On September 11, 2001 we experienced evil on a scale never imagined. Thousands died, 10s of thousands more were left to grieve over the loss of a parent, child, spouse or friend. This Sunday we remember the 9/11 Tragedy and rededicate ourselves to confront evil in our world with truth, […]
Week of May 1, 2011 One of the first ways you can celebrate your new relationship with God is to be baptized in water because this act of faith is important to Him. There are four key reasons to be baptized in water after you have become rightly relationship to God through His gift […]
Leadership [polldaddy poll=5333439] Related posts: How do you handle Money? Leadership Development Team Self Esteem Leadership Values
“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.” John Wesley “Directly opposite to this [the approach of the desert mystics] […]
July 17, 2011 We drastically underestimate the power of sin. Sin, by its nature, hides itself. It crouches at your door; it always looks smaller than it is. Your sins are not done with you when you think you are done with them. But there is hope in the gospel. Why do we […]
Week of July 10, 2011 Sin is more than just an action to be avoided, it is a power that is released in our lives that continues to enslave and choke the life out of us. In this passage from Number, God’s people are addicted to the pleasures of Egypt even though they hate the […]
I am Absolutely NOT in Denial! When we are in our addiction, we are blind to it. Alcoholism and all other addictions come with built in denial. The patient does not know that they are ill. They have no real concept of how severe the situation is and they are frequently not willing to talk […]
What follows is a collection of quotes on the subject of Sin, Addiction, and God’s reaction through the work of Jesus Christ. These quote and ideas were used in a sermon Series “Breaking Free” presented at First United Methodist Church on July 10 & 17, 2011 and are currently available on line for listening and […]
Week of June 26, 2011 We drastically underestimate the power of sin. Sin, by its nature, hides itself. It crouches at your door; it always looks smaller than it is. Your sins are not done with you when you think you are done with them. But there is hope in the gospel. Scripture Verse Genesis […]
Week of June 19, 201 We drastically underestimate the power of sin. Sin, by its nature, hides itself. It crouches at your door; it always looks smaller than it is. Your sins are not done with you when you think you are done with them. But there is hope in the gospel. Scripture Verse Genesis […]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqGq-z9msAw&feature=player_embedded] “Sin is the missing of a target, a wandering from the path, a straying from the fold. Sin is a hard heart and stiff neck. Sin is blindness and deafness. It is both the overstepping of a line and the failure to reach it – both transgression and shortcoming. Sin is a beast crouching […]
The Road goes ever on and on Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can, Pursuing it with eager feet, Until it joins some larger way. (J. R. R. Tolkien) The Sacred Romance calls to us every moment of our lives. It […]
The crisis of hope that afflicts the church today is a crisis of imagination. Catholic philosopher Peter Kreeft writes: Medieval imagery (which is almost totally biblical imagery) of light, jewels, stars, candles, trumpets, and angels no longer fits our ranch-style, supermarket world. Pathetic modern substitutes of fluffy clouds, sexless cherubs, harps and metal halos […]
Regardless of what anyone says, life is messy and we all have messes in our lives. Anyone that tells you otherwise is either in denial and/or a liar. Sometimes the mess is one of our own making through something we did or didn’t do, said or didn’t say. Other times we are thrust into the […]
Imagine the stories that we’ll hear. And all the questions that shall finally have answers. “What were you thinking when you drove the old Ford out on the ice?” “Did you hear that Betty and Dan got back together? But of course you did-you were probably involved in that, weren’t you?” “How come you never […]
Regardless of what anyone says, life is messy and we all have messes in our lives. Anyone that tells you otherwise is either in denial and/or a liar. Sometimes the mess is one of our own making through something we did or didn’t do, said or didn’t say. Other times we are thrust into the […]
I spoke to a man the other day who does market research (focus groups and interviews) with a wide range of people: what they like and don’t like; what they think and feel about various things. He said that overwhelmingly what people want more than anything else is belonging: to fit in and be accepted; […]
Leo Tolstoy once said: “Everyone thinks of changing the world, no one thinks of changing himself.” God wants to do greater things in our community and in our church, but He also wants greater things in our homes, and in our marriages, in our families, in our finances, and in our future. It has to […]
Regardless of what anyone says, life is messy and we all have messes in our lives. Anyone that tells you otherwise is either in denial and/or a liar. Sometimes the mess is one of our own making through something we did or didn’t do, said or didn’t say. Other times we are thrust into the […]
And they lived happily ever after. Stop for just a moment, and let it be true. They lived happily ever after. These may be the most beautiful and haunting words in the entire library of mankind. Why does the end of a great story leave us with a lump in our throats and an ache […]
Beginning Friday morning at 8:00 am, members and friends of the First United Methodist Church Family will come together to fast and pray for all those who suffer and die from hunger and hunger related diseases. We do this as an act of submission, trusting God to work within us a passion to do all […]
THE POWER OF C-H-A-N-G-E Part 1 – Connect I’ve always heard that religion is about reformation. But Christianity is about transformation. Those two things are not the same. The former is about what a person can do to make self-improvements – Ladder People. The latter is about a person totally yielding to the Person of […]
THE POWER OF C-H-A-N-G-E Part 1 – Connect Part 2 – Help Others I’ve always heard that religion is about reformation. But Christianity is about transformation. Those two things are not the same. The former is about what a person can do to make self-improvements – Ladder People. The latter is about a person totally […]
Transformed by Baptism Sermon based on Acts 8:26-39 Audio Podcast and Sermon Notes available here Sermon Slides Worship 05.01.11 Baptism Baptism Liturgy Slides Remember Your Baptism Liturgy For many people Baptism was something that was done a long time ago and has since lost it’s meaning and significance for their lives. Our goal is to […]
Six Habits of a Transformed Life The Six Habits of a Transformed Life are at the heart of our Christian Journey. Nobody gets very far in life without some effort, commitment and follow through. They are ancient disciplines that Christ followers have practiced for centuries and all are proven effective in transforming the mundane and […]
Generosity is a path that takes you closer to God, always unfolding in new and exciting ways. The more you stop focusing your sight on your possessions and wealth, the more you will see the gift of God and the purpose for which they were created. Jesus recognizes giving as an action of the heart, […]
A Sleeping Giant There is a sleeping giant in today’s Church – the unfulfilled potential [unrealized ‘sending’ capacity] of God’s people. Imagine releasing this capacity, even a small percentage of it. Consider the impact of passionate Jesus-followers sharing their story of fellowship and faith and becoming “sent” leaders in their communities. What would be the […]
Sermon Slides for Sunday April 3, 2011 Audio Podcast can be found by Clicking Here Worship 04.03.11 Myths 4 Baptism Related posts: Transformed by Baptism Remember Your Baptism Doctrine of Hell Sermon Slides Remember Your Baptism
Many of us struggle to find the time to read the Bible and pray daily. Often we start with unrealistic goals or expectations. We try to fit another activity into our already hectic schedules and simply cannot find an open block that size. That leads to guilt and guilt leads to isolation and isolation leads […]
Six Habits of a Transformed Life The Six Habits of a Transformed Life are at the heart of our Christian Journey. Nobody gets very far in life without some effort, commitment and follow through. They are ancient disciplines that Christ followers have practiced for centuries and all are proven effective in transforming the mundane and […]
Winter has come again to my life and blanketed the whole thing in an inch or four of snow. It’s cold and deathly quiet. Not many people out. I’ve just come in out of the cold after about one and half hours of shoveling the white glory with my son Alex. He’s thinking about food, […]
Into the Warm Arms of God by Max Lucado What about my loved ones who have died? Where are they now? In the time between our death and Christ’s return, what happens? Scripture is surprisingly quiet about this phase of our lives. When speaking about the period between the death of the body and the […]
When we joined the church we make a sacred vow to live our lives by a certain set of values, to treat each other as disciples of Jesus and to work together for the good of all. Sounds pretty impressive doesn’t it? But how many take those vows seriously, take their word seriously or take […]
“a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Luke 13:11-12 This passage is part of a bigger discussion […]
Are There No “Normal” People! I get a frightening amount of spiritual fodder from comic strips. I suppose because in their use of humor they reveal the reality of the human condition and try to show us the silliness of most of what we do. Pearls Before Swines The inspiration for the comic strip title […]
Stephen Covey once said “We see the world not as it is, but as we are.” How we see the world, how we believe it works and our place in it affects our relationships, our happiness and our Joy. So obviously the question for today is: How do you see God? How do you see […]
Dear Heavenly Father, As we remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, we think of how they have followed in the footsteps of your son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Please hold our service men and women in your strong arms. Cover them with your sheltering grace and presence as they stand […]
1. Fishermen of the Desert They have never encountered a fish. They have no frame of reference for talking about fishing. Fishing is completely meaningless. 2. Agnostic Fishermen Because they do not see fish by looking at the water’s surface, they abandon the activity of fishing. It is foolish to do what you cannot […]
Following the 40 days in the desert, Jesus began His ministry. Jesus was both focused and energized to proclaim boldly what was confirmed in the desert. Jesus was no longer distracted by voices heard in the desert, but knew his mission and the voice of the One to whom He would seek guidance and help. […]
In one of his books Paul Tripp and Tim Lane, How People Change, identify seven counterfeit gospels—-“religious” ways we try and “justify” or “save” ourselves apart from the gospel of grace. I found these unbelievably helpful. Which one (or two, or three) of these do you tend to gravitate towards? o Formalism. “I participate in […]
By Tonilee Adamson Many times we ask ourselves, “Can I?” Can I make a difference? Can I love others that are not nice to me? Can I continue to keep going with minimum support and no encouragement? Can I really change? But God is asking us a different question, “Will you?” Will you be the […]
A good message about leaving a legacy and being used for a noble purpose that is beyond meeting our own needs. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YU0aNAHXP0] Related posts: Conversations for Parents Haiti Mission Society Video Should Churches do Commercials? Day 3 – What Drives Your Life?
Perhaps you’ve heard this challenging word about worship from author Annie Dillard (in Teaching a Stone to Talk), but hear it again: “Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on […]
Jesus spoke these words in the midst of a life threatening storm. The disciples believed the end was near as their little boat was about to be swallowed up by forces of nature that were beyond their control. They found themselves in the middle of the lake, far from land, and in the middle of […]
I think we all love a good story about an underdog that has been discounted and ridculed, only to rise above and be far more than anyone ever thought. These are the stories that leave us speechless and crying out for more. They are little glimpses of light that not everthing is as it appears. […]
I’ve had this thought rolling around in my head lately and I thought I would share it with my friends in the hopes that you could help me work through the details. In the story of the Prodigal Son which I’m sure you know very well as found in Luke 15, we follow the experiences of […]
Living with critics is never an easy thing but we all have them. Imagine after a major event you received 100 comments and 98 of them were very positive, what do you think would capture your attention the most? Probably the 2 negative comments. We alway give much more attention to negative critics than to the postive […]
It’s easy to think that God’s not listening–especially when you’ve been praying for “one special request” longer than you can remember. When the nights seem endless and the days a struggle of uncertainty, you look to the heaven for some sign of direction, hope, and protection. What can we do when we’re waiting for an […]
Commandment #5 — Honor Thy Spouses Past For the last several weeks I’ve been mulling over the relationship between the 10 commandments as given to Moses in Exodus 20 as a model for relationships. I see the experience between God and the Hebrews at Mt. Sinai as kind of a marriage covenant. If we then […]
Life is a story, not a task, not a script, not a competition, but a love story GOD God is the author of life’s story. The greatest commandment of all is to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. The best, most enduring joy is found in Him. He is our greatest […]
I was thinking the other day about how incredibly important the Law is to Jewish identity and their relationship to God. Through the Law, God was calling to Himself a people He wanted as His very own. Since the Law is about defining a new kind of relationship with God perhaps we can think of it […]
But how should a life be summarized? It’s the end of one year and the start of another. We naturally reflect and reposition; regret and re-commit; remember and then renew. Perhaps it’s a good time to try and strap on a six-word goal. I even have one we might all consider. It was the six-word summation […]
Thinking about critical issues for churches today, I started making a list of questions churches should be able to answer. It seems to me that all churches, regardless of size, need to be able to offer compelling responses to these questions. Here they are: Meaning: How do we see life and our place in it? […]
This week’s reading is from Jeremiah 3:11-22. It is the story of God, speaking through Jeremiah, pleading for the people to return to Him. As I read this passage as part of this week’s Lectio Divina, I was caught most not by the words of God, but by the voice of Jeremiah. Who is Jeremiah […]
Lectio Divina Isaiah 43:15-21 I am the LORD, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King.” This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: […]
Lectio Divina Reading: Matthew 12:9-13 Jesus left there and went into their synagogue, where there was a man with a crippled hand. They were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they asked him, “Is it right to heal on the Sabbath day?” Jesus answered, “If any of you has a sheep, and it […]
Lectio Divina Tuesday August 5, 2008 Read slowly Exodus 4:1-5 Exodus 4 (NIV) Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?” Then the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. The LORD said, “Throw […]
Lectio Divina This morning’s mediation is from Jeremiah 31:16-25 The weeping prophet speaks of hope and of a Father that does not forget his children. The Father has spoken of the pending disaster that comes to those who reject Him and speaks of the folly of youth. I certainly have been guilty of my share […]
Enjoy! http://picasaweb.google.com/steve4040/VBSVideo?authkey=PCcpY8_e0fM Related posts: Life in a Six word Summary 2010 Asbury Seminary Graduation Video Best VBS Moment…. Our 2012 Family Video
Please share with us your Favorite Vacation Bible School moments. Read the stories from others and share your stories. I hope they will encourage you and remind you that in all things chaotic and otherwise, God is Good All the Time, All the Time, God is Good. So Speak Out! Related posts: Why VBS? The […]
Have you ever found yourself in the middle of something so bizarre that you wonder how you ever got there? Sometimes those moments are tragic and find yourself just hanging on day by day. Sometimes they are golden moments of joy that reminds us that God comes to us in the most amazing ways and […]
As part of a course I’m taking at Asbury Seminary, I’ve been engaged in a personal journey through the ancient practice of Lectio Divina or Sacred Reading. Lectio Divina assumes that the scriptures want to speak to us personally, not just teach us, but through God’s voice of compassion and conviction engage us and love […]
I am a pietist. I once tried to recover from my pietist upbringing, trading it in for something more grand (like Eastern Orthodoxy). Alas, I can not help myself. I am a pietist in my bones. It was bred into me, and I don’t think I could ever divest myself of my pietist heritage. But […]
Grace is not a philosophical construct that you can mentally get you head around [ you can’t] and say you understand it [you won’t]. Grace is beyond our understand and is totally illogical that’s what makes it so wonderful. God bypasses the “what ifs” and the “yea but…” and “but how…” and appeals to the […]
Isn’t it amazing how different words take on different meanings to different people? I suppose that’s because our different backgrounds and experiences color our point of view and we just “see” different means. The problem arises when we assume our interpretation is the only one there is and that others should see the world as we do […]
I think everyone, deep inside, is looking for the promised land. It’s a place we dream of, a place where home means is more than a mortgage and community is more than a stop on the career path. For some it is a metaphor for heaven, a place we only realized upon death; for others it is […]
You’ve heard of the formula E=MC2. It is the equation for the relationship between mass (physical stuff)and energy (spiritual stuff). This isn’t exactly how Albert Einstein described it, but it still suits for our discussion. But have you heard of E=MC3 ~ the Self-Esteem Equation? If you have, it probably wasn’t in science class. Let […]
Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.” 1Chronicles 4:10 Imagine you went to your mother and asked for more chores […]
Who doesn’t want to be blessed and have God’s favor? Those who received the blessing of the Lord in the Bible seemed to have amazing lives and were able to touch other’s as a result. Where will we be if we just ask God every now and then for His blessing? I’m not talking about […]
Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me […]
The Prayer of Jabez Breaking Through to the Blessed Life, by Bruce Wilkinson (Multnomah, 2000) This simple little book caused quite a stir a few years ago. Anything popular does. Is it theologically based or driven by a desire to manipulate God into responding to a formula we say like a mantra? Well, like all […]
First from the prophet Jeremiah who speaks of being called, being forced to become a prophet of God, despite his strongest protestation: If I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I […]
Sometimes my life has resembled what my Graduate School professor used to call “a random walk through life.” What he meant was there appears to be no rhyme or reason for what happens; there is no apparent plan. Is life suppose to have a plan? Does your life resemble a stage performance, all choreographed […]
I’m an addict. No, I don’t have a sexual addiction and I’m not addicted to alcohol, illegal drugs, or prescription medicine. And I’m not going to deliver a clever punch line, like: “I’m addicted to studying the Bible or prayer.” Truth is, many of us are addicted. Some addictions are frowned upon and therefore hidden […]