struggles

Your Mess Becomes Your Message

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” – 1 John 3:1a I have witnessed it’s the sinners, the mess-ups, and those who make a muck of things who make some of the greatest disciples. If I go to my doctor with an unknown condition that I cannot cure, and my doctor says, “You know what? I had that, too. I know just the cure.” That makes me feel pretty good. That is what the transforming power of discipleship is all about. Jesus says, “I’ve seen this before. Let me show you.” There is truth to the old adage, “Your mess becomes your message. Your test becomes your testimony.” Just remember that there’s no tragedy; there’s no falling short, that God cannot turn around. I had this radical experience in high school where I

July 16, 2022 No Comments

Dining at the Table with Jesus

“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’” – Luke 15:1,2 Last month I did a sermon on Jesus’ Eating Ministry. Today, I want to explore that further. Did you know that Jesus was less fond of religious people than He was those who lived completely immoral lives? In fact, He preached more often to the pastors of His day (aka the Pharisees) about hell and condemnation than He ever did to the sinners. Our Lord loves the broken, downtrodden, and the hurting. He wants to show them what it looks like to live in His Kingdom. One of the boldest things Jesus ever did was to sit down and eat with tax collectors and sinners, because in His day, to eat with a person was to

June 13, 2022 No Comments

Run to God and Wait

“The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?” – Psalm 27:1 When I am aware of thoughts that are causing me to lose sleep or I have feelings of discomfort in my body — I am learning to just run to God. It is easy to blame others, like your spouse, a political party, or the government for your frustrations. I am thankful that as I run to God, I can just say, “Lord, this is what is on my mind and my heart. God, what is your answer to my frustration? How can I align with you in this situation?” I can then wait for God’s answer. God has victory in store for your life, and half of that victory is just believing that it is so. Looking at the life

May 8, 2022 No Comments

Vulnerability in Relationships

“See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.” – Luke 11:35,36 Today, I want to sum up our discussion of discipline and secrecy and how it deepens our walk with God. Allow me to offer you two practical steps you can take to employ the power of secrecy in your own life and in your relationships, both with Jesus and others. First of all, when you do something really great for someone else, keep it a secret. If you’ve never done this before, I encourage you to give it a try. Give a gift to a friend or a stranger, serve in some capacity, or volunteer for a day, but don’t tell anyone. When

February 1, 2022 No Comments

Giving in Secret and Sinning in Public

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:2-4 Today let’s talk about the gift and power of secrecy. Now, before you get all worked up about how “cultish” that sounds, be assured that it’s an old idea with origins in Jewish culture. It’s something Jesus talked about in Matthew 6, when he told his followers to give without telling anybody else. I want to make it clear right away that this is not a

January 24, 2022 1 Comment

Carried by His Currents

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” – John 3:8 We talked about how the winters in our lives provide us with force and strength the other day. Today, I want to remind you that a winter storm is always blown away by the wind, ushering in a new season. You can feel the Holy Spirit blowing through you as you grow in your connection with Jesus, just like the grass moves with the power of fresh breeze. As you become closer to Him, you’ll be able to hear His voice more clearly and understand where He’s taking you, but with the knowledge that He’ll be the one driving you. If you find yourself lying awake at night wondering what you should have done or

January 9, 2022 1 Comment

God is So Good

“Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.” – Isaiah 44:8 There was a belief in ancient pagan religions that there were many gods; in fact, practically every nationality believed this. There was a god of trees, a god of sky, a god of sun, a god of mountains, and so on, regardless of their individual names. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of gods at times — in essence, they were vast, insane, cruel, and at odds with one another. Humans, according to this tradition, were like puppets who had to appease a slew of power-hungry divine creatures; they were caught up in a weird cosmic conflict. When Yahweh revealed Himself to Abraham as the One True God, the Jewish

December 20, 2021 1 Comment

Suffering is a Force for Change

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” – 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 The Apostle Paul was writing to the church when he wrote the passages above. Do you know what he’s talking about when he says “all-surpassing power”? In the first century church, they were healing the

December 3, 2021 No Comments

Grace and Truth

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14 Do you like things that are salty and sweet? I sure do. There’s something about kettle corn, salted caramel, and french fries with milkshakes that creates the perfect balance of flavors. Interestingly, I believe this is how grace and truth function in the life of a believer. The Bible says that Christ — the Living Word — came to earth full of these important, and seemingly opposite, characteristics. You see, whereas grace is unmerited favor, or getting what we don’t deserve, truth calls out reality and reminds us of what we do deserve. So how do these two coexist and complement each other? The answer is simple, and it’s found in the salvation we

October 22, 2021 No Comments

How Will You Handle the Fire?

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?” – Luke 14:28 I love that Jesus encourages us to consider possible outcomes before we make decisions. He told His disciples to count the cost prior to following Him, and I think it’s safe to say that He wants us to be people who are proactive in dealing with the problems and complexities of life. Along these lines, I heard an anecdotal story once that said if there’s a fire burning in a building and there are ten people in it, one person will flee, one will stay calm and take action, and the other eight will freeze. Unfortunately, I think the latter is what many of us do when we’re assailed by unanticipated challenges. We seldom feel equipped for what comes

October 1, 2021 No Comments

Your Mess Becomes Your Message

Dining at the Table with Jesus

Run to God and Wait

Vulnerability in Relationships

Giving in Secret and Sinning in Public

Carried by His Currents

God is So Good

Suffering is a Force for Change

Grace and Truth

How Will You Handle the Fire?

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