Saturday, March 21, 2009
Question of the Day...
Spring has sprung... and "March Madness" has begun!! Who are your favorites and who do you think will win this year? [Unfortunately, my favorite - Florida - didn't even get into the tourney.... but, there is always next year... Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page for game times, etc]...
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Living a Prophetic Life
Have you ever had anyone challenge your thinking about the way you live out your faith?
Recently, I heard a speaker who did just that... and his challenge to each of us was that we might live and preach in such a way, that people would know that our God was real... That our words and our actions would cause them to be shaken to the very foundations of their lives with God's "fire", so that they would "fall on their faces" and worship God... not just think that we were wonderful Christ-followers... or great preachers... or great Sunday school teachers or youth workers...
As I have been thinking about this challenge, it came to me that in order to answer this challenge, one had to live a "prophetic life". Don't misunderstand - I am not saying that one has to become a prophet... becoming a prophet is not a "career choice" that one can study for, and then go seek a job. In studying Old Testament prophets, it is clear that they became prophets at God's choosing. They weren't looking to be prophets or proclaiming themselves as prophets... God chose them... God called them... God made them prophets... and they served at God's will, prophesying only when given a specific message from God.
But yet, thinking of this challenge brought the conclusion that Christ-followers needed to live "prophetic lives"... So what does that mean? Although I think I may live the rest of my life figuring that out, here is what I think now:
A prophetic life is a "called" life...
A prophetic life is a life that has "a knowledge of God"...
A prophetic life is one that is in communion with God...
A prophetic life is a surrendered life...
A prophetic life is one that brings God's message of hope and love to the world...
A prophetic life is one lived as a part of the community of believers...
If you have answered Jesus' call to follow him, and have surrendered your life to follow God's will... if you are continuing to learn about God as you live in communion with Him and in community with fellow believers... and if you are willing to share the message of hope and love that comes from God with a world that is desperate and hurting... then you might be on the journey to live a prophetic life.
Jesus told his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." [Matthew 9:37-38 New International Version of the Bible]
Pray that more will answer God's call to live prophetic lives!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
I gave up chocolate for Lent...
This morning in Sunday school, as we began to talk about Lent, one of the youth said, "I gave up chocolate for Lent!" My reply was a question. "Why? Why did you give up something for Lent?" I wanted to know if she or anyone else in the class knew why people "gave things up" for Lent. Many times, during this Lenten season of the Christian year, people "give something up"... but if there is no understanding of the reason why this is done at this time of the year, then this becomes a meaningless ritual.
Lent is the 40 day time of the year [not counting Sundays] before Easter during which Christians take time for introspection, for soul searching, reflection and repentance... it is a time of growing in one's faith in preparation for the coming of the death and resurrection of Christ. In the earliest days of the church, Christ-followers re-dedicated themselves to the faith, and new converts learned about the Christian faith as they prepared for baptism. "Giving something up" was done to help a person focus on the ideas of reflection, repentance, renewal and spiritual growth during this time of the year.
While giving up chocolate might not seem to be something that would help a person focus on spiritual soul searching, it can still help as a little reminder... for example, every time you think about eating chocolate and then remember that you have given it up for Lent, as you begin to wonder, "Why did I give up chocolate?!!", you can then remember to ask yourself that question suggested by John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement... a question he suggested we all take time to ask of ourselves and each other on a regular basis regarding our relationship with God: "How is your soul really doing"?
While some people take it very seriously, giving something up for Lent is not a "legalistic" requirement of the Christian faith... and you don't have to give up only food items... you can give up watching TV for a certain amount of time each day, or give up some other activity for a certain amount of time each day... what you give up and for what amount of time is your choice... because ultimately, it doesn't matter what you have given up, or even if you have given something up... ultimately, what really matters is the answer to the question: How is your soul really doing?
Take this season of Lent to reflect on how your soul is really doing... and to grow in your relationship with God... and if you are wondering how you can grow if you don't currently have a relationship with God, all it takes is one small step of reaching out for God... and you will find that God has been there all along.
Lent is the 40 day time of the year [not counting Sundays] before Easter during which Christians take time for introspection, for soul searching, reflection and repentance... it is a time of growing in one's faith in preparation for the coming of the death and resurrection of Christ. In the earliest days of the church, Christ-followers re-dedicated themselves to the faith, and new converts learned about the Christian faith as they prepared for baptism. "Giving something up" was done to help a person focus on the ideas of reflection, repentance, renewal and spiritual growth during this time of the year.
While giving up chocolate might not seem to be something that would help a person focus on spiritual soul searching, it can still help as a little reminder... for example, every time you think about eating chocolate and then remember that you have given it up for Lent, as you begin to wonder, "Why did I give up chocolate?!!", you can then remember to ask yourself that question suggested by John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement... a question he suggested we all take time to ask of ourselves and each other on a regular basis regarding our relationship with God: "How is your soul really doing"?
While some people take it very seriously, giving something up for Lent is not a "legalistic" requirement of the Christian faith... and you don't have to give up only food items... you can give up watching TV for a certain amount of time each day, or give up some other activity for a certain amount of time each day... what you give up and for what amount of time is your choice... because ultimately, it doesn't matter what you have given up, or even if you have given something up... ultimately, what really matters is the answer to the question: How is your soul really doing?
Take this season of Lent to reflect on how your soul is really doing... and to grow in your relationship with God... and if you are wondering how you can grow if you don't currently have a relationship with God, all it takes is one small step of reaching out for God... and you will find that God has been there all along.
wwwhd?
John Wesley, upon the advice of Bishop Taylor, began to keep a journal so as to have a "more exact account" of how he spent his time in ministry. Today, his journals, sermons, essays, letters, dialogs, and addresses can be found published in a several volume set entitled, The Works of John Wesley.
Had Wesley lived in the current times of the 21st century, with the internet technology that we have today, I wonder if he would he have used a web page, a blog, a vlog, or been on FaceBook, MySpace, or Twitter, in order to share the message he felt God wanted him to share with all... I suspect so... after all, Wesley did believe that "the world was his parish"...
Had Wesley lived in the current times of the 21st century, with the internet technology that we have today, I wonder if he would he have used a web page, a blog, a vlog, or been on FaceBook, MySpace, or Twitter, in order to share the message he felt God wanted him to share with all... I suspect so... after all, Wesley did believe that "the world was his parish"...
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