This is pretty cool... what a difference 60 years can make... but for all the accomplishment peace is still elusive... pray for the peace of Jerusalem...

Tags: israel, video

As promised here are the 2 pastoral definitions that I shared at the conclusion of my talk last Saturday night:

Abiding is the disposition of a life that is nourished, sustained, and strengthened by the true life-giver, Jesus. While this abiding life is relational it is not ethereal, mystical, mysterious, or bizarre. It is birthed by God’s saving grace in Christ and it is identified through a lifestyle of grateful obedience. Like any healthy relationship it has its private moments yet the measure of its life-giving capacity is evidenced in the manner that it publicly, unconditionally, and tangibly loves and serves. Therefore the abiding life will always have a rhythm that embraces the private and the public; the staying and the going; the quiet and the vocal; Sabbath rest and weekly accomplishment; and pruning and fruitfulness. Yet in all and through all is this life-defining relationship with Jesus that is shaped by the authority of his word and to which we willingly surrender.

Fruitfulness is the natural AND intentional Kingdom engagement of lives and circumstances that influence, release, serve, love, and transforms others in such a manner that the seed of discipleship is implanted in lives so that that God’s Kingdom presence might be revealed.

If you want a basic outline of the talk click here.

Tags: discipleship, faith

I enjoy competition... I play to win whether it is a sport, a game, or a challenge. Team competition is among my cherished experiences. yet winning is NOT everything... the ends don't justify the means... that is where sportsmanship comes in. Sportsmanship is the conscience of competition. It preserves the "soul" and integrity of our athletic endeavors. Good sportsmanship is not merely a set of rules we keep. It is a fundamental orientation that preserves the heart of the game, respects the accomplishments of others-- even our opponents, and possesses an artful and responsive awareness in the middle of intense competition that is a celebration of the game itself. Here is one of the best examples you will ever witness:



... an interview with the players:



Click here to read...

From my Life Journal last week...

SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 59.9-10: O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. 10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me...

OBSERVATION:
David praises God that He is stronger then his enemies... Even though they are “fierce men” v.3), God is the “Strength” of his people. Though evil men may prowl the streets of the city and promote anarchy, the Lord is the “fortress." In the face of the hatred shown by the enemies, the Lord is the “loving God” by whose “love” his people thrive.

APPLICATION:
Assurance, comfort, peace... beseiged, anxious, agitated... all these emotions are expressed in this psalm... it is almost as if David's lament is his engagement of God through song to find his "center" in God's love... Saul's attacks have sent David into exile. His life is a constant reaction to and an anticipation of those who would seek to capture him or take his life... but amdist it all he seeks to be at peace with the awareness that God is stronger than his enemies, that God can be the shelter/fortress since he cannot find refuge in a fort made by human hands, and that God's love will embrace him since he is cut off from all the sources of love he would normally enjoy...

This resting in God, what Jesus will call "abiding" or "remaining in me" is challenging for me... Jesus calls me to rest/abide/remain... I always want to be on the go... then disappointment, sadness, etc. come and I want comfort, strength, and love... the very things I have deprived myself of by not resting in him! Had I abided I would not feel so isolated now... but God is gracious... as David recognizes: "God in His steadfast love will meet me."

The truth is that I am not faithful to abide but God is gracious to come to me... to meet me... The resting life is difficult for me... It is ironic that I find it difficult to recognize my need to abide and rest in Jesus-- and taking the time to do so. I frequently confuse this for laziness, unproductivity, and inefficiency. And yet, I marvel when people go through horrible times with grace, humility, and room in their heart to love others... It is a testimony to me that the abiding life is not unproductive... it produces fruit in season and out of season.... The human spirit whose God is their strength, fortress, and love cannot be defeated or destroyed. It triumphs over all because it lives in the shadow of God's wing...

PRAYER (Excerpted): Dear father, help me to abide in you so that I might know the benefits of your strength, the refuge of your fortress, and the embrace of your love... In Jesus name...

Tags: faith, prayer, peace, trust

So this year with Easter coming so early, I have been asked time and again... sometimes with an aggravated tone of one inconvenienced: "Why is Easter so early this year?" Well follow this link and you'll learn more than you may want to!

... and even more important than the date is the one whose resurrection we celebrate...

He has risen indeed!

Tags: Easter

From Tim Ellmore (www.growingleaders.com)...

Several months ago, we hosted another focus group of students (ages 16-24) and asked them: What are your preferred methods of communication? We thought it was a good question. After all, we're all about trying to connect with this Millennial generation--so we thought we'd ask just how they wanted to receive our messages. Their response shouldn't have surprised us. 



Their top eight methods of communication are:
1. Text messaging
2. Internet (i.e. MySpace or Facebook)
3. iPods and Podcasts
4. Instant messaging
5. Cell phone
6. DVD / CD
7. Books
8. Email


Note that email is last on the list. One student described email as "a way to communicate with older people." Second, with one exception, this list moves from more personal to less personal in nature. They want something customized not generic if they're going to pay attention. Third, and most importantly, these students prefer a "screen" for six out of their top eight favorite methods of communication.

1 Corinthians 2.8: None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Paul endeavors to disengage the gospel and the centrality of the cross from Greek notions of wisdom... The Corinthians were already starting to co-opt the message of the Gospel and the cross to the cultural understandings of the day... and as they did so they inevitably minimized the centrality of the cross because the cross did not make sense, sound wise, nor was it a message that would resonate in the minds of the people they wanted to reach-- the rich, the powerful, and the wise... Read More...

Tags: cross, Jesus, Good Friday

I was recently at a gathering of pastors. Inevitably, the conversation turned to our presidential candidates. One person said, "There is nothing to Obama, all he offers is hope." I couldn't help but say, "I don't care what candidate you are for... but let me be honest. The only thing I have to offer is hope..." Hope is powerful but hope can also powerfully disappoint if we cannot deliver... That is why we share Jesus-- He is the Blessed Hope.

This video illustrates the power of hope... don't let your own political perspective prevent you from seeing the yearning and hope that is stirred by these words...

Tags: hope

Why Study the Gospels? Here are 12 Reasons...

Last Sunday, began a new series at Faith where we are going to study the life of Jesus by exclusively looking at the Gospels... so I wanted to answer the question: Why study the gospels? ... since there were 12 apostles I thought I would come up with 12 reasons-- I know it's not the 3 point sermon we are suppose to follow but then Jesus never preached a 3 point sermon either!

So here they are... (if you want to hear the message around these 12 points, I will post a link later this week) Read More...

Tags: Jesus, Gospels

From the Global Language Monitor...

The Television Buzzwords are nominated by GLM’s Language Police, volunteer language observers scattered the world over.  The words are then run through the Predictive Quantities Indicator (PQI}, the proprietary algorithm that analyzes the global print and electronic media, the Internet, and blogosphere and then ranks the words according to year-over-year change, acceleration and directional momentum. 
Read More...

Tags: tv, culture, communications

Now for something completely different... what side of the brain you use?

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS 
uses logic... detail oriented... facts rule... words and language... present and past... math and science... can comprehend... knowing 
acknowledges... order/pattern perception... knows object name... reality based... forms strategies... practical... safe...
Read More...

LONDON (AP) -- University of Oxford researchers will spend nearly $4 million to study why mankind embraces God. The grant to the Ian Ramsey Center for Science and Religion will bring anthropologists, theologians, philosophers and other academics together for three years to study whether belief in a divine being is a basic part of mankind's makeup.

Read More...

Tags: God, faith

Last Sunday as part of our series on spirituality we discussed this theme: Sabbath: Where Time and Spirituality Meet.

This entry is a rough outline on the significance of the Sabbath from the point of view of the Puritans, who more than anyone else since Augustine, has shaped the Western understanding of Sabbath until the latter half of the 20th century when Sabbath reflection and practice has all but disappeared. Read More...

Tags: discipleship, church, sabbath, culture

I confess... I have committed the blogger's sin... failure to post and check in... forgive me for I have sinned! I will begin updating some of the info throughout this week and next...

Here are some videos to check out... the first will only take a few minutes... the latter will take 90. I will post this second video below this one in an "earlier entry" below...

Youth Transition Network is a ministry effort representing many campus and youth ministries to assist graduating high school seniors transition to college and connect with other followers of Jesus... Here is a little video introduction. For more information go to www.liveabove.com.

On Thursday, October 11, The Ethics and Public Policy Center sponsored a debate with Christopher Hitchens and Alistair McGrath entitled: Poison or Cure? Religious Belief In the Modern World. Christopher Hitchens has ignited a strong response from his recent bestselling book: God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. Alistair McGrath is truly one of the finest intellects alive today who is also a passionate follower of Jesus... For more background on the debate participants click here.

Tags: media, culture, books, debate, God, spirituality

this recommendation came from Beckey in our office @ Faith Community!

This is very creative....

Tags: video, arts, media

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world thct we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God: but if we love one another God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1John 4:9-12) Read More...

Tags: love, lifestyle

THE BELOIT COLLEGE MINDSET LIST FOR THE CLASS OF 2011

Most of the students entering college this fall, members of the Class of 2011, were born in 1989. For them, Alvin Ailey, Andrei Sakharov, Huey Newton, Emperor Hirohito, Ted Bundy, Abbie Hoffman, and Don the Beachcomber have always been dead.

1. What Berlin wall?
2. Humvees, minus the artillery, have always been available to the public.
3. Rush Limbaugh and the "Dittoheads" have always been lambasting liberals.
4. They never "rolled down" a car window.
5. Michael Moore has always been angry and funny.
6. They may confuse the Keating Five with a rock group.
7. They have grown up with bottled water. Read More...

Tags: culture, current events, worldview, education

Tags: culture, communications, media

Romans 12.2: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Galatians 4.8-10 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were in bondage to beings that by nature are no gods; but now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits, whose slaves you want to be once more?

Ephesisan 6.10: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

Zeitgeist is a German word which historians and sociologists have adopted as a technical term. It comes from two words: zeit (time) and geist (spirit). It refers to the spirit of the time; the taste, the culture, and the outlook characteristic of a period or generation. It is the unseen force or tide that carries people, communities, and nations in its stream. Crisis occurs whenever one zeitgeist confronts another. Thus, for example, the current culture war debates, the conflict between modern and post-modern, militant Islam and (perceived) Western hegemony, economic growth and environmental stewardship all illustrate the conflict that occurs when zeitgeists collide. Scholars attempt to understand the zeitgeist of any period to gain understanding of the unseen forces (spirits?!) behind human behavior, perception, and decision making.
Read More...

Tags: spirituality, discipleship, leadership, influence, culture