Posts Tagged ‘cross’

Crushing love

Yesterday we stopped in Chicago to catch a Cubbie game at Wrigley field and take in some of the sites around the city. I love coming to Chicago. From the beautiful waterfront, well laid out and clean city streets, vast amount of parks, and endless activities it’s always fun, especially in the fall months. The day before we had been in St. Louis where it was 101 when we stepped outside at 10am so the brisk daytime high of 73 was a nice change of pace. We settled in to our seats around 1:30pm high above third base taking in the view of the rooftop deck seating on all the apartments surrounding the ballpark and the lush ivy hugging the brick along the outfield wall. By the end of the 4th inning I was frustrated enough with the 12 guys seated in front of me that I needed to get… [Read More]

growing up christian (part dos)

as a preface to the second part of my ‘growing up christian’ post i’d like to make it clear that i am in no way attempting to be negative or overly critical. i am simply interested in digging up my past in a way that will move me forward to being more Christ-like. if it ever comes of like i’m preaching, it’s because i’m pleading with myself to keep going. i got way off track in my first post and didn’t bother to edit it, so i will try to be more focused in this one. preface done. so much of what we learn as evangelicals is that there are a specific set of core beliefs that one must affirm in order to be considered “in the fold,” so to speak. this list includes the following doctrinal affirmations: God created the world in six days (literal or figurative), we are… [Read More]

Jubilee

Creation sees you and starts composing -Michael Gungor As I relaxed on the second floor porch letting the warm breeze rush across my face I watched dark thunderstorms roll over the rockies. Chris was out there with me casually smoking a cigarette, as we somehow began reminiscing about when we were younger. “Remember when we used to catch frogs?” he said after a few back and forth memories going through the years in chronological order. I hadn’t thought about it in so long as a rush of memories came flooding back into the plains of my mind. Bogs and woods, staying out past dark building forts in the most dangerous of trees. I’ll never figure out how one of us or our friends weren’t horribly hurt falling 30 feet out of some tree fort built with old scraps of wood we found behind houses. Not far from our childhood house… [Read More]

Why I love Buddha

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. -1 Peter 4:8 A few years ago, me and Dave would grab coffee in downtown Quincy after serving meals at the Crisis Center and just talk about controversial topics in Christianity: war, soldiers, guns, world religions, etc… Having grown up together, we could do this with civility even with opposing views because we loved each other regardless. Our differing views didn’t prevent either of us from going to heaven, we weren’t debating whether Jesus was just a man, but merely things with which many a Christian struggles to define. He had already known where I was coming from, both growing up in similar church surroundings(and sometimes the same one), and I wanted to understand better where he was coming from. The ideas he was throwing at me were strange, yet sounded and felt right in my… [Read More]

Jesus Creed

This was originally authored by John Shorack and posted by a friend of mine, Tim Colegrove on his blog site Tanks to Tractors. I couldn’t help but repost again. Manifesto We confess that Jesus is Lord, the full revelation of the God of the Old Testament and that before Him every knee will bow. We confess that Jesus is Christ, Israel’s Messiah, and Savior of the world who conquered the power of evil on the cross.  We agree with Jesus’ call to undivided allegiance to God: “No one can serve two masters…” (Matt 6:24), and “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…and your neighbor as yourself.” We also reaffirm that: “God so loved the world…” and has sent us with that love to society’s outcasts and our country’s enemies. Like Jesus, we must say ‘yes’ to the kingdom of God, and ‘no’ to all allegiances that compromise the furthering of… [Read More]

Lausanne Movement – Conversation

Yesterday I received a message from my pastor back home on my facebook page. He wanted to let me know Wednesday night Bible studies hadn’t been the same and that they would be praying for me that night during the study. Such a small gesture goes such a long way when you are so far from home. To know that you are loved, missed, and being prayed for is very uplifting. There is a marketplace not far from my hotel which I have walked to a couple times to purchase some trinkets and handmade art for friends and family back home. Yesterday I made my way down to Greenmarket Square to purchase some things and get some fresh air in the middle of the day. On my way there I spoke to my roommates who told me there was an attempted armed robbery there and they had left quickly. I… [Read More]

Love, Marriage, and Super Hero’s

My little nephew was running around the house as we waited for the rehearsal dinner for my sisters wedding playing with his toy sword and killing bad guys(rocks). As someone asked him where he was going after mommy got married he started rambling on about his “big friends” in rapid succession: Mickey, Goofy, Donald, Tinkerbell. He is so excited to go see them. The whole situation of love, marriage, and superhero’s got me thinking. The story of Superman is fascinating as a young kid. Someone who can’t be hurt, who fights for justice, and rights the wrongs. He has one only weakness, kryptonite, that make his power hopeless and strips him down to human. Since, as a little kid, we don’t know of any kryptonite, we run around pretending simply that we are invincible and can fix or right anything. Somewhere along the line as we grow older we lose… [Read More]

killing with integrity

i saw this sign on a church yesterday: “do you remember them? do you remember jesus?” at first, since i’m a little dense, i had no idea what the sign was saying. then, my lovely and brilliant wife explained to me that it must have something to do with memorial day. the sign reminded me of a question that i was recently asked by a fellow peace-seeking friend of mine from school. he asked me if killing another human being could ever be done with integrity. what do you presume i said??? probably not what you think. i said, “sure it can. adhering to a sense of morality doesn’t necessarily mean it’s christian morality.” he was thinking the same thing. i believe it is most certainly honorable to fight and die for something you believe in with all of your heart. many people who have given their lives in the… [Read More]

Revival at what cost?

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. ~Ephesians 4:4 I had been thinking about this over the last few weeks, how desperately we were all seeking revival and a change of heart. Not only in this country but around the world. My conversation last week with Christians about immigration(see here) spurred me to really think about it more. My conclusion is the Lord is moving…despite Christians. We can’t get out of our own way. It’s ridiculous. There is so much in-fighting. So much he-said / she-said bickering that the Lord is forced to use others in our place. You’re church is not “the body”, my church is not “the body”. We are ALL the body. Knock it off. Without a doubt, God is up there saying Knock it off. There is a lot of prayer going on around the… [Read More]

Keep your sword, I’ll keep my Jesus

I am stunned by the lack of compassion and the brutal use of force by Christians. My Jesus never did any of that. I’m at a loss. The below conversation is real. I’ve only removed the names for anonymity. Below it you will find my thoughts about the whole thing. This conversation started as a result of a comment about the immigration law that was recently passed in Arizona PERSON 1 “is planning a trip out to Az. I will support them regardless of what the uninformed Boston city council says.” Now, these are the comments that followed: Dana Fisher: Maybe we should reread James 2. Maybe their motives aren’t pure and maybe they are trying to take advantage but who are we to judge? Hasn’t Christ called us to something higher than persecuting someone because they are from another country? Since when was this land “ours” and not the… [Read More]