Posts Tagged ‘Lord’

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]

Superman a Christian?

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere. ~Luke 9:1-2, 6 I read a neat article today about the latest superman comic book. In short, superman goes to support protests in the Middle East. The U.S.A. is pissed that he did it, and Iran views his actions as that of the U.S.(and president) and an act of war. Realizing that he wants to go beyond helping one specific subset of people and that the only way to avoid the political red tape/mess he renounces his citizenship so he can become more global and less national. One of the interesting quotes from the… [Read More]

Guns for Gloves

Lord, should we strike with our swords? And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. ~Luke 22:49-51 I picture life as concentric circles, like a tree with age rings, spiraling outward. Each moment has a beginning and an end but failing to learn from any one of them can have you spinning, tracing the same circle over and over. Learn from your mistake and start a new circle and like a tree with a new growth ring, so you grow as well. In 2006 I got what is known as an “LTC”, it’s a license to carry concealed firearms. Me and a buddy got it together with plans of hunting and protecting our homes. It seemed cool and macho and what a good Christian does. To… [Read More]

Hey Rob, I gave Love Wins away

I gave your book away. With all the controversy surrounding Love Wins, rather than take someones word for it I wanted to read it for myself. So when it was finally released, I ordered myself a copy and had it shipped out. It arrived just in time for a plane ride to Boston and I read half of it on the way there Friday night. Early Tuesday morning I boarded my plane back to Denver. Exhausted from a whirlwind weekend of visiting friends, family, and a missions trip presentation, I plopped into my window seat ready for a 4hr nap. But sometimes that isn’t what the Lord has for us. About a half hour into the flight they moved a lady into the empty seat next to me because her tv didn’t work. With my eyes closed and head resting against the wall of the plane I ignored it and… [Read More]

Sacrifice for a King

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter- when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; Isaiah 58: 6-8 I would encourage you to read the whole chapter of Isaiah 58. What a cool picture of true fasting. A day removed from the beginning of lent I started to reflect on the beginning of my journey. Not yesterday, but my journey from my previous thoughts on fasting to where I am now as I start out on my 40 days. I humbly… [Read More]

Waiting by the Pool

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” – John 5:6 Community and missions are viewed differently out here in Colorado than it was back home. They had a missions day at church a few weeks back and no less than 12-15 different non-profit organizations lined the foyer. Many overlapped with each other, tackling the same issue and others had multiple goals(helping homeless, tutoring kids, and community renovation all wrapped in to one). I was stunned by how many opportunities there were and how many people were actively signing up on the sheets at each table. I’ve also spoke with 3 different people about helping them set up their nonprofits from human trafficking to a needs based website linking those with extra with those who need. All of this has… [Read More]

Everyone gets to Heaven

A little discussion for your minds: Who gets in to heaven? Take a look at the article on Rob Bell, written by Justin Taylor. If you don’t want to read the article, at least scroll down and watch the video(the most important part). Many know that I am a believer in non-violent resistence, and am frequently called a pacifist. Having a background laced with anger and violence and continually struggling with my temper it took 27 years to come to the realization that Jesus really did call us to something drastically different than how we operate as people and nations. I want to discuss this, not because I side with Rob Bell or find truth in his statements, but because I see those believing in nonviolent resistance and a loving God getting lumped into this ‘other’ group which, in my opinion, is veering off the path into a scary realm…. [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]

Suffering for Christ

But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. ~1 Peter 4:13 You ever notice the more you veer towards the Lord the harder life becomes? That straight and narrow path is narrow for a reason and sometimes, certainly for me, it feels as if either side is a ledge. When I look back at some of the big trials in my life I see a moment in time on that same point where I made a decision for Christ and against the World. We don’t teach that in Sunday School. We teach hey come give your life to Jesus and watch the blessings flow. I believe Christianity need come with a warning. Those blessings do abound but they come at a price. They also often come inside peace that surpasses understanding. I realize this is hard… [Read More]

Hidden Idols

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. ~Acts 17:16 In our Monday study we breached the subject of idols this week. As we talked about what some idols are the basics came up, television, wealth, success, sex, etc.. but the conversation took a deeper turn. What are hidden idols? What are idols that Christians sometimes use and justify? One girl posed a great question. “I wonder if we can sometimes project our lives into our beliefs and make them(Christian beliefs skewed by our life choices) idols?” Tim Keller in his book Counterfeit Gods uses Jonah as an example. Knowing that the Ninevites were an enemy of Israel, if God was willing to grant them grace it could potentially mean bad things for Israel. Jonah’s willingness to protect Israel went against God’s will. I heard a leader… [Read More]