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Wake up from the turkey coma
Tomorrow in church, we begin a NEW YEAR! I serve an Assemblies of God church, so most reading this will probably go… “What? HUH? What?!?” But it’s a new year! We will be in the first Sunday of Advent, which is on the Church calendar. It’s the rhythm of the Kingdom, not this world. And… please be warned… God is…
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Daring to pray differently
I woke up this morning with text from Isaiah 2 on my heart and this challenge from the Lord: “Will you dare to pray differently?” This is what Isaiah saw. With the doom and gloom of Isaiah 1, he still saw something different (2:1). The Lord has challenged me over the past few months to ask HIM for my prayers. I have tried…
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Black Friday, Good Friday, and Anticipation
Tons of deals to be had on Black Friday… which has successfully leaked (in the view of retailers, anyway) into Thanksgiving. I’m not here to mourn the loss of Thanksgiving. We’re a culture bent on compulsive actions and I’m not going to cure that in one season… or twenty. We want to shop for good deals and we are a…
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Let the Madness Begin
We just can’t seem to help ourselves, so we’ve made the mad rush on Thanksgiving now. No more real days off for holidays that just about everyone could celebrate. Individually, we can choose to not shop. However, so many families will be effected because of family members who have to work on Thanksgiving now. Let the madness begin!
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Dreaming about what IS possible
2 In the days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of the mountains. It will be lifted above the hills; peoples will stream to it. 3 Many nations will go and say, “Come, let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the house of Jacob’s God so that he may teach us his ways and we may walk…
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Spotting the gods of this age
It’s extremely difficult to point out when the gods of this age are really closer to us as believers than we like to admit. As a matter of fact, this one is going to get a LOT of disagreement. So, here we go. The three big behemoth gorilla gods in the room of the American culture (and all too close…
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Why, yes, I DO love this pope
Not being Catholic has never kept me from admiring good leadership. And this pope has such a pastoral heart. “Evangelii Gaudium” (The Joy of the Gospel) was released by the pope today. I have downloaded it, but here are some choice thoughts: “The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born…
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The end is near! Or… A revival is coming!
Two very different takes on just how Christianity is “doing” in different parts of the world show our tendency toward tribalism. In the Middle East there are dire warnings of Christianity becoming extinct in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Manhattan seems to be on the verge of a new revival! So, which is it? As Anthony Bradley points out on the Manhattan side…
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I had not planned on raising the dead today
What level of obedience ARE we willing to go to with Jesus? 7 He called for the Twelve and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority over unclean spirits. 8 He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a walking stick—no bread, no bags, and no money in their belts. 9 He told them to wear sandals but not to put…
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The Great Invitation of the King
While I haven’t paid as much attention to the liturgical calendar for preaching, I have kept our congregation on track with our readings every Sunday. Along with that it is the realization that this is the last Sunday of the liturgical year and it is Christ the King Sunday. Not being raised in the liturgical tradition, and still on the…
