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Category Archives: Perspective

The Absurdity of It All

28 Nov

Yesterday, during the worship service as we celebrated Jesus’ birth and looked forward toward his arrival, the absurdity of it all hit me. It is absurd that Jesus came as a baby. Babies can’t do anything. They are completely dependent on others. They are helpless. They get sick. They need to be fed and changed. They are needy. They are powerless over their world.

As I pondered how absurd Jesus’ arrival was, I began to think through Bible stories I know and how absurd they are. God created people knowing they would rebel. He called a nation to follow Him and all they did was make a mockery of His name. He used a harlot to deliver the spies of Israel. He used a bitter prophet to call a godless nation into repentance. Even Jesus using twelve people to change the world and then the most competent one betraying Him. And it goes on and on. It is just absurd.

But then it hit me. It is absurd that God would show me complete acceptance based on Christ and not my own effort. It is absurd to love your enemies. It is absurd to forgive those who wrong you. It is absurd to trust God rather than our own efforts. It is absurd to live by faith.

Those who have placed their faith in Christ are called to live an absurd life. It is absurd to a lost and dying world. It is absurd to logic and strategic thinking. Many things in relationships are absurd. A person who has first experienced the emotion of love does absurd things…and it is wonderful!

The challenge is to live the absurdity of this wonder out on a daily basis.

 
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Posted by on November 28, 2011 in Belief, Christ, Christmas, Faith, Perspective

 

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A Better Reason to Share With Those In Need

16 Jun

Often books and speakers tell Christians that they should help the needy because they have so much. That is, of course, quite true. Common sense tells us that, if human beings are to live together on the planet, there should be a constant sharing of resources.

But this approach is very limited in its motivating power. Ultimately it produces guilt….Soon, with an anxious weariness, we turn away from books or speakers who simply make us feel guilty about the needy.

The Bible does not use the guilt-producing motivation, yet it powerfully argues for the ministry of mercy….Mercy is spontaneous, superabounding love which comes from an experience of the grace of God. The deeper the experience of the free grace of God, the more generous we must become. This is why Robert Murray M’Cheyne could say: “There are many hearing me now know well that they are not Christians because they do not love to give. To give largely and liberally, not grudging at all, requires a new heart.”

Gospel in Life by Timothy Keller

 
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Posted by on June 16, 2011 in Belief, Bible, Change, Christ, Communication, Culture, Formation, Grace, Keller, Mercy, Perspective, Worldview

 

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Blue Like Jazz the Movie

07 Jun
 
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Posted by on June 7, 2011 in God, Miller, Perspective, Religion

 

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Maintaining Image

10 May

I have benefited from books written by pastors. Over time I have found myself becoming cynical of the volume and reliability of what is being published from pastors. Then a friend forwarded a newsletter that echoed what I feared maybe true of some of these books. It was from The Pastor’s Coach and titled 3 Dangers Large Churches Face. Here is the part that stuck out to me:

A staff pastor and trusted friend in a very large church called me to talk about his frustration. The Senior Pastor of this church wrote and published a book about the story of their church and the ministry system it was using. The book was apparently good, and the story captivating, but unfortunately the ministry system wasn’t working. They needed to kill it or change it in a big way. But the pastor insisted that the staff stick with it since the book was out. It was obvious that changing the system would hurt the church’s reputation if word got out that the system didn’t really work and they therefore dropped it.

I know this story is not true for every book, every church, or every pastor. But I also know the temptation to prop ministries up for appearances or accolades. It breaks my heart when I see it so clearly spelled out. We must be careful when we seek to maintain something out of image.

 
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Posted by on May 10, 2011 in America, Attractional, Baggage, Church, Design, Eithics, Honesty, Ministry, Motivation, Perspective, Religion, Sin, Temptation

 

A Quick Spiritual Transaction

05 May

I think we often treat God like we do a vending machine. When you walk up to a vending machine, you expect to insert the appropriate amount of money, press the correct number or code, and out will pop whatever you were hungry for. The whole process takes about forty-five seconds.

We expect the same thing with God. Maybe not consciously. Maybe we’d never say it. But we still assume that if we do all the right things, say all the right things, and have the right attitude, we can simply press a magic spiritual button and get whatever it is we desire in the moment. We are looking for a quick spiritual transaction that doesn’t necessarily lead to a deeper lever of intimacy but gives us what we want. And like children, we want it now!

Plan B by Pete Wilson

 
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Posted by on May 5, 2011 in Belief, Discipleship, Faith, God, Idols, Life, Perspective, Relationship, Spirituality, Wilson

 

The Power of the Blog

12 Apr

Great comments from Seth Godin on the power of blogging.

 
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Posted by on April 12, 2011 in America, Change, Communication, Culture, Godin, internet, Perspective, Thoughts

 

I am a Pastor

15 Mar

In the secularizing times in which I am living, God is not taken seriously. God is peripheral. God is nice (or maybe not so nice) but not at the center. When people want help with their parents or children or emotions, they do not ordinarily see themselves as wanting help with God. But if I am going to stay true to my vocation as a pastor, I can’t let the “market” determine what I do. I will find ways to pray with and for people and teach them to pray, usually quietly and often subversively when they don’t know I am doing it. But I am not going to wait to be asked. I am a pastor.

from Eugene Peterson’s memoir The Pastor

There is a great review of the book at the Internet Monk.

 
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Posted by on March 15, 2011 in America, God, Humanity, Leadership, Life, Pastor, Perspective, Prayer, Purpose

 

>Hanging on too long

08 Jun

>I have just moved offices. One of the down sides to my new place is I am missing some file cabinet space. This moved me to go through my files and see what I needed to keep and what I could file in the trash.

I was amazed at the amount of stuff I did not need. There were files I had not used in 3 years. I kept thinking I will use this one day. I finally realized that I will not use it and it is time to unload it.

What is in your life that you are hanging on to thinking you will use it? Are you waiting too long to get rid of it? What is is costing you to hang on to that stuff?

 
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Posted by on June 8, 2010 in Baggage, Change, Perspective, Release, Trash

 

>Taking a Break

29 Apr

>I am at a point where I better understand God’s wisdom in providing times of rest and reflection for His people. I am getting away for a week and I am also going to try and get unplugged. I have not had this kind of feeling in a long time. But I am aware of it now. I am looking forward to seeing what God has for me to see and learn as I take a break.

 
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Posted by on April 29, 2010 in Pause, Perspective, Reflection, Relationship, Rest

 
 
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