Simple thoughts on faith, church and discipleship
Below is a poem about growing used to the process of sanctification as I get a bit older. It's called "The Man" The Man There’s a man who lives inside my house He looks a lot like me, except older He walks slouched by the incessant weight of cynicism and sits sunken by the burden... Continue Reading →
I used to find people with lots of money intimidating, but God has been teaching me over time what it looks like to serve them and lead them. These are simple observations, but ones that I have learned through pain and frustration at times. My hope is simply to be a faithful minister where God has me, and these are some of the principles that simple faithfulness requires of me in this context.
When profiteering replaces prophecy as the outcome for the creative mouthpieces of our churches, then we lose our voice in the world.
This sermon was preached at the Downtown PM service at The Austin Stone. Audio and video from the sermon are available here. Matthew 5:38-42 – “Cheek Turning, Tunic Giving, Two Mile Going Grace” Intro: Evening, if you have your bibles, Matthew 5:38 is where we will be. Continuing in our study of The Gospel According to... Continue Reading →
“BUSY = DIZZY” - Katie Faith Lester.
I have spent most of my life desperately trying to fit in and to be accepted by people who didn’t even care about me all that much. That is immense folly for children of grace. I don’t want to waste any more time and energy on that. I long to be able to say with the apostle Paul, “…by the grace of God, I am what I am”. That isn’t a prideful arrogance that refuses to be changed. That is a humble acceptance of the acceptance of God. That is a truly liberating thing! That is a freedom I desire.
It got me thinking. Friendship is a powerful thing, and while I know that I am blessed in the friendship that I have received and not everyone would have that as their story, Christians ought to be known by the kind of friendship that they give. Genuine friendship ought to mark us as communities of people. I confess that I forget this all too often, but as I enter into my next decade of life I am making a simple commitment to be a good friend to people.
According to the faithfulness of God, there are a whole set of new mercies that await me every new morning. What a thought! For every morning that I open my eyes, new mercies are allocated for me from a loving God. That should be the first thought that enters my head. Not dread…MERCY!
What does it mean to live a life of radical truth telling? What does it mean for our yes to mean yes and our no to mean no?
SBC. Divorce and remarriage. Purity ring statues. Terrorism. Austin. Rugby. Teenaged pastors. Football. Lots to pick from this week.
Every now and then I like to collate some of the stuff that I have found interesting on the web in any given week. These are not endorsements, but rather just a starting point for anyone who perhaps would be seeking some broad weekend reading. Enjoy. Preaching the Whole Counsel of God Some fascinating research... Continue Reading →
I turned 40 today which means that I finally have an excuse for my crankiness and I also have the duty to share all of my gathered wisdom with an unsuspecting world. So here are 40 thoughts that no one asked for in no particular order.
