I’m super excited that the Olympics start today. Soccer is my favorite sport, so while I’m disappointed the US men’s team didn’t qualify, the women’s team looks to make a gold medal run, and I’ll be cheering them on! In honor of that quest, I thought I’d show you this picture of a Jesus figurineContinue reading “Two things Jesus did not tell us to do (but we do), and one he did tell us to do (but we don’t)”
Tag Archives: church
How to rehab a relationship
Do you have relationships that need rehab? There is help! Fellowship! In the very first account of how the earliest Christians interacted with one another, Acts 2:42-47, we read that they devoted themselves to the fellowship? What is fellowship? That word “fellowship” in verse 42 is defined by Louw & Nida as “an association involvingContinue reading “How to rehab a relationship”
Could a church worship service be a bad thing?
Did you have a security blanket as a kid? Maybe it was a special stuffed animal or a pacifier. Or did you suck your thumb? I had a blanket as a child. My own kids had a variety of security items, which got progressively bizarre. Child #1 carried around a blanket, which we had snuglyContinue reading “Could a church worship service be a bad thing?”
How the church has gotten in the way of God’s Kingdom…and what to do about it.
The subtitle of author Reggie McNeal’s book Kingdom Come, is compelling: “why we must give up our obsession with fixing the church—and what we should do instead”. That grabbed me! In the book, he tells the story of when he was at a conference for pastors and said this: “We’ve been working at fixing theContinue reading “How the church has gotten in the way of God’s Kingdom…and what to do about it.”
Why we’re getting rid of the word “evangelical” from our church sign
Evangelicals are in the news! Donald Trump recently met with Evangelical leaders. I have seen so many articles about Evangelicals and politics these past few weeks. Some signaling the demise of evangelicalism. Some talking about the decline of evangelical influence. What in the world is an Evangelical, anyway? We are Faith Evangelical Congregational Church. WeContinue reading “Why we’re getting rid of the word “evangelical” from our church sign”
What future societies might say about American Christians in 2016
Imagine people 2000 years from now studying Christianity. What would they say about us? What is important to us? They would have to conclude that buildings are very important to us, and what happens in those buildings on Sunday mornings is also very important to us. Take away the building and Sunday morning, and someContinue reading “What future societies might say about American Christians in 2016”
That time a military recruiter called me with an amazing proposal
A couple years ago, I got one of those out-of-the blue calls that sounded legit, but also made me very suspicious. It was from a military recruiter, the Army Reserves to be precise. At the time I was 39 years old. Not quite the age anymore to be considered for military service. He explained thatContinue reading “That time a military recruiter called me with an amazing proposal”
Woe to you, Christians – Part 2 – How to stop the two main things that will cause your death
Imagine you have been invited to your pastor’s house for dinner and some leaders of the church are there. It is a nice meal with pleasant dinner conversation. Do you think you would take this time to point out all the things you didn’t like about the people around the table? Some of you might! Continue reading “Woe to you, Christians – Part 2 – How to stop the two main things that will cause your death”
Is Sunday the new Sabbath? – Luke 6:1-11
Last week I introduced the next sermon in our series on Luke saying that Jesus told the Bible scholars they didn’t know the Bible. In Luke 6:1-11 he really gets in their face. At one point the Pharisees confronted Jesus’ disciples for rubbing grain in their hands on the Sabbath, saying the disciples were harvestingContinue reading “Is Sunday the new Sabbath? – Luke 6:1-11”
When churches don’t make disciples
“If you make disciples, you always get the church. But if you make a church, you rarely get disciples.” – Mike Breen What do you think about that quote? Is it right? The first part I think most Christians would agree with. It’s pretty straightforward. Disciples are followers of Jesus, and when you have aContinue reading “When churches don’t make disciples”
Engaging Scripture 