ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 17, 2022From his well known book, “The Prophet,” Khalil Gibran wrote: “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” Those words have been playing in my mind for a month or so. Somewhere in my reflecting and grappling, I was reminded of Jesus saying to his disciples, “…none of you can become my
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 16, 2022Prayer for the Week: How often have we entered into prayer with a broken heart and a spirit feeling incapacitated? Too often, Merciful God; too often… Yet here we are, reading the names of those gunned down in another mass shooting, and though ten deaths seem especially sorrowful, there is never a day without gun violence; without racial and ethnic hatred; without the weak and
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 15, 2022What does it mean to evangelize? It comes from the Greek word we translate as Gospel: euaggelion. It means a good message or good news. I took 20 minutes or so and watched a couple of YouTube preachers offer a message on the Good News of Jesus Christ, and within a short time, I felt worthless, emotionally trashed and beyond rescue… with only a glimmer
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 14, 2022In his book, “If God Is Love , Don’t Be A Jerk,” John Pavloviitz has a chapter entitled: “The Church of Not Being Horrible.” When I first read the chapter title, I laughed out loud. It sounds as if he is setting the bar pretty low, but maybe it’s a good first step. John writes: I’ve always joked that I am going to start a
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 13, 2022This Sunday I plan to continue my look at Luke and Acts, companion volumes telling the story of Jesus and the story of the early church. Here at Cypress Creek Christian Church, we speak so often of God’s unconditional love, a love that is self-giving by nature and relentless in its character. In John’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of this love when he says, “This is
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 12, 2022Paul started his correspondence with the church in Rome with the words: “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God…” To be set apart for something can have folks going in one of two directions. It can create arrogance or humility. I don’t think we’d be going out on a limb to suggest that Jesus
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 11, 2022Today is the birthday of Glacier National Park in Montana, but let’s be clear, when I say, “birthday,” I’m really referencing the anniversary of the United States government establishing it as a National Park. I feel pretty confident that it was spectacular long before we acknowledged its beauty and splendor with a title. Places like Glacier National Park allow us to touch the grandeur and
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 10, 2022There is a real simplicity to the ways of the early church. They took care of physical needs, fellowshipped together, shared a common meal, worshiped and had genuine concern for everyone. In Acts 2:44-47 we find: All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 9, 2022Yesterday, Donna and I watched Youth Sunday from my iPad as we were (and still are) traveling to pick up the kid at college. The emotions we felt were diverse and intense – from laughter to tears and everything else in between. The youth spoke honestly (and clearly, which is always a bonus) about their journeys, and though experiences are unique to the individual, the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 8, 2022I was reading an article about a glacier in Antarctica that is the size of Florida, and how this glacier is melting at an alarming rate. This is not new information, but one of the ongoing concerns is how the melting of glaciers (mostly fresh water) dilutes the ocean’s salt water, changing the density of the water. This change in salinity (saltiness and density) impacts