Follow Jesus. Lead the church. Change the world.
"Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens." (James 1.17) One of my favorite images for us is a cup or a clay jar. I am an empty vessel, and I depend on God to fill me. If my cup runs over, it’s only because … Read more
John 20.19-23 We began the year with a series on discipleship entitled “Follow me.” The series was based on Jesus’ calling to the first disciples. But the calling did not stop with “Come, follow me.” Jesus continued with the ultimate purpose of the call: “and I will make you fishers of men & women.” (Matthew … Read more
Psalm 67 I have been saying for since the end of 2004 that I believe these first four months of 2005 are a vitally important time in the life of our spiritual journey together. We began the year talking about “revolutionary discipleship” (what it means to be a Christ-follower). During Lent, we looked at a … Read more
John 20.24-29Hebrews 11.1Deuteronomy 8 Indiana Jones’ Step of FaithIn Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana Jones is involved in a search for the Holy Grail, the cup from which Christ drank at the Last Supper. As the film reaches its climax, Indy must go through three tests in order to reach the Grail. In … Read more
John 11.1-44John 20.1-23 The story behind “He Lives”Did you notice the hymn we just sang, closes with a question and answer, “You ask me how I know he lives? He lives within my heart.” This was a real question, asked of the author and composer, Alfred Ackley, except not so positively phrased. Ackley was preaching … Read more
John 20.1-23 Why is this night different from all other nights? That’s what a young child asks at Passover during the Jewish Passover meal. And the answer is, This is the night that God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt. Why is this day different from all other days? This is the day God … Read more
Matthew 5.1-12 – Beatitudes We sometimes talk about the last hurrah! – squeezing in that last bit of something good. Like when Indian Summer comes in the fall, that last bit of warm weather before winter settles in on us – that is the last hurrah of summer. What we have come to know as Palm … Read more
Our closing hymn last week, Where He Leads Me, impacted me in an unexpected way. I shared a little bit about that during the benediction, saying that I can’t think of a more dangerous prayer, or statement of commitment: “Wherever he leads me, I will follow.” This idea leads us right into this week’s talk, … Read more
Matthew 5.1-12 – Beatitudes Commercial for Cholesterol Lowering MedicineA set of twins at the gym are walking down the hallway. They both look in good physical condition, but one walks right into the glass partition. Both look alike on the outside, but one has high cholesterol. The commercial points out that we cannot tell what … Read more
One of the vital habits of growing disciples involves the process of becoming immersed in God’s Word. I believe that if we’re going to be devoted followers of Jesus, we must be people of the book! And if we’re going to be a missional community after God’s own heart, we must be people of the … Read more