Soul Talk

The Church is Family

I loved this paragraph from an article written by Francis Chan.

"A while back, an ex-gang member got baptized at Cornerstone. He fell in love with Jesus and turned from his old lifestyle. After several months at the church, he stopped attending. When we asked hm why he stopped attending, he answered: "I had the wrong idea of what church was going to be like. When I joined the church, I thought it was going to be like joining a gang. You see in the gangs we weren't just nice to each other once a week - we were family."

How important is it that we have a place where we are loved, and where we are real with each other?  Not just love, but truth with love. It seems to me this makes a great case for the argument that we need small group accountability and large group challenge. From the weekend to the one-on-one we need to love each other enough to challenge each other to live out the calling of Jesus.

Family Covenant

Great day yesterday with a terrific message on parenting. One of my favorite quotes of the day, "Don't be concerned that your kids don't doeverything you say. Be concerned that they see everything you do."

The importance of a daily model and "as you go" teaching can not be over estimated. I recall from Scott McNight's book, "Jesus Creed," that he talked about the power of the "shemah " in Jesus' life.  The shemah is the cornerstone verse of the Jewish faith. Everyday of his life Jesus heard the Shemah and it was the central to all that He taught, "Hear, Oh Israel, the Lord is one. Love the Lord with all your heart...." It's a great example of belief linked with behavior.

Fall has Arrived!

The highs have been in the 60s for most of this week and today I find myself sitting outside of my local Starbucks sipping an iced green tea, enjoying the sun and light breeze while blogging. Wow!

This kind of time has become sabbath for me. I have my bible, my daily office book, and my iPohne playing my favorite music. I love this!

Loving and Running

In the story of Jonah we see a man of God who loves to preach but wants to choose his audience. Jonah has issues. So do I.

I love my time with God. So why do I not run to him and instead fill my life with lesser things?

Jonah probably thought well of his skills in communication and wanted to achieve great things for God, so do I. So why do I work in my own strength instead of His?

Jonah thought following God's plan would mean sacrifice. He forgot that the greatest adventure is always God's plan.

Lord, help me to love, follow, be, lean on, learn from ... You.