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Living as Missionaries
I have been mesmerized by the realization this world is not my home. Remember that old gospel song? The world is not my home I'm just a passin' through It's really old, and a bit hokey (especially if you remember the tune), but it's 100% true. This world is not my home because I am a follower of Jesus. His kingdom is "not of this world." So while my wife and I may have a house in Old Hickory, Tennessee, the United States of America, planet Earth, my heart longs to go to the place where I truly fit in--the kingdom of my Lord. The apostle Paul had a phrase to describe this. He called followers of Jesus "citizens of another kingdom." I love that. Read the full post…
I have been mesmerized by the realization this world is not my home. Remember that old gospel song? The world is not my home I'm just a passin' through It's really old, and a bit hokey (especially if you remember the tune), but it's 100% true. This world is not my home because I am a follower of Jesus. His kingdom is "not of this world." So while my wife and I may have a house in Old Hickory, Tennessee, the United States of America, planet Earth, my heart longs to go to the place where I truly fit in--the kingdom of my Lord. The apostle Paul had a phrase to describe this. He called followers of Jesus "citizens of another kingdom." I love that. Read the full post…
Wasting Away on TV
I'm a bit distressed today. I have been over the past few days actually. I'm wondering if how I am living my life is truly investing in the kingdom of God instead of the kingdom of this world. Here's an example. Lynsey (my wife) and I have recently added another step to our nightly ruitine. We normally start getting ready for bed around 9 or 9:30. She brushes her teeth and washes her face while I read for a little while or fiddle with something. Then I brush my teeth. Then we work on our memory verses and pray. Normally we would just go to sleep after that. But lately we've been watching a TV show that we have 2 seasons of on DVD. After the show we drift to sleep. If we watch one hour of that show every day like we have the past few weeks, that is 365 hours per year. If we do this for the next 50 years (I'll be 75 and probably die then), we will have invested 18,250 hours of our lives in a TV show. Read the full post…
I'm a bit distressed today. I have been over the past few days actually. I'm wondering if how I am living my life is truly investing in the kingdom of God instead of the kingdom of this world. Here's an example. Lynsey (my wife) and I have recently added another step to our nightly ruitine. We normally start getting ready for bed around 9 or 9:30. She brushes her teeth and washes her face while I read for a little while or fiddle with something. Then I brush my teeth. Then we work on our memory verses and pray. Normally we would just go to sleep after that. But lately we've been watching a TV show that we have 2 seasons of on DVD. After the show we drift to sleep. If we watch one hour of that show every day like we have the past few weeks, that is 365 hours per year. If we do this for the next 50 years (I'll be 75 and probably die then), we will have invested 18,250 hours of our lives in a TV show. Read the full post…
A Thought on the Purpose of Church Services
That being said, I wonder if we're going about how we do our "church services" all wrong. I have been in church my entire life and the whole time I have viewed the gathering of believers ("church") as a place that was supposed to be geared toward making unbelievers feel welcome. In fact, the thing today is to make the Sunday morning service "relevant" to unbelievers and welcoming. The idea is for believers to invite their unbelieving friends to that gathering so they will in turn accept the gospel at that event. But, when you consider the fact church is for believers, it throws a kink in that concept. If church is a body of believers, why would the primary gathering for those believers be taylored for people who aren't supposed to come anyway? Read the full post…
That being said, I wonder if we're going about how we do our "church services" all wrong. I have been in church my entire life and the whole time I have viewed the gathering of believers ("church") as a place that was supposed to be geared toward making unbelievers feel welcome. In fact, the thing today is to make the Sunday morning service "relevant" to unbelievers and welcoming. The idea is for believers to invite their unbelieving friends to that gathering so they will in turn accept the gospel at that event. But, when you consider the fact church is for believers, it throws a kink in that concept. If church is a body of believers, why would the primary gathering for those believers be taylored for people who aren't supposed to come anyway? Read the full post…
Stirring My Affection for Christ
I read a blog post the other day by Matt Chandler about things that stirred his affection for Christ and things that didn't stir his affection for Christ. It has me thinking. What things stir my affection for Christ? What things make me long for Christ and His glory? What things make me long for something else? I thought I'd try to make a list for each. Most of these things are intrinsically neutral. It's interesting how my sinful nature takes neutral things and perverts them. Read the full post…
I read a blog post the other day by Matt Chandler about things that stirred his affection for Christ and things that didn't stir his affection for Christ. It has me thinking. What things stir my affection for Christ? What things make me long for Christ and His glory? What things make me long for something else? I thought I'd try to make a list for each. Most of these things are intrinsically neutral. It's interesting how my sinful nature takes neutral things and perverts them. Read the full post…
Christianity Is Stupid
Lately I've been thinking I fit in too much with the world. And I don't mean this in a stereotypical I'm-listening-to-too-much-secular-music kind of way. It seems like Christians try really, really hard to be respected and relevant to the world around us. If we could just get unbelievers to see that we're normal people, then maybe they won't be so weirded out by Christianity. The more I've been reading in the New Testament, the more I'm coming to understand that we're not necessarily supposed to be liked by the world around us. In fact, we're not supposed to be surprised if the world hates us. To take it a step further, the message of the cross is supposed to make us sound foolish! Like idiots! Let me explain. Read the full post…
Lately I've been thinking I fit in too much with the world. And I don't mean this in a stereotypical I'm-listening-to-too-much-secular-music kind of way. It seems like Christians try really, really hard to be respected and relevant to the world around us. If we could just get unbelievers to see that we're normal people, then maybe they won't be so weirded out by Christianity. The more I've been reading in the New Testament, the more I'm coming to understand that we're not necessarily supposed to be liked by the world around us. In fact, we're not supposed to be surprised if the world hates us. To take it a step further, the message of the cross is supposed to make us sound foolish! Like idiots! Let me explain. Read the full post…
