The Bible is filled with ideas. Some ideas are beautiful, others are challenging, some give us comfort, others bring a deep fear. But Christianity is so much bigger than ideas. I hope our journey through the Gospel of Matthew can convince you of that. We may be tempted to think that Jesus is all about … Read more
It seems to me we travel through life generally seeking our own self-interests. When we consider what kind of impression we want to leave with people, we naturally want to leave a positive impression of ourselves. Now, that’s not all bad. Nobody wants to spend time with someone who leaves them with a bad impression … Read more
The theme of the 2012 Minnesota South District Convention was “Free and Focused.” The theme verse was taken from 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Take a read: For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, … Read more
Which tense to we use? When we refer to ourselves as being baptized, are we speaking in the past tense or the present tense? If we speak in the past tense, then our baptism into Christ is something that happened long ago, a piece of history that may or may not impact our lives at … Read more
I recently heard Rev. Dan Hudson from Sanctuary Church in Manhattan, IL speak at the Movement Conference hosted by LINC – Twin Cities. Now, much of the conference moved me, but none more than an analogy that Dan drew up on a sheet of paper. It has to do with aligning our priorities with Jesus’ … Read more
Self-Expression I don’t usually tend to use political examples, but the “Occupy ____” movement has left me fascinated. For the longest time, analysts have tried to narrow down the message to a unified core, to no avail. Talk to five protesters and you get five different messages. Even the supposed leaders of the movement don’t … Read more
A New Look at Church Churches use slogans like that to make themselves seem hip and cool. I don’t know if we’re hip and cool, but I do think we’ve discovered some things about church over these last few years that bears some reflection. So, let’s take a brief look in the mirror. GodSpeak: Integrated … Read more
Have you grown up? Most people who read this will say yes. You’re an adult. You have years under your belt and the responsibilities to go with it. You’ve grown up! Some would say they never really grow up. Not that they play with toys all their life, but that they’re always growing, always learning, … Read more
One of the things impressed upon me by my seminary education and my subsequent years as your pastor is that I’m not as smart as I want to think I am. The saying is very true: The more you know, the more you know how much you don’t know. So, I try to make learning … Read more
Difference Making It seems hard wired into us that we want to make a difference. Why do you think that is? Because, here’s the problem. There are over 6 billion people in the world! It’s easy to look into this great big world full of so many challenges, injustices and evils and feel small, insignificant … Read more