About me…
My role as an executive pastor is something like a Chief Operations Officer and a Senior Associate Pastor. I love connecting high capacity people and getting them the resources they need to make a difference in our world through the local church.
I also love working to develop creative solutions for communications, technology and ministry programs that reach our communities.
Sep
15
Are We Wired to Party?
Filed Under Spiritual Life | Leave a Comment
Check out this video from a Flash Mob event initiated by a Black Eyed Peas
concert in downtown Chicago and you have to wonder what causes people to
want to do this? Watch carefully and you’ll notice that it’s choreographed!
Thousands of people dancing the same dance together! I think you see
something similar at professional sporting events – thousands and thousands
of people cheering for their team. Or at a good rock concert, singing together.
Could it be that we are wired to party? To celebrate together? I suspect
that part of being made in God’s image is the innate desire to celebrate, to
worship, to join together with others in a flat out party about something bigger
than ourselves. When I watched this video I saw more than a Flash Mob event.
I saw joy, life, celebration. And I wonder if this isn’t what worship is suppose to be like.
Exodus 15:1
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD : “I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted.
Judges 5:3
“Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I will sing to the LORD, I will sing; I will make music to the LORD, the God of Israel.
Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day.
Psalm 68:32
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord, Selah
Psalm 95:1
Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Isaiah 12:5
Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.
Sep
14
Running on Empty
Filed Under Christian life, Spiritual Life | Leave a Comment
It’s amazing how easy it is for us to be harsh with those who do not meet our expectations or appear to be in error in their actions. In fact, most of us are quick to pass judgment on others while we cut ourselves a great deal of slack. Paul told the Roman believers this just should not be. We, who have experienced the transformation of God’s love, should be the one’s who reflect that very love to others. Why are we so quick to pass judgment? What is it about our make up that causes us to quickly throw others under the bus when we perceive some wrong doing? While our sinfulness is the obvious answer, the root of the issue may
be are causal treatment of God’s love. There is, at times, an almost cavalier attitude with which we handle the love of God. But the truth is, if we took God’s great love seriously, it would change everything about us. Read Romans 2:1-4 and then carefully consider these words from verse 4 – “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” It was not the harshness of God that touched our hearts and drew us to Christ; it was His love. According to Paul, “the kindness of God leads you to repentance”.
It is this kindness and love which must permeate our lives as well. A judgmental attitude should be a warning sign to us that our spiritual love meter is running on empty. And while we may want to make the corrective measure for this complicated, it is not. The only way to reverse a judgmental attitude is by spending time with God. Confess to the Lord the sin of your judgmental attitude, and watch Him melt away the hardness of your heart as He reminds you of how much He loves you. My prayer for us is that we will fill up on God’s love and it will overflow in to the lives of those around us who will see the very love God!
