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Righteous… redefined

I had the opportunity to speak at the chapel service for Central Christian College in McPherson, Ks, this past week. I always enjoy speaking at colleges and chapel services, but this week was a real opportunity.

I was the lead speaker for their Justice Week: a call for all Christians to recognize the weak, the poor, the over looked and bring Godly justice to the world.

Awesome!

Below you will find the podcast for this message, but there are a couple of notes:

1) I recorded it with my iPhone setting on a music stand with my notes. So, if you hear some rustling… it’s just me.

2) I referenced/used a video during the message from The International Justice Mission. I am including a link for you to watch it after the message and see what they saw: VIDEO FROM IJM

The passage that I taught from is Proverbs 29:7

“The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.”

I’d encourage you readers/listeners to do the same as I did the students. Do something to bring justice to a broken world. Here are a few options:

Central Christian Chapel Service Podcast [ 30:30 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
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When walking on water is only step one…

I must give credit where it is due.

I have been reading a book by Pastor Steven Furtick called Sun Stand Still. I’m not finished with it so I can’t fully recommend it yet, but so far… pretty awesome (Kindle says I’m 59% finished, so, I give it a full 59% endorsement).Sun Stand Still Cover

By the way, it may be a while before I finish. It’s a treadmill book which makes it pretty slow going. Highlighting is almost impossible.

One of the great concepts in the book is with worth repeating, but as any even mediocre preacher worth his weight in bulletins knows, you can’t just repeat it. You have to improve it.

I got this.

I love the concept of hearing, speaking and doing. If we are going to have audacious faith that allows us to be used by God to do what would be impossible without Him, we must be in the Biblical pattern of hearing, speaking and doing. According to Furtick:

  • Hearing the Word initiates faith
  • Speaking the Word activates faith
  • Doing the Word demonstrates faith

One without the other two is pointless. Two without the third is a shame. All three together are a powder keg of spiritual movement that comes from, operates in and produces God stuff in our lives.

Continue reading “When walking on water is only step one…”

Posted on

When walking on water is only step one…

I must give credit where it is due.

I have been reading a book by Pastor Steven Furtick called Sun Stand Still. I’m not finished with it so I can’t fully recommend it yet, but so far… pretty awesome (Kindle says I’m 59% finished, so, I give it a full 59% endorsement).Sun Stand Still Cover

By the way, it may be a while before I finish. It’s a treadmill book which makes it pretty slow going. Highlighting is almost impossible.

One of the great concepts in the book is with worth repeating, but as any even mediocre preacher worth his weight in bulletins knows, you can’t just repeat it. You have to improve it.

I got this.

I love the concept of hearing, speaking and doing. If we are going to have audacious faith that allows us to be used by God to do what would be impossible without Him, we must be in the Biblical pattern of hearing, speaking and doing. According to Furtick:

  • Hearing the Word initiates faith
  • Speaking the Word activates faith
  • Doing the Word demonstrates faith

One without the other two is pointless. Two without the third is a shame. All three together are a powder keg of spiritual movement that comes from, operates in and produces God stuff in our lives.

Continue reading “When walking on water is only step one…”

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It’s time you got put in your place

One of the hardest words in the English language is also one of the best words: wait.

Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”

Great verse, makes a wonderful refrigerator magnet, almost nobody I know lives by it… including the author (insert sigh of desperation here).

But, the benefits of waiting are reflected in the receiving.

When we wait we get what is almost always better for us. In waiting we allow God to do His work. When we wait we are ready to receive the bigger, better, righter (yes, I know it’s not a word) thing that God wants us to have.

When we don’t wait, we move too quickly, too impulsively, too selfishly, and we tend to get the cheap imitation of the thing we really need or want. We too often get less than what God wants for us. We get what we can get a hold of, not what He wants to give.

For example, how many marriages have dissolved because two young lovers just wouldn’t wait? They forced a marriage that was never meant to be.

How about finances? How many of us have ever bought into the “greatest deal ever” only to live in total regret within a few years, months, weeks or even days?

It’s a pattern that’s all too clear. It’s just weird that we don’t learn from it. It’s like a dog who keeps going back to the same human for a good scratching, but every time he goes there he just gets kicked. Yet, he keeps going back.

We’ve got to learn to wait. I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of getting kicked!

Continue reading “It’s time you got put in your place”

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What’s with the attitude… I like it

So here’s a thought, what if God  isn’t so much interested in changing you as He is in using  you?

Don’t get all uptight and assume I’m saying what I’m not. We are sinful and broken and through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ we become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). I’m not talking about our sin nature (seriously, that  has to change), but more along the lines of our personality.

I’ve been a believer, and church staff member for more than a couple decades now, and I’ve seen a  universal assumption emerge. People assume that when Jesus forgives your sins He also requires a total ‘nerd’ over. A hyper-spiritual, KJV makeover if you will.

I don’t know when it got communicated, but somewhere in our ancient Christian past a rumor got started that eventually became accepted as truth. The rumor was that God not only wants to save your soul, He wants to give you a spiritual lobotomy.

I don’t think that’s the case. In fact, I am pretty sure that confessing Jesus is Lord does not require a mandatory follow-up of throwing away all your music and listening only Christian worship elevator tunes, replacing your entire wardrobe with sweater vest ensembles, and learning to say “ Well, praise the Lord!”  at the end of every sentence you use.

Continue reading “What’s with the attitude… I like it”