the journey

Flickr Fridays

Bent But Not Broken
Originally uploaded by levi_d.

“The rain and snow come down from the heavens
and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,
producing seed for the farmer
and bread for the hungry.
It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
You will live in joy and peace.
The mountains and hills will burst into song,
and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow.
Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up.
These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name;
they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.”
 Isaiah 55:6-13 (New Living Translation)

Technorati Tags : Flickr

The Real Mary

In preparation this weekend, I've enjoyed reading a sample chapter from Scot McKnight's new book, The Real Mary.  I've enjoyed it so much, I've even added it to my Amazon wish list.

 

Here's a quote to consider:

 

We need to consider her context--what it would have been like for a first-century teenage Jewish woman to trust God and what it would have been like to tell this conception story first to her family and then to Joseph, and then to others in public. And when we consider this context, we will come into touch with Mary's real faith.  We can romanticize her faith, and we can idealize her example and we can stiffen her up by standing her up in a Christmas creche, but we can't get away from the stubborn reality that a young women pregnant before marriage, would have a questionable and spreading reputation--however false the accusations.

 

Scot McKnight in The Real Mary, p. 11.

 

Technorati Tags : Mary, Jesus, Christmas

The Passion of the Christ, The Chronicles of Narnia & now Rocky Balboa, what's next?

Hollywood has figured out that marketing to churches is a good (lucrative) thing. You'll undoubtedly remember the church "tie-ins" with The Passion the Christ and The Chronicles of Narnia.

 

The latest entry is ROCKY BALBOA.

 

Yep, I couldn't make this up.

 

A film that glorifies fighting/violence is being marketed to churches as a film about courage, integrity, faith and victory.  Is this what Paul meant by "fight" the good fight?  Yikes.  Maybe I missed that Pauline quote that said:  "Take up thy gloves & punch."

 

Take a look at rockeyresources.com for all the latest video clips, promotion resources & computer screen savers.  Frankly, I think this will be a fun, Christmastime movie to see.  But I'm "fighting" the urge to use it as a sermon series.  :-) 

 

HT: Bob Blog

 

Technorati Tags : Rocky+Balboa

Left Behind: Eternal Forces draws criticism

Earlier today, I received this e-mail from The Christian Alliance for Progress.  I join them in opposing the deplorable way Christianity is being portrayed:

The Christian Alliance for Progress deplores the release of the video game Left Behind: Eternal Forces in which the game's object is to convert or kill any who stand in opposition to the ideology that the game and its companion book series seek to promote.  We urge the game's sponsor, Tyndale House, a Christian publishing business which used to be concerned with sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, to recall its values and withdraw its support for such an un-Christian enterprise as this.

 

The game, which comes with a copy of one of the books in the series, represents a relatively novel way of interpreting the book of Revelation and the biblical passages that treat the end of history and the coming kingdom of God, whose origin is less than 200 years old.  It thus rejects the historic ways of reading Revelation and the coming of God's kingdom that have sustained followers of Christianity for two thousand years.  It also rejects the insights of biblical scholarship and deliberately misreads Revelation as a book of prophecy, rather than the kind of literature it actually is, which is apocalyptic.

 

Worse, rather than seeking to close the gap between neighbors, as Jesus did in his ministry, the game's purpose is to drive a wedge between people, teaching teenagers that what God intends is for them to slaughter those who do not share their beliefs. Because of the predominance of Christian fundamentalists on television and radio in the past generation, the American people have been left with the false impression that this strange way of interpreting the Bible is what Christians have always believed and taught.  We are here today to challenge that view and to name it for the error that it is.

Source: Christian Alliance for Progress

 

Technorati Tags : Left+Behind, Tyndale+House

On-line Advent calendars

Here's two on-line Advent calendars you'll want to know about. 

• The Episcopal Diocese of Washington
• Following the Star (begins December 3rd)

As we hold our breath waiting, hoping, preparing for Christmas, may the Christ of Christmas begin working in all of us, through the season of Advent.

Tags: Advent, Christmas, Advent calendar

Born to a frightened, young girl

This weekend, we'll begin a new series entitled Humble Beginnings.  The first sermon in this series focuses on Mary.  Here's what N.T. Wright has to say about Mary:

Mary is, to that extent, the supreme example of what always happens when God is at work by grace through human beings.  God's power from outside, and the indwelling spirit within, together result in things being done which would have been unthinkable any other way.

Source: Luke for Everyone by Tom Wright, p. 11.

Tags: Tom+Wright

Crossroads receives $7000 grant

Dave Ramsey offers life-changing financial advice as host of the nationally syndicated radio program, "The Dave Ramsey Show," which is heard by more than 2 million listeners each week, on more than 250 radio stations throughout the United States.  Locally, Dave can be heard on TalkRadio 570 KLIF, weekdays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

 

Last week, we were presented a $7000 grant to offer his 13-week bible-based "Financial Peace University" course in the Spring of 2007. 

 

It's a way of being lifeline of hope to those finances are out-of-control, or to those who simply want a plan for preparing for a financially-secure future.

 

No, this isn't a get rich quick scheme or another incarnation of the "Gospel of Prosperity."  It's simply sound financial advice for those who might need it most. 

 

More details will be available soon . . .

 

Technorati Tags : Crossroads+Church, Dave+Ramsey

Oh, the joy of butter!

 

 

Seriously, which is healthier?  Butter or margarine?

 

Technorati Tags : Thanksgiving, turkey, butter

Church planting: How will you define failure?

I do a lot of thinking about "church planting" because we are a new church-start.  We're only three years old (well, almost)-- a mere infant.

So, it shouldn't be any surprise that this quotation caught my attention today:

Failure? In a conversation with a good friend on the day we decided to plant this church, he asked me a great question: How will you define failure? I realized through our talk that failure wasn’t if we did this and had to close the doors in a year because not many people showed up and we couldn’t pay the bills. Failure would be if we failed to love the people God did bring us, if we failed to love each other in community, if we failed to feed, clothe and otherwise care for anyone. That would be failure… not if we simply failed to achieve any type of long term momentum and institutional stability.

I realized that for me personally, failure would be if I didn’t even try.

Source: Open Source Theology

Tags: church planting, church growth

Checkmate

Three of the most famous chess matches on record are:

1) Bobby Fisher vs. Borris Spassky (1972)
2) Deep Blue vs. Kasparov (1996/97)
3) Jesus Christ vs. Governor Pilate

This weekend we'll take a look at the match between Governor Pilate, the cynical insider who had consistly knocked off all challengers, and Jesus Christ, the upstart revolutionary who had been raising eyebrows by his rule-bending mercy & unrelenting compassion.

This weekend it's:
"Checkmate"
John 18:33-37

We hope to see you then!