Blogs

The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) – The big debate about them over the past several decades is whether it is OK to post them on the walls of schools and government buildings. The TEN, as they are called, are common to all cultures, according to anthropologist, Clyde Kuckhon. This makes sense if they are rooted in the character of God and we are created in His image.

Moses was given The Ten by God on the mountain to bring to the people as God’s covenant commitments. Once they were delivered, Moses placed them in the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) – The big debate about them over the past several decades is whether it is OK to post them on the walls of schools and government buildings. The TEN, as they are called, are common to all cultures, according to anthropologist, Clyde Kuckhon. This makes sense if they are rooted in the character of God and we are created in His image.

Moses was given The Ten by God on the mountain to bring to the people as God’s covenant commitments. Once they were delivered, Moses placed them in the Ark of the Covenant.

My wife and I watched the movie, The Green Lantern, the other day. A very forgettable movie in many ways, but there were some elements in the movie that have some very strong "kingdom" corollaries . 

For the last 2 weeks I have cried out in the night and meditated on the Word of God.  I asked God to break into my heart and remove all that hinders His love!    Throughout my prayer times, I felt led to meditate on James.  This is not my normal "Go To" book in the Bible.  I like Acts, Ephesians and Psalms because they make me feel good, but James challenges the core of my heart.  I obeyed and started to study this powerful book, and it changed me. These verses impacted me the most. 

Jeremiah has been an interesting journey at this time in my life and in the life of Christ Church. The primary time period of Jeremiah is the exile from their home to captivity in Babylon. In the midst of a time of incredible upheaval and transitions when the very foundations of their religious structure is crashing down, Jeremiah speaks God's words of hope for the future. 

"This is what the Lord says, 'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.'" Jeremiah 6:16

The imagery here is of God's people in desperate times. In the midst of that, they are standing at a decision point: Will we take the ancient path, the good way that the Lord is leading us to or will we reject God's way in favor of our own?

There is a phrase that is floating around that speaks to being "right sized" as a church. This means having the right number of staff and the right mix to be able to do what we are called to do. That means being perfectly sized to work the mission and make progress toward the vision that God has given us.

have been impressed by God's leaders as I have been reading in our 365 Day Challenge. Ezra is an amazing man of God. He was given the charge to go back to Jerusalem to be the teacher of this remant of Jews who were rebuilding the temple.

Our reading today in the 365 day challenge is in 2 Chronicles 9 & 10. It is the sad end to the "golden era." It seems to me that seeds of decay are sown into these golden eras in the life of God's community.

The final scene of Solomon's life was his focus on parading HIS wealth and HIS wisdom before a foreign queen. The irony is that she reflects back to him the true source of his wealth and wisdom,

Yesterday, in the reading for the 356 Day Challenge, I was moved by the passage in 1 Chronicles 28 & 29. David is transfering the leadership of the kingdom to his son, Solomon. So, he gathers all the people including the mighty men and all the brave warriors.

One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is Psalm 34. It starts off with: "I will praise the Lord at ALL times. I will constantly speak His praises. I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord's greatness; let us exalt His name TOGETHER." (Verses 1-3 NLT).