Ken

"It is a mistake to look to the Bible to close a discussion; the Bible seeks to open one." - William Sloane Coffin One of the great mysteries of the universe is this: God wants to have a relationship with you.  And with me.  And my neighbor, too. How do you approach the Bible?  Do you go there to prove a point or to hear a voice, a different perspective -- God's perspective.  Do you listen for nuances of God's character? Years ago I heard someone say, we should not seek to master the Bible but to have the Bible master us.  If we simply use the Bible to answer questions on a quiz, we are missing the point.  Right doctrine definitely matters.  But behind the doctrine is God's desire to have a relationship with us. Instead of using the Bible to close a discussion ("now that settles it"), ask…

"Sympathy is no substitute for action." - David Livingstone Often we hear a piece of bad news and it makes us feel bad.  Children shouldn't suffer, innocent people shouldn't be oppressed, no one should have to live in squalor.  With so much bad news coming at us, the challenge is to remain sympathetic without becoming hardened. While that is challenging enough, the greater challenge is to move beyond sympathy to action.  Maybe we can't fix all the world's problems, but that's missing the point.  What problem can we solve?

"The Bible tells us to love our neighbors and to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people."  --  G.K. Chesterton

We were able to start our church in San Diego because a band of courageous Christ-followers took a bold step: they sold their church building.  After years of declining attendance, the building was debt-free but little money was left over for ministry.  Rather than just hold on, they liquidated their biggest asset and used the funds to start two new churches.  The ripples of that decisions are still being felt. All across the country there are scores of faithful believers who meet in small numbers every Sunday.  Their love of God remains unchanged.  Their desire to see people come to know Jesus is still there.  Unfortunately, they often lack the resources they need to make an impact in their community.  Weekly offerings pay the utilities and a part-time salary.  They are under-resourced with one exception: they may own their property "free and clear." At this point, I see four options:…