When a person first begins preaching, or public speaking in general, the most intimidating thing about the crowd is ... the crowd. For whatever reason, they are all staring at you! There's no place to hide and some of them don't even blink. One of the mistakes a new speaker or preacher most often makes has to do with the eyes. They don't make eye contact. Instead, they look down, over the top of the crowd, at the clock, their notes, their feet, trying to find the exit sign -- anywhere but at the crowd. Ironically, refusing to make eye contact is counter-productive. When we make eye contact with a fellow sympathetic human being (who wants us to succeed so that they can stay awake), we find reassurance rather than anxiety. The false wall between crowd and speaker begins to break down. We're reminded of what we share in…
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The country of Nepal is best known for being the home of Mt. Everest. What isn't as known about Nepal is that it is also a conduit for the sex trafficking industry. Young children are smuggled across the border from Nepal into India, and into a life of abuse. Our church is sending an exploratory mission team to Nepal to learn more about Christian efforts in Nepal to intercept these children BEFORE they enter the sex trade. There is also a growing Christian presence within Nepal and I will be meeting with Nepali pastors to see how we might partner with them to strengthen their churches. I'm especially excited for this trip because I have the opportunity to go with my oldest daughter, Hannah. She will turn sixteen just a few days before we leave for Nepal. Without a doubt, this trip may well be a life-changing experience for both…
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Have you noticed that very few human interactions are truly neutral? In other words, regardless of how short or long our interaction may be, we usually leave the interaction feeling either better or worse. It may be slightly better or only slightly worse, but we typically leave the interaction a different person. Now, in some cases, we leave the interaction drastically different. Perhaps a kind word redirects a very bleak morning. Or, as it sometimes happens, we leave an interaction with our heart racing and our blood boiling. Because we are social creatures, our social interactions leave an imprint. When we rub shoulders with another person, something rubs off. The residue might be barely noticeable or glaringly obvious. When Christians interact with other Christians, one of two things will make up the residue: encouragement or discouragement. Encouraging people spark joy instead of controversy. They delight in finding the right word…
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Last weekend I concluded our "Church 2.0" series on core values with a message about living a life of intentional mission. Individual Christ-followers are called to a life on mission. Churches, as communities of individual Christ-followers, are called to be on mission, too. I chose as my text 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10. The Thessalonian church was birthed in the midst of opposition. Acts 17, which tells the story of how the church began, describes Paul's opposition as rounding up a few "bad characters" who chased Paul out of town. Bad characters have been chasing preachers out of town ever since! 1 and 2 Thessalonians are two letters that Paul writes to the church he had helped establish to encourage and instruct them. As you read the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians, you quickly discover that this is a church that is living on mission. "You became imitators of us and of…
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Did you know that I live in temporary housing? And this may come as news to you, but I know that you live in temporary housing, too. Even though I've never been to many of your houses, I do know what color some of them are. To be honest, the paint is thinning on more than a few of them. Confused yet? Everyone lives in temporary housing. It's called your body. What feels like a permanent dwelling while in your 20's begins to show signs of wear and tear in your 40's (or sooner). As you grow older, the idea of permanent housing begins to lose steam. Our temporary housing is the cause of much confusion and heartache. Since we live in temporary housing, we tend to be shortsighted. We live moment-to-moment, a consequence of living in a temporary abode. Instead of finding a lasting satisfaction, we live on short…
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