Church

When many people speak of unity, they are actually referring to uniformity.  This can be true on a team, in a relationship, at church, or in the workforce. I cut my religious teeth in a fellowship of churches that began as a unity movement.  The idea was simple: let's drop denominational distinctions and just be Christians.  Unity was to be found in Jesus Christ.  "No creed but Christ" was one of the rallying cries. After a while, the urge to have uniformity trumped the desire to be united. What is the difference? Unity is a relational bond that is generated by the Spirit.  It binds hearts together around a common Lord and a common purpose.  It doesn't eliminate differences but allows us to navigate them with grace.  Unity that is Spirit-generated and Spirit-driven will lead us to look for mutual interests, but all the while submitting ourselves to a higher cause.…

Paul issues this challenge to every Christ-follower: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." -- Philippians 2:4-5 Not all ambition is bad.  There is nothing wrong with aspiring to be a better husband or father.  It's perfectly fine to desire to memorize more of God's Word or to spend additional time in prayer.  Ambition, when properly directed, is a good thing. But when it's not a God thing, it's not a good thing. In other words, whenever we pursue something for our own glory or recognition, we are robbing God of what is rightfully due him.  This is why Paul speaks so directly -- do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  There is never an appropriate time to exalt ourselves over God. Whenever…

I like to joke with people about where I was born and raised.   My usual line is, "Peoria is a good place to be from" -- with the emphasis on "from."  But all joking aside, I'm very grateful for where I was raised.  And to be fair, I was born in Peoria but actually raised in East Peoria -- emphasis on East. Growing up in Central Illinois grounded me with Midwestern sensibilities.  It certainly shaped my sense of community, values, and perspective. This lesson came home to me when I graduated high school and headed south to Tennessee for college. In East Peoria, as in much of the Midwest, girls were friendly but too friendly (At least back in the 1980's).  There was a certain aloofness between boys and girls that helped you measure the romantic meter.  In other words, it wasn't common for a girl to run up…

We are launching a new series at Mountainview this weekend.  It's called "Onward" and it will walk us through the entire book of Philippians.  Written by the Apostle Paul while in prison, Philippians is both a very personal and pastoral letter.  In this short book we get a glimpse into Paul's friendships and we hear his loving concern for them. Many commentators often draw attention to the theme of joy that runs throughout the book.  Depending on how you parse it, the word joy or one of its companions appears nineteen times in four chapters.  As you know, whenever a writer repeats a word or phrase that many times -- it must be important to him or her.  For Paul, the joy of the Lord is a very real and present part of life, even when he is writing from a prison cell. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I…

Many coffee shops thrive as a "third place."  People gather to meet with one another, hold meetings, share stories and tears, all over a cup of (hopefully) good coffee.  The idea behind a "third place" is simple: After home and work, people need a third place to go -- a place to socialize and reconnect.  People need to feel a sense of community.  Coffee shops like Starbucks and Peets have built a strong reputation as a "third place." Which makes this morning's observation a little ironic. I'm sitting in one of the aforementioned third places and it's filled with people.  The only thing most of them seem connected to is the Internet.  If they are socializing, it is on Facebook.  To be fair, some of them are on their phones.  Not talking on their phones but on their phones nonetheless. What is it about a coffee shop that draws together…