In these series of posts, I'm trying to move from lecture to lab. As Christ-followers who love Jesus and care about people, how do we effectively help our disconnected friends find their way back to God? Part one was to "think like a bridge." In other words, how can you move people one step closer to God? Our actions either encourage people to move towards God or away from God. Part two: walk on common ground. "Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity." (Colossians 4:5) Unfortunately, some Christians are known for what they are against. This antagonistic relationship with culture creates an "us versus them" mentality. Rather than see people far from God as people to be engaged, they are seen as people to be avoided -- or, even worse, as people to be defeated. The antagonistic perspective isn't focused on finding common…
Read More
Every now and then, I get reminded that life must move from the theoretical to the practical. This happened to me after my last blog post ("Helping People Find Their Way Back to God"). One of my friends on Facebook asked a simple question: How? How do you help people find their way back to God? We know that's what Christ-followers are supposed to do. But how? Assuming that you want to, how do you do it? So ... what will follow will be a series of posts that offer simple, biblical ways to help people find their way back to God. Part One: Think Like a Bridge "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ." (Ephesians 2:13) OK, technically-speaking, bridges don't think. At least I don't think they think. But stay with me ... There was a…
Read More
One day while walking along Broadway in downtown San Diego I saw an older homeless man passed out next to the sidewalk. His face was smashed sideways into the curb and his pants were down around his ankles. And he wasn't moving. A group of other homeless guys circled around him and began debating whether or not he was still alive. "I think he's dead." "He's not dead." "He sure looks dead." Finally, one of them, a fellow I recognized as Marvin, took his walking cane and stuck it in the man's ribs. He groaned. "He's not dead." With that, they all walked away and just left him there. I thought “I bet being homeless wasn’t one of his life goals when he was in his 20s or 30s.” When his parents changed his first diaper, did they look into his face and hope that he would one day be…
Read More
I started this Thanksgiving morning the way I start nearly every morning: by making coffee in my French press. I'm usually up before the sun, turning on as few lights as possible -- easing into my day. For today's coffee, I chose home-roasted beans from Peru. Life is good. Sure, not everything in life is good. We face disappointments, downturns, and diseases. Difficult stretches sometimes seem to stretch on forever. We're reminded, "This too shall pass," but we're not told when or how. Not all of life is easy, or sweet, or good. Some things in life just stink to high heaven. But today, of all days, I'm choosing to have an attitude of gratitude. I'm grateful for ... My family -- past, present, and yet to come My health My faith My friends My future My hope My opportunities My abilities My encouragers My critics My dreams My coffee…
Read More
In his book, Invisible God, author Phillip Yancey uses an illustration from practicing piano to illustrate why it's important to pay attention to fundamentals: "I do not play the scales for their own sake, but in order to play the grander pieces I must build on the daily mastery of the ordinary." The daily mastery of the ordinary. This is important lesson across many facets of life. Athletes know that to compete at a high level they must operate from a strong foundation of basic habits. Though an accountant may use Excel and pivot tables, many decisions often return to a basic understanding of addition and subtraction. When it comes to maintaining momentum in your spiritual life, it requires building on a daily mastery of the ordinary. The most gifted athletes practice. The most skilled musicians practice. People who mature in their faith have learned to practice the fundamentals of their faith.…
Read More