Church

Here is a commercial that Hope and I shot to promote LifeGroup participation. Join a Lifegroup! from Mountainview on Vimeo.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." - Psalm 119:105* One of the best apps on my phone is the Flashlight app.  It turns the flash for your camera into a flashlight, allowing you to toggle between different levels of brightness.  It has saved me on more than one occasion when I needed to find my way -- or something I had dropped. Just like a real flashlight, it won't light up the entire area.  But it will light up enough of the area.  It will dispel enough darkness to allow me to move more freely than if I had no light at all.  Rather than grope along the wall, I can see far enough to take my next step. Psalm 119:105  reminds us that God's word is the best flashlight of all, illuminating our path better than we could for ourselves. Darkness…

A prophet's job is never dull.  Low pay.  Angry mobs.  Confronting those who have the power to put you in prison or have you killed.  No union benefits. Throughout Israel's history, the people have been on a roller coaster with God.  Obedient, blessed.  Rebellious, exiled.  And so it goes. In Isaiah 40, the prophet Isaiah challenges the attitude of his people.  Maybe you've been in a funk like this.  Work is hard.  Struggling to get out of bed.  Feeling abandoned by those around you -- feeling abandoned by God himself.  No answers.  No direction.  Silence. Here's how the Israelites feel: “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God" (Isaiah 40:27). They get no sympathy from Isaiah.  Instead, he asks, "Why do you say that?"  In other words, "Have you so quickly forgotten?"  "Have you lost your perspective?" He doesn't let them wallow in their…

When I was in high school, someone gave me a copy of Rubel Shelly's book, "I Just Want to be a Christian."  For the uninitiated, Rubel Shelly was an iconic figure in 20th Century Churches of Christ.  (For the record, he's still very much alive in the 21st Century ... check out his blog). When I'm asked about the books that have been most influential in my faith development, this one still ranks in the top five.  Here's why: it offers a clear and compelling call to simply be Christians and not sectarian or denominational.  For one raised in the Church of Christ, it provided a flashlight in the darkness of legalism.  The flashlight was powered by grace. Shelly shares a conversation he had with his father as his father was dying.  They discussed life and faith and matters of the church.  His father looked at him and said, "I…

I used to love playing tether ball.  A ball was roped to a pole and the winner was the first one to completely wrap the ball around the pole.  The ball could only go so far because it was "tethered" to the pole. Animals are trained by being tethered to a secure spot.  They grow up believing they can only go as far as the rope or chain will allow. I believe many of us are hindered by psychological tethers.  From nature or nurture, we inherit a set of limiting beliefs.  We grow up believing we can only go so far.  Perhaps we were trained to "know our place" or were told we weren't good enough. People learning to walk by faith and not by sight must deal with psychological tethers.  We can read "everything is possible for God" and still not believe it. What psychological tethers are holding you…