Church

Vince Lombardi is best known as the coach of the Green Bay Packers.  Along with guys like John Wooden, Lombardi is recognized as one of the greatest coaches of all time.  His quotes and one-liners have been used in a variety of settings to instill basic leadership and life principles. At the start of every football season, Lombardi would do the same thing.  He'd gather all the players -- veterans and rookies alike -- at mid-field and give the same speech.  He would hold up a football and say, "Gentleman, this is a football."  He would go on to describe all the things you could do with a football: carry it, throw it, kick it.  He would point to the end zone and remind the players that the ultimate goal was to move this football over those lines and to keep the other team from doing the same. It was…

Have you ever noticed a connection between dependance and devotion?  In other words, the more dependent we tend to be on something (or someone), the more devoted we are to that thing or person. We see this connection in the early church.  In Acts 2:42, Luke tells us that they devoted themselves to four things: the apostles teaching, the fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer.  They didn't dabble in these things; they were devoted to them. This devotion was birthed out of dependence. Peter voiced it well, even before the death of Jesus: "Lord, to whom shall we go?" (John 6:68).  This sense of dependency continued after Jesus' resurrection.  In fact, it's included in his last words to them before he ascended back to heaven: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and…

Former Yankee catcher Yogi Berra is best known for his off-the-wall quotes. "A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore."  "I always thought a record would stand until it was broken."  "I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did."  And one of my favorites: "Ninety percent of this game is half mental." The story is told that Berra was catching in a tied-game, two outs in the bottom of the ninth.  The opposing team's batter stepped into the batter's box and proceeded to draw a cross on home plate.  Berra, who was also Catholic, wiped out the plate with his glove and said, "Why don't we let God just watch this game?" When it comes to baseball (or football), that's actually a pretty good theological statement.  We may pray for safety or enjoyment, but I'm not sure that God gets too caught…

Life is a series of choices. For example, I choose to drink coffee on a daily basis.  Even more so, I choose to not put cream or sugar in my coffee.  Until recently, I also chose to not drink coffee with ice in it (I was convinced that God himself disliked cold coffee – a total misinterpretation of the Old Testament). Your life is a series of choices, too. Every day you choose what to eat, what to wear, whether to work out or sleep in.  You choose how to spend your time – watching television, reading a book, or doing crossword puzzles. You choose the words you use.  You choose your tone of voice.  You choose to pray or not to pray. The question is not will you make a choice but will you make the right choice?  And will you continue to make the right choice again and…

Corrie Ten Boom once said, “Be united with other Christians.  A wall with loose bricks is not good.  The bricks must be cemented together.” I learned that lesson the hard way as a rambunctious kindergartener who climbed a wall with loose bricks.  It was not good.  In fact, the wall collapsed and I broke my left leg.  Adding insult to injury (at least to a five-year-old boy), a neighbor girl had to carry me home. Too many Christ-followers are too independent.  Their lives resemble a wall with loose bricks.  Decoratively speaking, the wall may appear to be OK.  With a little pressure, challenge, or storm, the wall collapses. "The bricks must be cemented together."