Church

Admit it: most of us don't like conflict.  And for those of you who do ... well, the rest of us try to avoid you. That being said, not all conflict is bad.  In some respects, conflict can be a gift.  Consider this: Conflict may move a person from apathy to action. Conflict may lead to the righting of a wrong. Conflict is a symptom that something is hurting.  Resolving the conflict brings healing. But I believe one of the best gifts conflict can provide is clarity.  In the midst of battle, core beliefs surface.  When faced with a difficult challenge, we must decide what to hold onto and what to let go.  In other words, "What am I willing to die for?" When the apostles, Peter and John, were confronted by the Sanhedrin and asked how they healed a lame man, they responded: "Rulers and elders of the people! If…

Over the years I have taught a "Discovering Your SHAPE" class at several different churches.  It's always one of the most enjoyable classes I teach.  In it we discuss how God has created our unique SHAPE: Spiritual gift Heart Abilities Personality Experiences Of these five form factors, our experiences are the most fluid.  In other words, the others are -- to some extent -- fixed.  They may modify through the years but remain relatively the same.  Our experiences, however, are always happening.  Life throws us a curveball.  Jobs change.  Neighbors move.  The economy crashes.  The economy returns.  Presidents get elected.  Kids grow up and get married.  Grandkids are born. Life happens. And with each new experience, God is adjusting our SHAPE.  In some cases, we may have a pattern of experiences that is preparing us to serve in a particular way.  At other times, it only takes one experience to…

As a kid in elementary school, I loved to reenact pro wrestling moves with my friends on the playground (and even managed to save enough of my allowance to buy the best Adidas wrestling shoes out there).  An elbow smash here, a flying drop-kick there.  All we were missing was a turnbuckle. But I never seriously thought about becoming a pro wrestler.  In fact, when I arrived in high school, I never thought about joining the wrestling team.  The thought of wrapping my arms under someone's sweaty arm pits was not too appealing.  Plus, the guys I knew jogged between classes wearing garbage bags designed to sweat off the last pound or two.  Not for me. But the day I gave my life to Jesus was also the day I signed up to be a wrestler. When the apostle Paul describes the nature of the Christian life, he does so…

In N.T. Wright's book, "After You Believe," he has a short phrase - a small, two word phrase - that really grabbed me: "uncomfortable borderland." His point? For Christ-followers, we live at the intersection of God's desires and designs and the actual world we live in.  The world the way God wants it to be and the world as it is.  This is the "uncomfortable borderland" God has called us to navigate. There is tension in the uncomfortable borderland.  We see a wrong that needs to be righted - who should do something about it?  I can't do everything.  It seems overwhelming. It is overwhelming. That may be the whole point of dragging us into the uncomfortable borderland.  To only live on one side of the border or the other releases us from the tension.  We hole ourselves off and become hermits or we immerse ourselves in the darkness and…