Church

Ten years ago I was sitting with John Johnson planning worship for my third Sunday with Covington Christian.  Within 30 minutes we had relocated to his living room, glued to the television.  When the cloud of dust and debris came spilling down the street, it seemed surreal. Today, on this Sunday, I am reminded not only of the cross but also the resurrection.  Death is not the final word.  Hope transcends.  Hope lives. Posted from WordPress for Android

Carl Medearis said something in a recent sermon at Mountainview that grabbed my attention.  I'll paraphrase:  Sometimes the ornaments obscure the Christmas tree.  The ornaments may be pretty, sentimental, or traditional but they are not the tree. Applying this to church (and perhaps Christianity in general), the tree is Jesus.  Yet we often allow our traditions (the ornaments) to obscure the tree.  Even today's innovations may inadvertently draw attention away from the tree they are supposed to accent. Ornaments have meaning, even value.  They represent family and memories and love.  But they are not the tree. If all the ornaments were taken away, would we be satisfied with just the tree?

Inscribed on a plaque at the Yokefellow Institute in Richmond, Indiana, is this quotation by Elton Trueblood: "Jesus Christ can be accepted; he can be rejected; he cannot reasonably be ignored." "Reasonably ignored." I found that to be an interesting phrase.  If something is reasonable, it has enough merit to warrant further exploration, if not belief.  To be unreasonable is to be beyond the boundaries of credibility. Is Jesus "reasonably ignored" today?  Or is it more likely that he is "unreasonably ignored" because what many people think they know about Jesus is actually beyond the boundaries of credibility? Reminds me of Phillip Yancey's book, "The Jesus I Never Knew."  The Jesus we think we know may not actually be the real Jesus. Thoughts?

Patrick Lencioni: "What part of Oklahoma are you from?  Bakersfield, CA."