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The world's first fire-proof theater, the Iroquois Theater, opened in Chicago on December 1, 1903.  It was a big deal because nearly all of Chicago burned to the ground in 1871. On December 30 it was standing room only - 1,900 people packed the new theater.  As the audience listened to "A Pale Moonlight", a blue stage light popped and caught a piece of the scenery on fire.  "Please remain seated as we lower the asbestos curtain."  The secure feeling of being in a fire-proof theater was quickly lost when the curtain jammed half-way down.  The titanic claims of indestructibility turned the first fire-proof theater into the deadliest fire in Chicago's history. What you put your trust in really does matter. Old hymn says, "Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling."

Here's a great quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end all his disciples deserted him. On the Cross he was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and mockers. For this cause he had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God. So the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes. There is his commission, his work. 'The kingdom is to be in the midst of your enemies. And he who will not suffer this does not want to be of the Kingdom of Christ; he wants to be among friends, to sit among roses and lilies, not with the bad people but the devout people. O you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! If Christ had done what you are doing who would ever have been spared' (Luther)."

I recently finished reading "Bonhoeffer", a biography of Dietrick Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas.  For those who may not know, Bonhoeffer was a German pastor who was part of the conspiracy to overthrow Adolf Hitler.  Unfortunately, he was executed in a concentration camp only two weeks before the camp was liberated by the Allies. Bonhoeffer emphasized personal devotions as the means to connecting with God.  He didn't want to know about God; he wanted to know God.  He would begin and end each day with thirty minutes of meditating on a single passage of scripture. Bonhoeffer knew that we could be busy with "religious" activities and still not know God:  "If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction." What gave Bonhoeffer the strength to act in public were the things he practiced in private.

Congratulations to LifeChurch.tv on celebrating their 15th anniversary.  Here is a short story with a great closing line from Craig Groeschel. ********** During LifeChurch.tv's 15th anniversary celebration this past Sunday, pastor Craig Groeschel rejected the "megachurch" label, despite the fact that he preaches to over 26,000 listeners every week. The Christian Post reported how Groeschel reminded everyone of the church's "humble beginnings" during the anniversary message, detailing the garage in which he first preached and the various buildings they outgrew on their way to their live satellite broadcasts and 13 locations across the U.S. Groeschel said he'd rather call LifeChurch a "micro-church with a megavision...to go into all the world, not just being happy with a service at 9:00 and 10:30. Never!" Ending his message, Groeschel recommitted himself and his family to the church's vision, saying, "We are all in again, for the rest of my life...I want you to be…

It's why we call it the World Wide Web. Just yesterday, I was spending a few minutes reading blogs I like to follow.  I started with Mac Lake, a blogger who writes about church leadership issues.  He led me to Casey Graham, who writes about church finances.  Casey led me to Mark Clement, a filmaker who uses his giftedness to shine God's light through media. And then I came to this article by Mark Clement: "I Couldn't Have Done it Without Him." In the article Clement mentions a fellow who I attended college with -- John Marc Green.  It's a small world.