Church

We typically don't like to dislocate things.  I dislocated a finger in junior high and it hurt like the dickens (I'm not sure what a dickens feels like but it hurt like one anyway).  It hurt even more after Mr. Simpson, our P.E. teacher, decided to try and yank it back in place. Whether we dislocate a finger or a shoulder, it's a painful experience to have something out of joint. Sometimes, however, God must dislocate our heart in order to get us to take action on his behalf. How does that happen?  It happens when we find ourselves more concerned for God's agenda than our own agenda.  It happens when we ask God to make us sensitive to the things that break his heart.  Our hearts are dislocated when we witness injustice or suffering or oppression. Spiritually speaking, perhaps the worst thing we can do when God dislocates our…

On February 20 at Mountainview I'll be leading a two-hour workshop called "Letters from Dad."  It's about encouraging dads to write meaningful letters to their kids.  For many of us dads, we never take the time to hand-write a letter of encouragement or blessing for our children. During the workshop we'll have a chance to write one of several types of letters: "I love you because ..." "I hope you'll always ..." "I'm proud of you because ..." "Three things I'd like you to know ..." The impact of giving your son or daughter such a letter is truly immeasurable.  For you fathers in the South Denver area, I hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity. There's no cost but space is limited -- so you'll need to register online.

As is often the case in reading the Bible, I found myself in one passage in Jeremiah this morning only to be chasing the trail of related passages throughout the rest of Jeremiah.  I was doing a little prep work for a leadership development seminar I'm leading this Saturday. I'm speaking about the "heart of leadership" and Jeremiah is filled with passages about how God expects leaders to lead his people.  Only he doesn't call them leaders; he calls them shepherds. The verse I started with was Jeremiah 3:15 ... "Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding." God desires leaders who model his heart for his people.  To effectively shepherd people we who lead must grow in two areas: knowledge and understanding.  We must know as much as we can about God's will and as much as we can…

On Wednesday, I had lunch with the preaching minister from an area church.  What made this particular lunch special is that I once had lunch with this young man's father ... back in 1991! When Tonya and I first moved to San Diego, we were fresh out of college, young, and still learning the ropes.  I had graduated from a Christian college with a very conservative reputation -- good in some social circles, not so good in others.  Personally, I had never fully adopted all of the party line.  OK, I didn't adopt much at all. Barry Packer was the preaching minister at the La Mesa Church of Christ and called to invite me out to lunch.  I was the "new guy" in town and he was the first colleague to reach out to me.  I can still remember riding in his SUV and having him ask me where I…

There are two forces at work, shaping our lives.  The first is our memory which calls us back to the past, our upbringing, our foundation.  We often make decisions without even being aware of the influence our past may still hold on us. This is not all bad.  We learn from our experiences and hope to repeat what was good and avoid what was harmful.  Yet, we may also feel bound to maintain a tradition or legacy that no longer serves its purpose. The second force at work is desire which leans forward into the future, our hope, and our dreams.  Desire is a powerful force, prompting people to do strange things.  When used properly, desire can motivate us to seek out new avenues of growth and to take God-inspired steps of faith. When we only act out of memory, we may miss opportunities that lie in front of us.…