Church

Opportunities, challenges, and consequences. These are the very things that faced Adam and Eve as they were given a place in the Garden of Eden.Just imagine being given the opportunity to name all the animals. Or being handed the chance to establish traditions that would impact the history of humankind. One of the statements that often grinds a vision to a halt is “But we’ve never done it that way before.” For Adam and Eve, that was especially true.Inherent with these same opportunities were great challenges. We often benefit from the experiences of others through mentoring relationships or by reading books. For Adam and Eve, there was no one else to set a precedent or provide an example.With opportunities and challenges come consequences. Not all the consequences were negative. They had moments of intimacy with God unlike any that others have experienced. Some of the consequences were earth-shattering. One poor…

Our teaching series this month at LifePoint will focus on great stories from the Old Testament (also known as the Hebrew Scriptures). As I was looking over teaching ideas, I felt drawn to many of the great characters and plots that are found in the first half of our Bibles.In January we’ll cover the implications of creation, the consequences of Adam and Eve’s decision-making, the faith of Abraham, and God’s great rescue of the Israelites which became known as the Passover. The first three stories are found in the first book of the Bible.In fact the first half of this year will be spent in the Old Testament. As those who follow Jesus, it benefits us to understand the teachings that influenced Jesus himself. The stories of the men and women of the Old Testament are there to inspire, challenge, and inform us about how to live godly lives.Some of…

I had breakfast this past Thursday with an old friend (Scott) and a friend of his from college. It was exciting to hear how God had been working in Scott’s friend’s life. Raised in a non-religious Jewish household, he has only recently begun exploring matters of Christian spirituality. He told us how he had known very little about Jesus and was really hungering to know more. Prior to beginning his exploration, what he had known about Jesus revolved around cultural displays — the commercial symbols and bits and pieces of Jesus’ story.I stopped him at one point and asked him this question: “What do you think about Jesus now?” I loved his answer: “He’s a radical.”He went on to talk about when Jesus spoke with the Samaritan lady at the well — the lady who had had multiple husbands and was now living with a man she wasn’t married to.…

I purchased Tony Campolo's "Letters to a Young Evangelical" yesterday and am half-way through it. So far it's been pretty engaging and fun to read -- if you've read any of Campolo's stuff you know what I mean. In his chapter on why the church is important, quotes from Augustine: "The church is a whore, but she's still my mother." A good reminder that although far from perfect the church is still very important. I'll post more as I progress further through the book.

At LifePoint, we do something called "Pizza with the Pastor." It's a chance for newcomers to hear our story and interact with me. One of the best parts is the Q&A time. We had a diverse group of people at this one ... some who had been with us since day one and as recent as a few weeks ago. The best question would have to go to Cody:"If you could do one of the following things, which one would it be? A) Have a teleporter. B) Be able to breathe under water. C) Be able to remember everything you've read."Which one did I pick?