Church

I shouldn't let a song that was first published in 1779 bother me so much. You probably know the first verse. "Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind but now I see." Did it bother you, too? Many of us love to sing Amazing Grace. It's a catchy tune and is perhaps the most translated hymn of all time. But more than just catchy, it captures the heart of the gospel itself. God's grace is indeed amazing. But do we have to call ourselves names? A wretch? Me? None of us like to think about how wretched we are. Compared to others, I'm doing pretty good. I'll pay good money to look and feel good. That's why we exercise or put on makeup in the morning (OK, I may not do either one of those but you…

Did you know there are over 12,000 books on Amazon tagged “change your life"? Here are just a few I found on the first two or three search pages ... Change Your Life in 7 Days How to Change your Life in the Next 15 minutes Change Your Life Today With The Secret Power of Color How to Completely Change Your Life in 30 Seconds One Word That Will Change Your Life If you don't want to wait 7 days to change your life, you can buy a book that promises to "completely change your life in 30 seconds." If that's not fast enough, then someone knows the "one word" that will overhaul everything you've learned and become. Or, maybe your problem has been that you're unaware of the secret power of color. Fuscia? Turquoise? Plain old blue? It's not that I have developed bad habits; I've just been ignorant…

A character in one of T.S. Eliot’s novels described the mediocrity of modern life this way: “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.” At the beginning of this year, I handed out plastic spoons. I would have given everyone a cup of coffee, but spoons were cheaper. There is certainly nothing wrong with either coffee or spoons, especially coffee. But there is something wrong about … Settling for the natural when God offers the supernatural. Settling for the mundane when all around us is wonder. Settling for average when God expects excellence. What else would you add to that list?

Did you know that God wants your life to flourish? It's true. The language that Jesus uses is "bearing fruit" or experiencing an "abundant life." Contrary to popular opinion, God is not a curmudgeon who enjoys holding people down or bringing discomfort into their lives. Unfortunately, religion tends to complicate the matter. Religion adds unnecessary layers of complexity to what Jesus actually made fairly simple. Here's the formula Jesus offers: I am the vine. You are the branches. Abide in me and you will bear much fruit. Then you will experience my joy. Far from being a drudgery, obedience to Jesus is the key to flourishing in life.

Redwood trees are among the tallest living things on earth. They can grow up to 400 feet in height (35 story building). But they don't reach these towering heights by sinking their roots deep into the ground. The roots actually only go down 6-12 feet and yet these trees rarely fall over. They w/ stand winds, earthquakes, fires, storms, and flooding. How can something weigh up to 500 tons, reach over 350 feet in height, and live for many centuries with roots only going down about 10 feet? Their root system is intertwined w/ other redwood trees. Interlocked. YOU: A healthy church is like the redwood trees. We grow taller and stronger -- we are better people when we connect as community. I love the fact that we have small groups who provide meals for each other whenever one of their members needs help. I love the fact that we…