Church

Do you remember the Newlywed Game? They would ask newly married couples questions like, "Where was your first date?" or "What would your spouse say is your favorite food?" What made the show fun to watch was to see how little newlyweds actually knew about each other. Prior to seeing the light on the Damascus Road, the apostle Paul had heard about Jesus -- but he didn't really know Jesus. In fact, his name wasn't even Paul. He was Saul, the one-man persecutor of Christians. But then he met Jesus and everything changed. Before, he had known Jesus had been crucified; now, he knew Jesus had been raised from the dead. That's why he would write to the Corinthians these words: "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human…

"I've experienced how none of us go through life without mistakes." These words were spoken by former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford in reference to a scandal that happened during his second term in office. In 2009, Sanford headed to Argentina without telling his family or any of his staff members. Reporters and others were told he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. He also didn't tell them he was going to see his mistress. The trip and its aftermath led to his divorce. I'll let you decide if he mistakenly packed his luggage and purchased an airline ticket. Do you think he ended up in Argentina by accident? Our culture is comfortable with mistakes. What we don't talk much about is sin. That's unfortunate. If we only make mistakes, then all we need to do is try harder or be a better person. But mistakes aren't our real problem; sin…

It's 5:30 in the morning and I'm sitting in a Starbucks in Norwalk, CA (at least I think it's Norwalk ... it's dark outside and Los Angeles all looks the same to me -- with or without sun light). Hannah and I are in Los Angeles to visit five colleges in three days. Yesterday, we spent the afternoon at Azusa Pacific. Today we'll be at Biola and Westmont. On Friday we'll conclude our whirlwind tour by visiting Hope International and Point Loma Nazarene. When we return home I will start looking for second, third, and fourth jobs in order to pay for it. As we walk around the different campuses, I can't help but remember the little baby whose crib was in the second bedroom of our 800 square foot condo in Concord, CA. My "office" became her first bedroom and my computer desk was (literally) shoved inside a closet. Once,…

Do you know how to make a cereal healthier? It's pretty simple: Change the name. Frosted Flakes were once Sugar Frosted Flakes. Sugar Smacks became Honey Smacks and then just Smacks. Corn Pops were once known as Sugar Pops. Are you noticing a trend? Rather than make the cereal more healthy, just change what it's called to a more healthy-sounding name. Then again, no one would buy Cheerios if they were called Fruit Loops Without All the Fun. The message of Ecclesiastes is to challenge the advertising of our culture; to compare it against God's truth. As Christ-followers, are call is to follow a first-century Savior who wants us to live his values in the 21st Century. That's our challenge: to effectively navigate consumerism and contentment. ********** What if cereal companies named their cereals acurately?

We have assembled a great staff at Mountainview. God has blessed us with talented, passionate men and women who are committed to him and his church. When you have a great team, it makes ministry all that much more enjoyable. Our staff meetings regularly includes times of devotion and study. When we worship and learn together, it helps us stay focused on the things that are truly important. At a staff meeting earlier this year, I took the opportunity to remind each person that they were seated at the table because we believed they were the best qualified person for the job. We have staff members who have served at larger churches, hold more degrees, and look better than their senior pastor. Even with all that talent, I told them this: We can do better. In fact, we must do better. This is not about perfection but effectiveness. It's about the continual…