My friends at The Well and I are doing a quick read through the book, "Holy Discontent" by Bill Hybels. This is part of our exploration of the mission and purpose that God has for us as individuals, and for our church.
We're getting to the meat of the book now and I want to share a quote from this book that I hope will challenge you to consider your holy discontent--the good works God wants you to invest yourself in.
"Ephesians 2:10 says that 'we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.'
"We were all created to do good works. I was created to do good works. Just as confidently, I'm here to tell you that you were created to do good works, which explains how I know that you have a holy discontent banging around in your brain somewhere--if you're alive and kicking today, then there is a specific work that you are expected to do. There is a set of tasks with your name on it that God has given you to accomplish, and long before you actually arrived on the scene, God planted certain seeds in your soul that he remains whole-heartedly committed to watering, growing and making into something beautiful, if you will let him.
"God is looking for someone just like you--someone who gets wrecked on planet Earth by the things that wreck him up in heaven--so that he can sign you up for service. I assure you that there is something out there that God is waiting for you to grab on to so that he can use you to help solve it. It wrecks you, it wrecks him, and he is ready for you both to do something about it."(Hybels, Bill. "Holy Discontent: Fueling the Fire that Ignites Personal Vision." Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007.)
What's your holy discontent? What are you doing about it? It's what you were created for. If you're not sure what it is, then I'd encourage you to 1) pick up a copy of this book 2) read it 3)get on your knees and pray 4)get up and go explore some of the hurt and pain in this world and allow God to reveal your holy discontent to you.
By the way...I've got 2 extra copies of this book. I'll sell 'em cheap if somebody out there wants a copy.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Q & A
One of my favorite theologians is Greg Boyd. He's also a pastor and author. I've recommended his book, "The Myth of A Christian Nation" and consider it one of my top 5 favorite books. I think every Christian should read it--especially as we approach an election.
Greg has also recently created a new website where he blogs and keeps a list of topics for Q & A. I have enjoyed reading through the questions and Greg's responses and I think many of his ideas would benefit other Christians. So, here's a link to Greg's Q & A page: http://www.gregboyd.org/qa/
From this page, you can access all his other pages. Anyway, I hope you find it as helpful and thought-provoking as I do.
Greg has also recently created a new website where he blogs and keeps a list of topics for Q & A. I have enjoyed reading through the questions and Greg's responses and I think many of his ideas would benefit other Christians. So, here's a link to Greg's Q & A page: http://www.gregboyd.org/qa/
From this page, you can access all his other pages. Anyway, I hope you find it as helpful and thought-provoking as I do.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Protect Our Kids Act
Hello my friends...
I'm not a big fan of Oprah's, but she had been running previews for her show today all weekend, so I tuned in. The topic: child pornography and online predators. I was horrified by what she reported. Most of you know that I'm increasingly investing myself as an advocate for abused kids, and I thought I had seen and heard some pretty awful stuff. But what I saw today was disturbing and heart-wrenching. Kids, toddlers, even infants being sexually molested and raped while photographed or videotaped in the act. The footage gets traded or sold online.
This is happening to shocking numbers of children and the predators (who oftentimes are the children's own parents) are growing at a rate so fast that our judicial system cannot keep up with it. I've spoken with the staff at Chaucies Place (the child advocacy center for Hamilton County), where I learned that sexual abuse is an ever-increasing problem locally. So much so, that the same type of undercover Internet investigations unit that was made popular from TV's "To Catch a Predator" is now operating in Hamilton County--with a particular focus on Fishers.
I hope that each of you will do what you can to reach out to advocate for these kids. They need our prayers, and they need us to act on their behalf. There is also legislation that can be passed that will funnel a lot more funding toward those who are trying to bring the predators to justice. That was actually the point of Oprah's show today. I hope that you'll go to the following link to learn more: http://www.oprah.com/dated/oprahshow/oprahshow_20080911_predators
Please go here to learn what you can do to encourage our Senators to pass the necessary legislation: http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20080911_tows_predators
God...please break our hearts for these kids. Send Your Spirit to comfort and heal them. And send us to act in any and every way that You call us to partner with You to bring protection and hope and love to them. In Jesus' name we pray.
Thanks everybody. Blessings...
I'm not a big fan of Oprah's, but she had been running previews for her show today all weekend, so I tuned in. The topic: child pornography and online predators. I was horrified by what she reported. Most of you know that I'm increasingly investing myself as an advocate for abused kids, and I thought I had seen and heard some pretty awful stuff. But what I saw today was disturbing and heart-wrenching. Kids, toddlers, even infants being sexually molested and raped while photographed or videotaped in the act. The footage gets traded or sold online.
This is happening to shocking numbers of children and the predators (who oftentimes are the children's own parents) are growing at a rate so fast that our judicial system cannot keep up with it. I've spoken with the staff at Chaucies Place (the child advocacy center for Hamilton County), where I learned that sexual abuse is an ever-increasing problem locally. So much so, that the same type of undercover Internet investigations unit that was made popular from TV's "To Catch a Predator" is now operating in Hamilton County--with a particular focus on Fishers.
I hope that each of you will do what you can to reach out to advocate for these kids. They need our prayers, and they need us to act on their behalf. There is also legislation that can be passed that will funnel a lot more funding toward those who are trying to bring the predators to justice. That was actually the point of Oprah's show today. I hope that you'll go to the following link to learn more: http://www.oprah.com/dated/oprahshow/oprahshow_20080911_predators
Please go here to learn what you can do to encourage our Senators to pass the necessary legislation: http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20080911_tows_predators
God...please break our hearts for these kids. Send Your Spirit to comfort and heal them. And send us to act in any and every way that You call us to partner with You to bring protection and hope and love to them. In Jesus' name we pray.
Thanks everybody. Blessings...
Friday, September 12, 2008
Jesus is My Friend
Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. I've been working on some things that I'll be sharing with you soon. In the meantime, here is a sick music video that my lovely sister sent to me. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-NOZU2iPA8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-NOZU2iPA8
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
"Crazy" Quote
Here's a tasty morsel of a quote from "Crazy Love":
"Ronnie, a blind boy who lives in eastern Uganda, is unique not because of his circumstances or the fact that he is blind, but because of his love for Jesus. If you were to meet Ronnie, one of the first things you would hear him say is, 'I love Jesus so much, and I sing praises to Him every day.'
"One of Ronnie's closest friends is a girl who is deaf. What stands out about these two isn't that they are handicapped or very poor, but that they are totally content and obviously in love with Jesus. They possess very little of what 'counts' in our society, yet they have what matters most. They came to God in their great need, and they have found true joy.
"Because we don't usually have to depend on God for food, money to buy our next meal, or shelter, we don't feel needy. In fact, we generally think of ourselves as fairly independent and capable. Even if we aren't rich, we are 'doing just fine.'
"If one hundred people represented the world's population, fifty-three of those would live on less than $2 a day. Do you realize that if you make $4000 a month, you automatically make one hundred times more than the average person on this planet? Simply by purchasing this book, you spent what a majority of people in the world will make in a week's time.
"Which is more messed up--that we have so much compared to everyone else, or that we don't think we're rich? That on any given day we might flippantly call ourselves 'broke' or 'poor'? We are neither of those things. We are rich. Filthy rich."
(Chan, Francis. "Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God". Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook Publishers, 2008.)
"Ronnie, a blind boy who lives in eastern Uganda, is unique not because of his circumstances or the fact that he is blind, but because of his love for Jesus. If you were to meet Ronnie, one of the first things you would hear him say is, 'I love Jesus so much, and I sing praises to Him every day.'
"One of Ronnie's closest friends is a girl who is deaf. What stands out about these two isn't that they are handicapped or very poor, but that they are totally content and obviously in love with Jesus. They possess very little of what 'counts' in our society, yet they have what matters most. They came to God in their great need, and they have found true joy.
"Because we don't usually have to depend on God for food, money to buy our next meal, or shelter, we don't feel needy. In fact, we generally think of ourselves as fairly independent and capable. Even if we aren't rich, we are 'doing just fine.'
"If one hundred people represented the world's population, fifty-three of those would live on less than $2 a day. Do you realize that if you make $4000 a month, you automatically make one hundred times more than the average person on this planet? Simply by purchasing this book, you spent what a majority of people in the world will make in a week's time.
"Which is more messed up--that we have so much compared to everyone else, or that we don't think we're rich? That on any given day we might flippantly call ourselves 'broke' or 'poor'? We are neither of those things. We are rich. Filthy rich."
(Chan, Francis. "Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God". Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook Publishers, 2008.)
Monday, August 25, 2008
Crazy Love
I’m on a roll lately with picking really great books to read. CrazyLove is my latest read and it is fantastic. Francis Chan is a pastor / author who just recently exploded onto the evangelical scene, mostly, I think, because of the guys at Catalyst who have brought Chan in to speak a few times. But this guy is the real thing and he doesn’t hold anything back in his challenge to Christians. For me, the main thrust of the message is this: you can’t use your church as an excuse for not living the way Jesus taught us, and showed us, to live. In chapter after chapter, Chan lays out all of the reasons why we should love God with every ounce of our being and model our devotion and commitment after Jesus—in our time, money, talent, everything. And he’s not just teaching it, he’s living it. Chan sold his house and moved into one half as big to free up his funds to give to the poor (just one example of many that prove this guy gets it). I think Chan accomplished what many of us in the ‘burbs thought Shane Claiborne couldn’t with “The Irresistible Revolution.” Even though Shane is just a regular guy, his specific calling had a polarizing effect on his suburban readers. But Chan’s the pastor of a mega church (like it or not), and he claims to be teaching the same stuff to his church as he is writing in this book. If that’s true (and I have no reason to believe it’s not), then it’s a wonder that he’s still got an audience in the wealthy community he’s teaching / reaching out to. Anyway, he appears to be proving that you can do this "way of Jesus" stuff in the burbs.
My only major issue with Chan is his eschatology (theology of the afterlife). Having just finished “Surprised by Hope” by N.T. Wright, I found myself cringing at all of Chan’s references to our glorious eternity in heaven. If you haven’t read “Surprised by Hope” (yet), my comments here may confuse you. But, I pray that more and more church leaders will begin to convey a more accurate/Biblical picture of life after death and, in Wright’s words, “life after life after death.” Wright’s insights in “Surprised by Hope”, applied to Chan’s references to the afterlife, would have actually made Chan’s book better!
Anyway, go get “CrazyLove” and read it. It’s another quick read, and if you let it, it will challenge you to make changes to your life that will honor God and draw you into a deeper love of our Savior.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
How To Read the Bible
Numerous studies have shown that self-professing Christians today do not have a biblical worldview. We don’t live by kingdom values. We live by the standards of the kingdom of the world. To a large extent, this can be traced to a failure on the part of professing Christians to spend time studying the Bible. Oftentimes, a professing Christian will try to read the Bible, but they don’t understand it, or aren’t sure if what it’s saying is actually what they are supposed to do. So they give up.
Please allow me to offer some tips on how to really study the Bible effectively so that you get the most out of your time and also learn how to apply what you learn to your life. Transformation, after all, is the objective—to become more like Jesus!
First, every Christian should own (and read) the book, “How to Read the Bible For All It’s Worth.” This book is crammed full of practical wisdom on how to get the most out of your reading of different parts of the Bible.
Second, the authors of “How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth”, Fee and Stuart, recommend using the TNIV or the NRSV as the most reliable versions to study with. I would like to suggest, that if you’re going to get a new copy of one of these Bibles, please spend the extra cash and buy the “Study” or “Life Application” versions of these. They’ll have some comments on each page to help you understand what the text means.
Thirdly, if you are studying the New Testament, then I highly recommend Tom Wright’s “For Everyone” series. Wright is a leading New Testament scholar, but does a knockout job of bringing culture, context, hermeneutics and application to everyone…not just scholarly minds. He hasn’t finished the series yet, but you can get started with the series. Go to this site to see which books are currently available.
Fourthly, if you are studying the gospels, then get a copy of the book, “The Upside-Down Kingdom.” This book is absolutely brilliant and is rich with additional cultural and contextual thoughts that bring the text to life and help us to see how Jesus’ words carry over to today. The way I use it is to turn to the back of the book where there is a “Scripture Index.” You can look up whichever verses you are studying and it will take you to the page or pages where the author addresses that particular verse.
Lastly, if you choose to study the book of Luke (as we are at The Well), then be aware that Dr. Gregory Boyd has spent the last 2.5 years slowly teaching his way through Luke at his church, Woodland Hills. Boyd’s insights are profound. You can listen to his entire sermon or you can download the Covenant Study Guide or the Individual Study Guide and you’ll find a written summary of the teaching with several questions for reflection and application. It’s a little challenging to find the Lukan text you’re searching for, but with some trial and error, searching through the Sermon Archives it can be done.
I hope that if you’ve struggled with studying the Bible, that you’ll give these things a try. God certainly doesn’t want the Scriptures to be a mystery to us. He wants us to dig deep and uncover the richness of the Scriptures and the way to abundant life that we find within them.
Please allow me to offer some tips on how to really study the Bible effectively so that you get the most out of your time and also learn how to apply what you learn to your life. Transformation, after all, is the objective—to become more like Jesus!
First, every Christian should own (and read) the book, “How to Read the Bible For All It’s Worth.” This book is crammed full of practical wisdom on how to get the most out of your reading of different parts of the Bible.
Second, the authors of “How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth”, Fee and Stuart, recommend using the TNIV or the NRSV as the most reliable versions to study with. I would like to suggest, that if you’re going to get a new copy of one of these Bibles, please spend the extra cash and buy the “Study” or “Life Application” versions of these. They’ll have some comments on each page to help you understand what the text means.
Thirdly, if you are studying the New Testament, then I highly recommend Tom Wright’s “For Everyone” series. Wright is a leading New Testament scholar, but does a knockout job of bringing culture, context, hermeneutics and application to everyone…not just scholarly minds. He hasn’t finished the series yet, but you can get started with the series. Go to this site to see which books are currently available.
Fourthly, if you are studying the gospels, then get a copy of the book, “The Upside-Down Kingdom.” This book is absolutely brilliant and is rich with additional cultural and contextual thoughts that bring the text to life and help us to see how Jesus’ words carry over to today. The way I use it is to turn to the back of the book where there is a “Scripture Index.” You can look up whichever verses you are studying and it will take you to the page or pages where the author addresses that particular verse.
Lastly, if you choose to study the book of Luke (as we are at The Well), then be aware that Dr. Gregory Boyd has spent the last 2.5 years slowly teaching his way through Luke at his church, Woodland Hills. Boyd’s insights are profound. You can listen to his entire sermon or you can download the Covenant Study Guide or the Individual Study Guide and you’ll find a written summary of the teaching with several questions for reflection and application. It’s a little challenging to find the Lukan text you’re searching for, but with some trial and error, searching through the Sermon Archives it can be done.
I hope that if you’ve struggled with studying the Bible, that you’ll give these things a try. God certainly doesn’t want the Scriptures to be a mystery to us. He wants us to dig deep and uncover the richness of the Scriptures and the way to abundant life that we find within them.
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