The Hole In Our Gospel

I just finished reading this book.  I would have to say that this is one of the most challenging books I've read.  Richard Stearns doesn't pull any punches as he points out Christians and the Church, particularly in the US, have fallen sinfully short of God's calling and mandate.  The insights from this book will forever shape me and my ministry as I seek to be faithful to God's calling on my life.

Revel in Christ

In preparing for my LTG this morning, I was reading from The Message, and two comments just really jumped out at me.  First, in Philippians 4:4, "Celebrate God all day, every day.  I mean revel in Him." This thought just keeps bouncing around in my head.  I love God, and give thanks to God daily, but I don't think I "revel" in Him.  This is something I'm going to really do some thinking on.
Second, in Colossians 1:6, "You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live Him."  I think this one caught my attention because of how it relates to this past week's message (Who's MY Eunuch).  To 'live Christ' is to take every opportunity to share God's message of hope and love.

Distracted

I've really felt distracted for the last couple of days.  Each time I sit down and begin thinking and praying about a message for this week, I'm not feeling any particular leading.  I've learned to flow with this, and simply continue to 'wait before the Lord,' but it's really hard for me.  This is probably why God does it, too; it keeps me from going off on my own.  :)

Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Once again, I'm struck at how often the issues Jesus addresses with the Pharisees can apply to the Church.  I'm thinking that I might need to do some focused study just on the Pharisees to help us avoid the traps they fell into.  "Lord, help me avoid religion so I can embrace a relationship with You."

Cost of Discipleship

As I'm working on this week's message, I keep coming back to the question, "What is the cost of discipleship in the U.S. today?"  Jesus tells us there is a cost in following Him, so "What does it "cost" us to be disciples of Jesus Christ?"

Parable of the Narrow Door

I've read this parable countless times, and each time it serves as a reminder to stay focused on the path that Christ has laid before me.  This time, though, the images of the people standing outside the house, who are seeking entrance into the house for the feast, are truly haunting me.  I'm praying for further clarity on what God is trying to tell me, or would have me do with this.

Parable of the rich man

This week's message is on the parable of the rich man.  In it, Jesus tells a man to be wary of every form of greed, and then, at the end of the parable, he says to sell everything and give it away.  Is this meant to be understood as something for us all to do, as the monks have done for centuries (vow of poverty), or is it to be understood figuratively as pointing out our need to make sure "things" don't have a hold on us?