Who is going to win?

This weekend our culture will be emotionally captivated by the Super Bowl as two teams face off for that championship. Impossible comebacks, surprise endings, turnaround victories, and defying all odds are the things that comprise some of the greatest moments in sports, in stories and in life. I love moments like this so much that I often choose to cheer for the underdog, hoping for an upset. Unfortunately, comebacks are rare and the underdog usually loses.

In life, we all know that things don’t always work out for the underdog – but they did at the cross. When it looked like He was defeated and it was the end of the story, the most shocking victory was achieved. Through faith we experience this victory. "When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ's cross." (Colossians 2:13, The Message). Even when we were at our worse, Christ came through for us. There is a great joy and peace that comes from knowing this reality.

I'm pulling for the Giants this weekend, but I don't give them much of a chance, but then again, you never know.

Perspectives Lesson 2: The Story of His Glory

This link will allow you to access my Power Point for my lecture for Lesson 2 of Perspectives.
An audio file will be posted soon.
CLICK HERE.

Playing Favorites

March 7, 1991 – this was a day that forever changed my life and my view of God. Sometime in the early hours of that morning – after what seemed like an eternity of labor -- our first born daughter entered the world. I remember the immediate love that I felt for her. I remember telling Heidi that one child was enough for us (I didn’t want her to have to go through that again). I had a sense that the world had somehow changed with the arrival of this new person (even though life was just going on as always). Two years later our son was born and I again experienced those same feelings of joy, love and responsibility. He also was my favorite, perfect in my eyes, and worth any sacrifice that we might have to make.

God sees us in much the same way, only more deeply and purely -- You are matchless. You are God’s favorite. You are enough to make His sacrifice worth while. Being born is meant to be the start of a continuous journey of personal and spiritual growth, and God is committed to walking beside you and leading you by His very Presence – every step of your life. Let go of the pressure to perform. The "motivation by guilt". The selfish ambition. Instead, grab His hand and see where He want to take you. As you do this, give Him the credit and the recognition for being who He is.

The All-American Dysfunctional Family

You can view the complete sermon manuscript HERE.
Power Point is HERE.

The audio file can be accessed HERE.

How have dysfunctional relationships impacted you? How do you cope with them?

Forward in 2008

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14

Happy New Year! I hope and pray that you had a wonderful holiday. This past weekend Pastor Jim challenged our church to look “forward” towards the new things that the Lord has for each one of us. I invite you to consider this challenge and the encouragement of Philippians 3:14. As a runner, this is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. It reminds me of the mentality of a winning runner has as they give careful attention to both themselves and their surroundings as they strive to finish first. A runner must discipline themselves physically and mentally while watching for dangers in their environment as well as from their opponents. In the same way, the start of a new year is a good opportunity to commit to new habits, renewed priorities and focused values. May the Lord help you be faithful as you follow Him in 2008.

A final verse for the New Year:

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19.

Blessings to you!

The Positive Impact of Christianity

Today I was reading some of the work of German philosopher, Jürgen Habermas. I was looking at his work on worldview when I came across this quote:

"Christianity has functioned for the normative self-understanding of modernity as more than a mere precursor or a catalyst. Egalitarian universalism, from which sprang the ideas of freedom and social solidarity, of an autonomous conduct of life and emancipation, of the individual morality of conscience, human rights, and democracy, is the direct heir to the Judaic ethic of justice and the Christian ethic of love. This legacy, substantially unchanged, has been the object of continual critical appropriation and reinterpretation. To this day, there is no alternative to it. And in the light of the current challenges of a postnational constellation, we continue to draw on the substance of this heritage. Everything else is just idle postmodern talk."
– "Conversation about God and the World." Time of transitions. Cambridge: Polity Press 2006, p. 150-151

It seems to me that our culture often fails to recognize the tremendous contribution that Christans have made and continue to make in our world. Whether a person visits the hurricane ravaged Gulf Coast, the slums of the Philippines, or the homeless shelters of our cities -- you will encounter a consistent fact -- these places are dominated by Christian people, selflessly serving out of compassion and love.

It is a far cry from the negative streotype frequently attributed to religious fanatics!