GRAPHIC – The meta-narrative

Posted by admin on Dec 6, 2010 in Graphics, Your DYNAMIC Role content | 0 comments

Did you know Scripture has a storyline?

This is the graphic used in part 01 of the teaching series “Your DYNAMIC Role in the Kingdom of God”. It illustrates one of many “Meta-Narrative” frameworks that can be used to understand the broader scope of Scripture. Check out more at http://www.postmodernpreaching.net/metanarrative.htm

NOTE: Links to external sites to not necessarily imply agreement with everything those sites contain.

Forgiveness

Posted by admin on Dec 6, 2010 in Contemplations | 0 comments

“…unless you forgive your brother from your heart…” – Matt. 18:35b

It’s easy to reflexively think of forgiveness as a sort of one-shot deal, where you say some magic words and everything is fixed and fine.

But what about those times when you say the words, but your heart keeps churning afterwards?  Does that mean you didn’t really forgive from the heart? Maybe it’s not as simple as that.

If forgiveness was just some set of magic words that fixed everything at once, then would that even be worth anything?  To me, “from the heart” implies there is a degree of work involved, and that I must choose to be forgiving of the other person, not just flip some emotional switch.  After all, different offenses cause different levels of hurt and carry different consequences, so wouldn’t it make sense that they would also require different levels of forgiveness?  I think so.

Outside the Camp

Posted by admin on Dec 3, 2010 in Contemplations | 0 comments

Jesus ruined everything.

“The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp.  And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through His own blood.  Let us, then, go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore.” (Hebrews 13:11-13)

In the mindset of the Jews, the blood sacrifice at the tabernacle (and later, the temple) was one of the key elements of their identity as God’s chosen people.  Here was something that was prescribed to them by God, as a way to not only assure forgiveness of their sins, but also to set themselves apart from the rest of the world.  Theirs was a system of exclusivity – salvation was for the Jews, and them alone.  The bodies of the sacrifices were taken “outside the camp” because they were unclean, unworthy, and unwanted.  In fact, it was God Himself that told them to do it that way, so that the dead bodies would not corrupt the purity of the sacrifice.  They didn’t fit into the clean, orderly religious system, so they were discarded.

Being Born

Posted by admin on Dec 1, 2010 in Featured, Observations | 0 comments

One of my aunts swears she remembers being born.

“I remember darkness and warmth, and all of a sudden this bright light and loud noise…  It was horrible!”

I love hearing her tell the whole story because she tells it so well, and of course, she tells it tongue-in-cheek.  Nobody remembers being born.  Nobody remembers with full clarity those first weeks in the outer world, becoming accustomed to air and feeding, hot and cold, light and sound.  We don’t remember.

But our loved ones do.

Jesus’ Joy

Posted by admin on Nov 29, 2010 in Contemplations | 0 comments

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross…” Hebrews 12:2

Have you ever played Scrabble (or any other word-type game), and been trying to make some simple word, when all of a sudden you looked down and realized that you had the greatest word right in front of you the whole time, but just hadn’t seen it?  I LOVE that feeling!  Those are the moments when you pretty much bounce up and down in your chair and pound the table and yell “HAH!  Beat THAT!”… Ok well at least I do.

Anyway, sometimes I find that the same sort of excitement, the same sense of discovering a secret treasure you completely overlooked before, can be found in the reading of God’s word.  It’s like you all of a sudden had a black light turned on and saw for the first time some glowing thing that you’d never noticed before, and it’s incredible.

Graphic – “Your Dynamic Role” podcast cover

Posted by admin on Nov 28, 2010 in Art, Graphics, Teaching, Your DYNAMIC Role content | 0 comments

Starting Sunday 12/5/10 at 10:00am @gbcfm.
Podcast coming soon…

Thankful

Posted by admin on Nov 25, 2010 in Featured, Observations | 0 comments

I am thankful for mornings that I wake up with an aching back.

They remind me of all the other mornings that I don’t.

I am thankful for days when the sky is dark and gloomy.  They remind me that it’s usually bright and sunny.

I am thankful for days when my heart is filled with pain.  They remind me that I am still alive, still breathing, and that most other days are filled with joy.

I am thankful for days when the future is uncertain.  They remind me that I’ve been through uncertainty before, and God has always brought clarity when the time is right.

I am thankful for days when I feel the weight of failure, guilt, and shame.  They remind me that Jesus shed His blood for me, and His love never, never fails.

Anyone can be thankful for good times, good food, good moments with family and friends.  I’m asking God to help me keep a heart of thankfulness, not just through hardship, but for it.

Happy Thanksgiving.