Incarnation

He so loved us that, for our sake,
He was made man in time,
although through him all times were made.
He was made man, who made man.
He was created of a mother whom he created.
He was carried by hands that he formed.
He cried in the manger in wordless infancy, he the Word,
without whom all human eloquence is mute.
—Augustine, Sermon 188, 2

Taking God Serious

It seems that the vision that drives me right now is not one that is a big corporate project or initiative that requires alot of administrative energy and creative marketing. But it is one that is evidenced in the lives and challenges of individuals in our community. Will I/we take God seriously? Will we take Him at His Word? Will we trust God’s Spirit working through His Word to bring about healing, heart change, peace, purpose, joy, in the physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual crap that our sin and lack of faith has resulted in? I truly long to see miracles that are clearly from God. Not necessarily the healing of disease; although I pray for that. But lasting change obviously brought about by taking God at His Word. Those are miracles that are always there for our blessing if we would be submissive to what God has already spoken.

Covenant

It is always interesting, puzzling, and frustrating, that even though you try to be as clear as you can about a covenant and its expectations, some just choose to ignore it, defining it in their own way, conditioning it along the way, cheapening the meaning for themselves, lessening the weight of its intended purpose for the relationship it applies to.

A Seldom Heard Hymn

How tedious and tasteless the hours
When Jesus no longer I see!
Sweet prospects, sweet birds, and sweet flowers,
Have all lost their sweetness to me:
The midsummer sun shines but dim,
the fields strive in vain to look gay;
But when I am happy in Him,
December’s as pleasant as May.

John Newton

An Anniversary Reflection

It was 3 years ago this month that Northbrook consented to have me fill the role of the key leader of the Pastoral Leadership Team and not add another full-time pastor. While my inadequacies as a leader have certainly been exposed in these 3 years, and they have not been without some struggle, I have experienced God’s presence in some special ways. Mainly through conversations with brothers and sisters that encourage me and them to focus more on Jesus and less on on ourselves. To not settle for mediocrity as a church body. To be authentic and bold in our relationships. To be who Jesus said we should be.

I don’t really know what to expect in the next 3 years. But I do anticipate that God will continue to do in me what He has started. And I humbly pray we will see evidence of that in our church.

God Still Moves

God is always up to something. Is He up to anything in your life? What? If you can’t see it, why?

When Submission Starts

I recently had two college girls, both members of our church, come to me to let me know they were seriously dating a guy and would be going to church with him from now on. I did my best to bite my tongue in expressing disappointment, and thanked them for letting me know why they would not be around anymore. That was a mature thing to do. But it did make me wonder…At what point in a relationship does submission begin? And why didn’t they bring their boyfriend to our church? I’m sure these girls want to marry a guy that will be a spiritual leader. Which is another mature decision. And this is one way to let him express that and for them to observe that.  But it would seem that a mutual experience of each other’s church would help them see more about their ideas and understanding of biblical community. As well as help them continue to spiritually develop independently until a permanent commitment to each other is made. Is that sour grapes I smell? Maybe I should rejoice more in young women seeking to prepare for a biblical marriage.

What God has Joined Together

I recently went to support a friend in divorce court. His wife left 6 months ago and he has no idea where she is. It was a default judgement since she didn’t show up or respond to any requests from his lawyer. It is a sad story of a failed marriage with plenty of reasons why it failed. But in that room full of failed marriages, I was so struck by the lack of value for the marriage vows that permeated the legal atmosphere. All the judge was there for was to make sure the failures were fair. That the ex’s and the children would have their needs met as much as possible. My friend was not married in a church or in the presence of witnesses. And he realizes much of what has contributed to his poor decisions. But I couldn’t help but think about how God feels about the cheapening of this beautiful thing He set up at the beginning of time. It reminded me that God should be the One joining 2 lovers together. And when He does it, and He is relied on to keep them together, we would not need another judge. Let no man tear apart!

What are we really doing?

Is the mission of my/our life and church set more on preserving the past or changing the future? What did Jesus tell us to do? One preserves an institution and the other perpetuates a movement.

The Safest Place to Be

In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence and his children have a refuge. Prov.14:26. As a dad/parent, one of the best things to model and provide for my kids is a clear sense of fearing God. Not only does it give me confidence, it gives them a safe place to live or come home to.