I’ve been gone all day to a youth workers training event in Nashville. Busy day.
Looks like March may come in like a lion this year. The thoughts of snow bring back to mind our ordeal in Louisville Ky last month.
I’m going home and putting the feet up for the night.
Peace
Jim
I am looking at the “Good News” that Jesus declared in Mark 1:15. The teaching Jesus gave throughout the Gospels is indeed good news to people in all sorts of mental and spiritual conditions. The important thing, at least one very important thing, is that we believe it.
In order to really believe the “Good News” we must understand why we believe the “Good News.”
People Jesus talked to believed because of what Jesus did for them. Are we any different?
Peace
Jim
I wish I could have seen all the birds that were making noise this morning about daylight. I heard a woodpecker across the yard, but never could see it. Doves were cooing in the tree in our yard. I heard all sorts of other birds that were singing their hearts out. I would have burst out in song myself but I was afraid the neighbors would have thought the worst of me.
I once again – as I often do – think about the description of God’s world as told by God himself. Read Job chapter 38 – 41.
Peace
Jim
Unless something changes, my sermon title this week is “Why?”
What that means is Why do I believe what I believe? When I think of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Why do I believe that is true? What makes me believe it, and what makes me sure that Jesus indeed is alive like the Christian faith says?
It seems to me that if we are to be the people who profess faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, then, we need to be able to say Why we believe that. A good place to start might be in recognizing what God has done for us or through us maybe.
Peace
Jim
Its been extremely busy and I have missed a few days. Shame on me. I’ll try to do better.
The sun coming up this morning was a welcome sight. I took a picture from the coffee shop window, and then from the church parking lot. I also noticed a picture of the moon in my phone as I was moving the sunrise pictures. Along with the sunrise the moon were seen in the morning.
The lesson of Lent this year speaks loudly to me of forgiveness. When I think about all that Jesus went through during his time leading up to the cross, I seem to feel ashamed of not only my sometimes lack of faith but of my failure to always appreciate what Jesus did for me before I was even born.
Spend some time recollecting Jesus’ mission during Lent this year. And think about what it means that we are forgiven even though we can’t understand why.
Peace
Jim
I read this today:
“If someone listens, or stretches out a hand or whispers a word of encouragement, or attempts to understand a lonely person, extraordinary things begin to happen.”
Peace
Jim
It looks nice out today even though its a bit chilly. The sunshine makes me want to get out in it. I might too.
Peace
Jim
James Harnish uses the example of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, as an example of the renovation that God intends to do in each of our lives.
Its always interesting that when renovation begins there seems to be deeper concerns to uncover the deeper in the project that we get. Take this board off and…termites! Take flooring up to reveal water damage. Pull electrical covers off and find wiring problems. The list goes on and on… Sometimes we think it just might be better to demolish the whole thing and start over.
When you think about it…that’s pretty much what God recommends for our life, total renovation of the old life. New birth, be reborn, the old gone and the new begin. It seems what is needed is that we die to our old self, who we were, what we have become, and start all over again.
Not only does an extreme renovation of our life allow us to live differently, but such a renovation always includes more room for God to be active.
Peace
Jim
In his book Radical Renovation, James A. Harnish writes about the reconstruction of ones life rising out of the ashes of destruction. God wants a renovation to take place within us to make room for the Living Christ to take up residence. If Christ is already there, he might just need some remodeling done to make room to move around a bit better.
If it is God’s choice, even his nature to love, then, the Living Christ living in us will show that love through us as we rearrange some things to make room for him.
It is always good to do some rearranging of our priorities to make room for the love of Jesus to show through.
Peace
Jim
I read something this morning that spoke to me about the upcoming Lenten season. A character in the book said this about Christianity:
“Our religion has one story, and we come back again and again to that one story.”
Is that not what Easter is about? We come back again and again to the story of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And isn’t the resurrection of Jesus why we keep coming back? Isn’t the story of the resurrection what each other story in the Bible culminates into or refers back to?
If not for the resurrection of Jesus, his story would just be a story. But we come back again and again because the story of the resurrection is more than a story. The resurrection was, and continues to be, a life altering event as noted in the lives of people who have experienced the resurrected Christ.
Peace
Jim
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