Peace

As we continue the Advent series we find ourselves with the same dilemma as we did with Hope. The biblical definition of peace, like hope, does not match the world’s definition. We find in the prophesies of Isaiah a difficult passage about the coming Messiah. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. Isaiah 9:6-7a (NIV). I personally do not doubt that Jesus was the one Isaiah was referring to but I believe that you can put up a good argument that peace was not and still has not been realized through His arrival. As a matter of fact, things actually became less peaceful once He established a following during and after His life on earth. Even Jesus said…

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Hope

This is the season of Advent. Advent means coming or visit and, although not a command or law handed down by God, both Christmas and Advent can and should play an important role in our lives. Any tradition that helps us to focus/refocus on God and His plan has incredible value to the Christ follower and collective of Christ followers. I would never suggest that those who do not celebrate Christmas, Advent, or Lent and Easter, are not Christians but I would contend that they are missing out on an opportunity to force their thought process to focus on why we call ourselves Christians. I know Jesus’ birthday was not on December 25th and that Good Friday may have some timeline issues but I am convinced that God is not concerned about our choice of celebration dates/days but rather pleased that through them He can further His relationship with us.

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They Told Me I need To Write A Blog, I’m Glad I Did!

It was August of this year that I penned a blog of lament called They Told Me I Need To Write A Blog. I felt like giving up. I had no job and, because I am a Transitional Pastor, the odds were not in favor of me getting a job; pastors aren’t leaving churches during the uncertainty of COVID. I was ready to give up. I had started blogging because I needed to get noticed if I was going to find a publisher for my book. That’s what I was told so that’s what I did. Blogging ended up being more than just a way to get noticed. I fell in love with writing my blog but even more, I loved the friendships I formed in the blogging community. The book was why I started blogging and, as tough as it was to accept, maybe blogging, not the publishing of the book was why God inspired me to write it in the first place…

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Value vs Worth

Far be it from me to attempt to analyze the intricacies of the language I have attempted to master from the day I first recognized that those noises coming from people’s mouths meant something. This is not a doctoral thesis or a peer reviewed submission to some publication only read by elite English scholars. This is just my take on the rather confusing construction of the language I call my mother tongue.

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Now Available

I am excited to announce that my book, BLUEPRINT- for the Christ Follower and Collective of Christ Followers will be available next week – if you are sick of the “How-To” Christian books that look at how to decorate and landscape so that your life as a Christ follower and your collective of Christ followers (church) looks good, if you are looking for a book that helps you create a structurally sound spiritual life and church, Blueprint is for you!

When It All Comes Crashing Down

We teeter on the edge, hoping and praying that things will get better. It has been a hard year for everyone and it doesn’t seem to be getting any easier. How many of us entered 2020 with reservations? How many of us, even the most negative of us, could have imagined what has happened? The answers to these questions really don’t matter. If you were worried, if you did imagine a year like the one we are having, what difference would it have made?

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