Archive for October, 2008
Thursday, October 30th, 2008
We talk a lot about “current events” at actionchurch. I want to be a “relevant” church and not just ignore what is happening in the culture around us. I can’t tell you the times that I have sat through sermons from a “verse by verse study of the book of Philemon” that completely ignored some horrific event that had just happened. Meanwhile every one in the congregation was praying that the sermon would end soon so they could talk about “what was really going on”.
I don’t believe for a moment that church should be “Seminary on Sunday Morning” …or a “history lesson”. God is not retired! The Bible is not a book about “cool stuff God used to do”! God is still at work in our world today.
Some “current” stuff I just can’t bring myself to talk about…I know the Phillies won the world series…I just can’t “make myself” care about baseball. (Sorry Phillies fan) I have purposely not talked much about the Presidential election because good people on both sides are so divided about the candidates. This Sunday as we wrap up the “In God we Trust?” series I will break that silence. I’m not going to “endorse” a candidate. (like anyone would listen to me anyway…) I’m not going to “urge you all to vote”. I’m going to talk about politics in the way Jesus talked about the Romans…with an understanding that there is a power at work that is so much greater than Political, Economic, or even Military power! So many people missed the point of Jesus when he was here, because they expected him to “save them” from the tyranny of the Romans…he did…just not they way they hoped he would. Long after the Roman empire crumbled the kingdom revolution that Jesus started is still around…
It’s not about money, it’s not about politics…it’s about who you can Trust. More to come Sunday morning, 11am @ club 19.
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Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
If you’d like a little “good news” I think you’ll enjoy this… I ran across this story of a woman who noticed another woman crying at a (Dallas TX) home foreclosure auction. A complete stranger felt compassion for her and purchased her former home and returned it… The generous stranger said “people need to help each other…that’s all there is to it”. Amen. That’s a “bail out” that I can be excited about.
‘Auction angel’ comes to homeowner’s aid October 27th, 2008
Two strangers were brought together by a leap of faith and one piece of property that was among 200 North Texas homes facing a foreclosure auction this weekend. . . (Read the rest)
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Tuesday, October 28th, 2008
I know that followers of Jesus have different
opinions and thoughts about
Halloween. If you can’t celebrate
Halloween with a clear conscience…ignore this…take the family out for dinner Friday night and give your waitress a tip that is more “treat” than “trick”.
For the rest of us… Halloween is the only time of the year( other than “girl scout cookie season”, which I believe should be declared a national holiday by the way) when our neighbors will show up to our house in great numbers and ring our bell. Let’s make the most of it! I challenge all of you to be the “best house” on the block. The one that kids (and parents) love to come to. It’s a great opportunity to be generous…to give to your neighborhood “no strings attached”.
Michele, Princess Belle (Reagan), and I will be having a free hot chocolate/hot cider stand (with candy for the kids of course) in our driveway. We’ve been doing it for three years now and it is a hit with parents and kids. It also allows us a chance to “meet” and speak with people in our housing development we might otherwise never meet… And no, other than displaying our awesome “actionchurch-o-lantern” that we were given Sunday…this is not about “church”. We will not be handing out tracts or actionchurch invites…just serving and getting to know our neighbors.
So here’s the challenge…be creative…be generous…be the “best house” on the block! I’d love to hear your stories…
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We talk a lot about “current events” at actionchurch. I want to be a “relevant” church and not just ignore what is happening in the culture around us. I can’t tell you the times that I have sat through sermons from a “verse by verse study of the book of Philemon” that completely ignored some horrific event that had just happened. Meanwhile every one in the congregation was praying that the sermon would end soon so they could talk about “what was really going on”.
