A Mission from God
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV) The idea of mission came up in our most recent Prayer Lighthouse, as we were praying for Creekside. All of God’s Church has been given the Great Commission (above), and the Leadership Team has been evaluating new wording to...
Read MoreImmeasurably More
(This article was originally published in August 2006.) “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…” (Eph. 3:20a NIV) When I was visiting a church last week, they played the song “He is Able,” and its lyrics caught my attention in a new way. He is able, more than able, To accomplish what concerns me today. He is able, more than able, To handle anything that comes my way. He is able, more than able, To do much more than I could ever dream. He is able, more than able, To make me what He wants me to be. (words and music by Rory Noland, Greg Ferguson) The words...
Read MoreDistracted Living
…[L]et us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1b-2 NIV) Much has been written about the difficulty of paying focused attention in today’s ultra-connected world. Distraction has negatively affected people’s work, leisure, parenting, and relationships. But I had never thought about how it affects Christians’ ability to tell people about our faith. What brought that to mind was an excellent piece by O. Alan Noble, “How to...
Read MoreSecret Ninja Skills and God’s Calling
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters… (Colossians 3:23 NIV) I remember clearly the day I discovered that one of my programmer colleagues had been, in his “past life” (i.e., before his computer career), both a professional chef on a cruise ship and a Division I college hockey player. We were amazed, since he had seemed to be a garden-variety nerd like the rest of us at the lunch table. Of course, we pelted him with questions, and his stories did not disappoint. We called those unknown talents “secret ninja skills,” and they show up...
Read MoreWeary of Doing Good
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9 NIV) In a recent post, I wrote about how important it is for us to engage the world by loving mercy and seeking justice as peacemakers. Since then, the news has been no less full of contention and heartbreak. On the one hand, I feel like my ability to listen politely and explain things clearly is valuable, and that I can use it for good. On the other hand, I’m exhausted, and I’m not spending enough time on other important callings in my life. Film critic Tim Grierson...
Read MoreExperiences of the Spirit
This article was written in June 2009, but seems appropriate to share again given our current sermon series. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” (Acts 1:8 NKJV) I remember a sermon from years ago at Creekside talking about the Holy Spirit. Mac was preaching, and he pointed out that the word power in Acts 1:8 is the Greek word dunamis, from which we also get the word dynamite. For some reason I had never considered the magnitude of what Jesus was saying there. He wasn’t talking about the power of a light bulb — he’s talking TNT! This sounds like something I...
Read MoreIt was EPIC
Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away… The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. (Joshua 3:15-16a, 17 NIV) On April 21, 2018, close to 50 Creeksiders gathered early on a Saturday morning to learn how to get less...
Read MoreThe Wisdom of Peacemakers
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. (James 3:17-18 NIV) As I write this post, the news is full of the fallout from the death of Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man shot by police. While many are quick to vilify either him or the cops, these situations are rarely as cut-and-dried as they seem. Still, that yet another such shooting has occurred should prove to us that something is wrong with the system. While I...
Read MoreWhat is Vitality?
For this is what the high and exalted One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” (Isaiah 57:15 NIV) I admit that this title is a little bit of a trick question. The meaning of the word vitality is “the state of being strong and active; energy” (Oxford Dictionaries). I’m also referring to the Covenant denomination’s Congregational Vitality initiative, which charts a course for an individual church to move toward being...
Read MoreFasting, Sacrifice, and Lent
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” (Matthew 6:16 NIV) I’m writing this on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. The Immerse group that I’m in met last night, and while we enjoyed our Fat Tuesday calorie bombs, we discussed whether we would be giving something up for Lent. It’s a practice that’s been around for years in many different traditions, and we had many opinions. Like any tradition, some people might participate just because it’s...
Read More