Get Out of the Way
“By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79) I usually listen to news radio on my way to and from work, lately I find myself hitting the “off” button on my car radio with a little more urgency and disgust than normal. The other day I hit it so hard I thought maybe I had broken it; sometimes I wonder how much that button can take before it gives up. Then there is the problem of what...
Read MoreAnnouncing: Creekside Internships
Hey all, I wanted to give you a heads up in some exciting new developments in our youth and worship ministry. The bullet points are below, but read on to hear the story of how God has been at work moving us into a new season of ministry at Creekside: – We are announcing 3 new internships! – Two Youth Ministry interns – One Worship Ministry Intern – We have already hired one of the new interns! – Welcome Sarah Bender! Creekside Internship Program: Since Christian left we’ve been searching...
Read MoreBaptism, Undiscovered Tribes, and Why This Sunday is Who You Are
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26-28) Baptism isn’t just for the people who are going to get wet. Every summer around this time (this coming Sunday to be precise) Creekside has its baptism service at Tolt-MacDonald park, and whether you’ve ever or never been, what you need to know about that service is this: it is for...
Read MoreWith the Number 2 Pick in the 2015 NFL Draft
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created...
Read MoreApathy, Atheism, and Creativity
“Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.” (Psalm 33:1) I heard an incredible story on the radio the other day about a choir in Australia that is comprised completely of stroke victims. In many cases those choir-goers have little or no speech skills but amazingly they are still able to sing because music is processed in alternate parts of the brain from regular day-to-day speech. After one of their concerts a little girl approached her Grandfather, a member of the choir, and told him that it was the first time she had ever heard his...
Read MoreIdealist’s Dead Horse
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13) First Corinthians 13 might be the best chapter in the Bible. It doesn’t pull any punches. In the economy of 1 Corinthians 13, Love reigns supreme, it can do anything, it is the ultimate good. It’s the kind of chapter that every idealist can’t do without. You’ve probably heard the passage read at every wedding you’ve ever been to. But if, like me, you go to 7-10 weddings a year (or more) you may even feel like the chapter is tired, played out,...
Read MorePsalm 19
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Pslam 19:1) Last week I was on a backpacking trip with our students in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness where the stars were so bright, so crystalline and vivid that most of the group couldn’t resist sleeping outside. I remember waking up several times during the night and being able to tell immediately how long I had slept by seeing how far the thick band of stars that makes the Milky Way had rotated through the sky. I decided to sleep on a ridge just above where our group was camped. I made my...
Read MoreDeveloping an Intergenerational Heart
Many, or most of you, it seems were at the Good Friday service this year. If you weren’t, then what you missed is Creekside Middle School and Sr. High Students leading our church through an experiential journey of the final hours of Jesus life, and it was amazing. I can honestly say I’ve not heard people rave about how important or meaningful a service was to them like that in a very long time. I received nearly unanimous and overwhelming positive feedback. I’ve been asked a lot of questions since along the line of: “how’d you put that together” or “how did that all happen like that?” So I...
Read MoreWhat turned you?
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”” (Romans 10:14-15) When the disciples set out from Jerusalem after Jesus’ resurrection they had a clear objective in mind. They were sent, to preach the “Good news” about Jesus having risen from the dead. When Jesus rose from the dead he proved that the military might of the...
Read MoreWhen God Became King
Matthew 28:16-20 After Easter, Christian life should really start to make logical sense. Things should get clear. A lot of times it seems that questions like “what should I do with my life?” and “what kind of person do I want to be?” or even “what should I do today?” get bogged down in the mess and mire of everyday life. You might be asking yourself those questions, or questions like them and hearing back a hundred voices, all singing in their own key, none of them harmonizing with the other. Your job, your spouse, your politics, your Facebook friends, your phone bill, your clothes, your...
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