02 December 2009

Making Implements of Faithfulness

He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (Isaiah 2:4, TNIV)

Last night the President of the United States, Barack Obama, told the world that he planned to send 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan in order to combat Al-Qaeda and establish peace in that country.


This morning I read that the Lord will be the one to bring that peace into the world by judging between nations and settling disputes. Additionally, those nations will then turn their weapons of war into tools for agriculture (read: growth). They will also no longer express hostility toward other nations or train their young men (and women) to fight in wars.

Why do we believe violence is the way to peace? Is it because that's the way we've settled our disputes in the past? Is it because we are afraid to actually sit down and talk to one another? Is it because we may actually have to change our way of doing things if we re-evaluate our current practices? Is it because we are too afraid of letting God call the shots in our lives to actually give scripture the authority we say it has? I am not sure, but what a picture of the Kingdom Isaiah gives us here!

A couple of definitions:
Plowshare - a tool "used to create deep furrows in a cleared field that could then be sown with seed"


Pruning hook - a tool "used to prune grapevines, produce high-quality grapes, and speed the harvest"
In the midst of a world that so willingly escalates violence, what place does an image of surrender have? Not surrender in the sense of giving up, but surrender in the sense of giving over - giving over control of our lives, our families, our nations to the One who loves us so much that he came into our world and became one of us.

As we prepare to celebrate the Advent of the Christ-child, let us remember that he came to share a vision of the Kingdom of God and bring that to fruition. I believe that his vision includes turning weapons of war into tools for fruitfulness.

Loving God, help us to live in accordance with you so that the weapons we turn against each other may be transformed into implements of faithfulness. In Jesus' name. Amen.

23 November 2009

Grace Anatomy Outtakes

As promised, here are the outtakes from our day of filming. You will enjoy these!


22 November 2009

Sanctifying Grace

The last of our three-part series is on Sanctifying Grace - the grace that makes us holy. I pray that this series has helped you understand a little bit more about the Wesleyan understanding of grace and how it impacts your faith and life.


Enjoy!


Come back tomorrow for the outtakes from our day of shooting!

16 November 2009

Justifying Grace

Here is the video we didn't show on Sunday morning. Enjoy - there's more to come!


Prevenient Grace

During our "Grace Anatomy" Series at University UMC we shot a three-part video depicting a West Texas Thanksgiving as the openers for each week's message. We showed this video on November 8th. Enjoy!


02 November 2009

What's Your Business?

For this is what the Lord has commanded us: "I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth." (Acts 13:47)


When E. Stanley Jones asked an 82-year-old man, "What's your business?" the man responded, "My business is witnessing for Christ." He then told of his conversion to Christianity (from Buddhism) and his ministry to pray for and evangelize everyone he meets.

It's a good question..."What's your business?"

A profound question when you stop to think about it in terms of our whole selves. We often wrap ourselves up in our job titles or name plates or positions within our respective companies (churches). But how often do we stop to consider how our Christian calling plays a role in our business? Or perhaps should be our business?

Why is it our natural tendency to think of what we can do ourselves before we think of about what God can do?

Thoughts?

What Happened to October?

Sorry for my unexpected absence from blogging during October. I have been tweeting, so you can catch up on some of my activities that way if you'd like.


I have something to say now, so I'll post a little later today.

29 September 2009

Shift Happens...What Are We Doing About It?

The ways people connect with one another are changing rapidly. How is the church leveraging the shift that is already taking place to connect with those who need to hear the gospel?



Now you know.

HT: Kem

23 September 2009

Verb or Noun

I just love this one! The shift from "noun" to "verb" is difficult, but a very necessary one.