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Living Community Part Five

(18) Children, you show love for others by truly helping them, and not merely by talking about it. (19) When we love others, we know that we belong to the truth, and we feel at ease in the presence of God. This is fundamental to all that Jesus taught. Love each other, don’t simply talk […]

Living Community Part Four

So HOW do we go about loving one another? The idea of ‘what is love’ is tainted by the influences of our culture. Some may say that sex is love or that love is found in the giving of extravagant gifts. John makes it real clear in his letter: “We know what love is because […]

Living Community Part Three

Now the bar is raised even further. In the words of Jesus, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the […]

Still Here…Living Outside the Box

The Apostle Paul was inside-the-box (ITB) until his encounter with Christ on the Damascus road. He fully renounced his ITB credentials in his letter to the church at Philippi. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, though I could have confidence in my own effort […]

Living Community Part Two

Not only is love foundational from the beginning of time but Jesus Christ further brings it into perspective when He walked the earth. He was confronted by one of the religious teachers and asked to identify the greatest commandment. His reply, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. […]

Living Community Part One

The next few posts will be about what it means and requires to be a true and living “community.” To move beyond oneself and truly engage the world around us. To realize that there is more to life than simply waking up, going to work, coming home, and doing it all over again the next […]

Beauty in Chaos

Can you there be Beauty in Chaos? Chaos is something most normal human beings prefer to avoid given the chance. As such, it carries negative connotation with respect to living a vibrant life, and yet, there a beauty can be found in the midst of the upheaval and disruption of chaos. Don’t believe me? Ask […]

Conformity 3

Conformity in the Church Actually we are to conform to the holy life described in the Scripture. Sadly this has been perverted in some church environments resulting in unbearable legalism. Wny? In Scripture, the church is called a “body”, comprised of different and distinct parts each serving a specific function ultimately serving for the benefit […]

Conformity 2

So what is the difference between Conformity and Uniformity? We have established that Conformity is taking action in accordance to prevailing social standards, attitudes and practices. Whereas Uniformity is the state or quality of overall sameness, homogeneity. These two words are not the same; specifically because in Uniformity we see the elimination of Personality. In […]

Conformity 1

Conformity minus Personality equals Uniformity All of society seeks a level of conformity. Whether it be to a political view, wearing a brand of clothing, drinking the same beer, supporting the same social issue, adherence to speed limits, Ford versus Chevy, American versus foreign, even wearing a jersey of the select sports team. Just look at TV commercials…it is […]

Outside the Box 7

Freedom to Live Loved Not knowing, at a primal level, that we are profoundly loved is possibly one of the biggest problems in society today. Think about it…what is at the root of nearly every instance of someone acting out against others or sinning in a variety of ways? We don’t really understand that we […]

Outside the Box-6

Freedom to Live Intentionally While the other six freedoms are primarily about detoxing from the religious and social systems of our culture today and letting healing soak in, this freedom is about growing. It’s about choosing the way you want to be in the world, being intentional in your actions, and designing a life that […]

Outside the Box-5

Freedom to Enjoy Having fun is almost a bad word in some circles. Oh sure, it’s fine to take your annual vacation or play that game of golf on the weekends (as long as it doesn’t interfere with a church function or something equally important). And we hear lots of advice about taking time to […]

Outside the Box-4

Freedom to Be We live in a performance-driven culture. It’s the American way, the Puritan work ethic. We are taught to work hard, to perform, to produce. Performance is rewarded in school, at work, and even in our home life. The voices of judgment – both from our own internal critics and those around us […]

Podcasts

S2:E5 Soul Keeping

S2-E4 Knowing Your Faith

S2:E3 Letting Dreams Die

S3-E1 About New Year’s Resolutions

S2:E2 Where Do You Find Joy?

Living Community Part Five

Living Community Part Four

Living Community Part Three

Living Community Part Two

Living Community Part One

Living Community Part Five

Living Community Part Four

Living Community Part Three

Still Here…Living Outside the Box

Living Community Part Two

Living Community Part One

Beauty in Chaos

Conformity 3

Conformity 1

Outside the Box 7

Outside the Box-6

Outside the Box-5

Outside the Box-4

Poetry

Inescapable

Other Authors

Why Doesn’t God Always Heal the Sick? by Dr. Sam Storms

Masterpiece: A New Humanity by Erwin McManus

Interpretation: Translation of Life by Erwin McManus

What is the Bible? by Mark Driscoll

You can’t Lead Where you Haven’t been by Nick Lathe