I’m not interested in making scholars of Jesus.  I’m interested in making disciples of Jesus.

If they become scholarly disciples, I’m ok with that.  

Disciples know and do.  They learn and obey.  They follow their Leader.  

They become like their Leader.

James 1:22-27 | Ephesians 4:15 | Matthew 18:2-4

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

Luke 2:10-11
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. - KJV

“A Christmas Carol” has been done to death.  I know the story and am not really interested in experiencing it again…  

At least that’s what I thought before I read a copy of the “complete and unabridged” version of the actual book by Charles Dickens, a few years ago.  Masterfully crafted with a powerful and moving story of the redemption of an old sinner, the book had an emotional impact on me on the first read.

The Christian overtones are usually removed from modern retellings of the story, so I was surprised by it in the book. I saw parts of myself in Scrooge, and was moved by the reminder that there is hope for the hardest of hearts.  It reminded me of the joy, peace and purpose that I now have because of the amazing grace of Christ.

One startling passage that I had not seen in other versions  involved the “Ghost of Christmas Present” revealing to Scrooge two freaky looking children clinging to the spirit’s robes:

“Spirit!  Are they yours?” Scrooge could say no more.

“They are Man’s,” said the Spirit, looking down upon them.  ”and they cling to me, appealing from their fathers.  This boy is Ignorance.  This girl is Want.  Beware of them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that writen which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.  Deny it!” cried the Spirit, stretching out its hand toward the city…

Ignorance and Want.  They go together.   And of the two, “Ignorance” is the most dangerous, because among other things, he causes “Want” to increase.  

But an amazing truth is this:  ”Ignorance” and “Want” begin to fade when Truth is communicated and Needs are met.   And churches of people who know what it’s like “to be forgiven much” are perfectly suited for this task.

Now if you don’t read the book (only 113 pages total in paperback, by the way) then the definitive movie version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is the 1951 version starring Alastair Sim.  I dare you to turn down the lights, turn up the fire (or a few candles) and watch this version of the movie without being stirred.  It gets me every time.

So go be light.  Go do good.

Share the Truth and meet needs.  

Go change the world.

And may God truly bless us…every one.

A while back I received an email from a Christian who wanted to know more about our new Church.  It is typical of emails and questions I’ve received along the way, so I thought I would post a couple of his questions with my responses.

He: What is your teaching syle?  Topical?  Inductive?
Me: Yes.  We value the Bible too highly to be limited to any one “Bible Study Method.”

He: What is your vision for your church?  Briefly, of course - I ask because I noticed on your website something about “reaching the unchurched.”  What does that mean, and how does it affect your teaching and other elements of your service, leadership, etc.?  We are not “unchurched,” and not at all interested in a “seeker friendly” approach, where you may try hard to make everything palatable to the seeker.  That’s all fine, but I’ve been there, don’t want to be anymore.  it’s time to move on to growth and maturity.  No offense, of course!
Me: None taken.  Our vision is developing More, Stronger and Closer followers of Jesus Christ.  (I then shared some of the  values that I discuss in this talk:  North Point Compass - Part 1 and North Point Compass - Part 2.   The audio is pretty bad, but the info is clear.)

Me (continued): It sounds as though you may have had a bad experience with “seeker friendly” churches.  As with “seeker un-friendly” churches, there are certainly  extremes that are way off base.  Our service and teaching is designed to be “obstacle free” for those who do not yet know Christ and “believer enriching” for those who do.

That said, however, we do believe that spiritual maturity does not exist apart from the mission of Jesus.  This means that believers who are growing and maturing are becoming more and more selfless and compassionate towards those who do not know Christ, because they are becoming more and more like Christ Himself. Growth and maturity are demonstrated by Christ-likeness.  That’s impossible without being sensitive to seekers in the process.  But by “sensitive” we don’t mean “watered down.” We mean we are kind and “understandable” with the only obstacle being the “Stumbling Block” of Jesus Himself.

But if I’m understanding your questions correctly, this could be where the deal is most likely broken for you.  I hope that is not the case, but there are many, many churches in the area who are no longer interested in reaching people who do not know Christ.  It should not be difficult to find one to plug into if that is your desire.

However, if you are still interested in our church, I’d be happy to get to know you better and share with you a bit more of what we’re all about.  Thanks for asking, and may God bless you as you seek to follow Him with all of your heart.

—-

If these types of questions are asked about Stoneview, the response will be basically the same.

Last night, as we were driving to Starbucks, Leona’s wedding ring was shining through her fuzzy, pink gloves.  It was awesome, so I had to take a picture:

It reminds me what a great symbol a  wedding ring is for marriage:    Gold (purity of our commitment & love) , Endless Circle (Endless commitment) and a Ring (of protection)

Once on our honeymoon I took my wedding ring off  and left it in the shower.  When Leona discovered it a few minutes later, she freaked out.  Which of course,  caused me to freak out.  It scared me silly that I might have accidently left it there or lost it down the drain!

So from that moment forward, with the few exceptions when I have taken my ring off to illustrate the symbolism of baptism, I have not removed my wedding ring.   Actually, I don’t think I can even get it off of my finger, at this point!

Here’s why I’m sharing this with you.  With the stress of the holidays,  the economy and other pressures right now, slipping into a danger zone in our marriages is always a possibility.  Just like the ring, our marriages need a hedge of protection around them so that they are not left behind or lost down the drain.  We need to keep them close at hand.

Marriage is a covenant between you, your spouse and God.   Why not take a moment  and ask God to place a ring around your marriage, right now?  Ask for His protection, for a renewed commitment to your spouse, and the ability to love like He loves.

Twenty years and three kids later, Leona and I are doing great.  But our marriage will only be strong for the next twenty as we commit ourselves to God and each other - and place a ring around our marriage.  I hope the same for you.

For inspiration, here’s  a short talk I did a few years ago that I go back to every now and then, just as a reminder: Affair-Proofing Your Marriage

Our coffee pot bit the dust last night, so we decided to go 1950’s retro with the coffee this morning.

Here’s how it played out.  Enjoy.

(If the embedded video above is choppy, here’s a direct link: http://vimeo.com/2449299 )