Facebook Updates

My Facebook status updates preserved for posterity :)

Taming the Tongue

‎"People can tame and already have tamed every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish. No one can tame the tongue, though. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we both bless the Lord and Father and curse human beings made in God’s likeness. Blessing and cursing come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, it just shouldn’t be this way!" - James 3:7-10.

If we EVER use the gospel to impale people with words, and yet worship God with other words, this passage applies to us! Jesus taught over and over about change coming from the heart, not religious actions. Change in the heart is shown through the words we say.

Formula for making the world a better place:

1) Start on the inside. Find ways to improve yourself in the direction of kindness, compassion, understanding others' perspectives, seeing the big picture, delaying gratification, etc.,
2) Act differently toward others - fight injustice, care for others, make unselfish choices, and
3) Join with others who feel the same and so do something bigger than 1 person can do alone. Encourage each other and join resources, work to influence society, make a big difference...

Formula for Christians to make the world a better place through their faith in God and the truth that they carry?:
Ditto.

The Straight Path

In Luke 3, John the baptist taught us how to prepare our hearts to see the kingdom at work. Same holds true today:
"Prepare God's arrival!
Make the road smooth and straight!
Every ditch will be filled in,
Every bump smoothed out,
The detours straightened out,
All the ruts paved over.
Everyone will be there to see
The parade of God's salvation."
How do we do this? Treat people well, and don't expect our religious pedigree or rituals to help us see God. Read it for yourself in Luke 3:1-22

Good News

We can't see what's right before our eyes: the good news is for ALL people! Not just people like me.

Culture of Sin?

We so often assume the meaning of sin and that it is known broadly. But its easy to define sin in a way that oversteps Christ's call to Love God & Love one another. Maybe by looking for literal instructions in the epistles, maybe by introspection of our faults and weaknesses. The thing is, our definition of sin creates a culture of fighting that sin. The culture is one of limited acceptance and levels of belonging. What sins are we fighting? How do we treat those that struggle with exactly those problems? We should choose carefully because those sins define our culture and group identity.

Mission

Which one sounds like a better mission to go down in the history books for "accomplishments of the church in the 21st century:" 1) made a big stink about homosexuality and abortion, or 2) helped solve global world hunger, bring at least minimal health care to all the world's communities, and ended 21st century slavery? Which one better represents the Kingdom of God? I've become convinced that God really doesn't need our help in judging the world. But he does request our help in caring for it.

Go to Facebook