Viral Faith

  "Some who walk this wide road represent themselves as sheep, but inside they are hungry wolves.  Watch out for these false prophets.  You will know them by their fruit.  Do grapes come from a thorn bush or pears from thistles?  Will a sick tree give good fruit or a healthy tree bad fruit?  No! Healthy trees give good fruit and sick trees give bad fruit.  It is the trees with bad fruit that are cut down and used to make a fire.  When you see the fruit of their ways, you will know them.  Not everyone who calls me their Great Chief is walking the good road from the spirit-world above.  The ones who do what my Father from the spirit-world above wants are the ones walking this road."  (Matthew-Gift from Creator Tells the Good Story: 7:15-21 FNV) "Discernment is not decision-making.  Rather, discernment is allowing God to show us who we are to be in this world.  Maybe God doesn't care much about what you do, but cares a great ...

  " Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I give to you not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid. " -- Jesus in Jn 14:27 "The church, of itself, is not the kingdom.  It is, rather, the messianic community in the service of the kingdom.  It witnesses to the kingdom. In its life and values, it anticipates the kingdom.  It is the community charged with continuing the messianic mission in the same Spirit and strategy that characterized Jesus' mission. It is the community in which the signs of the kingdom are most evident."  --John Driver in Images of the Church in Mission Many of you may be aware that I am currently privileged to serve in a denominational leadership role, where I promote the well-being of churches and help develop new ones.  In that role, I have the opportunity to visit with lots of churches, their pastors, as well as churches and leaders outside of my denomination.  I share that with you because I want to share my observ...

  ICE protests in Paramount, California And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ (Mt 25:40 NLT) "Sin is when we misuse our God-given agency to project our own will onto history without regard for God's vision."--Karen R. Keen in The Word of a Humble God The history of the United States has been shaped by protest. Cultural or societal change rarely happens because societies simply feel it's time to change. Fredrick Douglass infamously stated that "Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will."  In a political sense, organized protests amplify voices that are largely ignored by those in power.  Using that lens, the march on Washington in 1963 was not the context for a powerful speech by Martin Luther King Jr, but the power of millions of voices gathered to speak collectively, leveraging moral outrage against systems, policies, and behav...

  There are six things that the LORD hates,  seven things detestable to him:  snobbish eyes,  a lying tongue,  hands that spill innocent blood,  a heart set on wicked plans,  feet that run quickly to evil,  a false witness who breathes lies,  and one who causes conflicts  among relatives. (Proverbs 6:16-19 CEB) Culture has become the buzzword in leadership circles for the past 30 years. Leadership Guru Peter Drucker is quoted as saying, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." What he meant was that an organization's culture (the assumed, spoken, and unspoken roles, responsibilities, and relationships within an organization) is a better indicator of its success than a particular strategy or methodology.   Culture, according to Mosaics Church Pastor Harry Li is the assumed understanding of "how things get done".  The culture of an organization or a society is shaped by what is celebrated and prioritized.  For instance, a...

  "Democracy is not only a form of governance.  It is a promise: a promise that we can live with one another in dignity, equality, solidarity, security, justice, and hope. Practicing democracy can enable us to grow, to learn, to care, and to act. Democracy promises life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but realizing this promise requires that society commit to governance based on the equal value of each of our voices, discernment of our common interests through association, deliberation, and learning; and respect for the exercise of individual and collective agency." --Marshall Ganz in People, Power, Change Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve. (Proverbs 24:12 CEB) Throughout history, democracy has remained a fragile experiment.  The idea that government is "of the people" and "for the people"...