Viral Faith

Discipline without desire causes drudgery Anonymous  "Don't handle! Don't taste! Don't touch!"? 22 Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. 23 These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person's evil desires. Colossians 2:21-23 Lenten season begins today and is the 6 week period of time celebrated on the traditional Christian calendar prior to Easter.  The purpose of the season is further consecration and dedication towards Jesus Christ.  In order to do that, there was often a temporary cessation of certain pre-selected activities that were understood to interfere with the consecration process.  In the medieval world, this was most often fasting from meat as meat was seen as a luxury and it was felt that luxurious indulgences interfered with the soul's ability to connect with God. Fast forward ...

" God's gifts aim to make us into generous givers, not just fortunate receivers" Miroslav Volf in Free of Charge Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.  Matthew 10:8 Today, I read an article about a pastor who left the following message for his or her waiter: This pastor refused the 18% gratuity that was added to his or her large party and instead left 10% (assuming it was cash as there is no tip on the receipt) based upon the pastor's concept that to give more would be to give more to the waiter than to God. This is a great example of terrible theology, and even more incredulous, a terrible, terrible witness to character of Jesus and his people.   Throughout scripture, God is described as a generous God.  He instructs his people to be "open handed" (Dt 15:8) and to be generous to others as we have been blessed, not because of our worthiness, but because o...

"I refuse to believe the "isness" of humanity can not reach up to the "oughtness" that forever confronts him" Martin Luther King, Jr, 1964 in his Nobel Prize reception  He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new! Revelations 21:5 Today, the United States celebrates the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  There are so many things that could be said about him, that a blog entry can not even begin to skim the surface in describing his impact.  So, I want to share five ways that his life, his legacy, and his death have impacted me: 1. King demonstrated that faith was at the core of changing a society.  Rev. King never backed away from the moral outrage prompted by his faith while advocating for changes in a secular society.  In his writings from "A time for Freedom" in 1961, he quotes an elderly woman who walked several hours to work in sweltering heat instead of taking the bus durin...

"You don't get to a place where you're never going to be tempted again." Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International “God created sexuality.  People create sexual identity” Dr. Jenel Williams Paris in The End Of Sexual Identity "Whatever you marginalize, you radicalize" Rick Warren (@RickWarren 1/15/13) So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.  (Colossians 2:10 NLT) Two things happened yesterday that colluded to produce this blog entry.  First, I participate in a wonderful email discussion with pastors and leaders that covers a variety of topics regarding life and faith.  Over the past several days, there has been significant discussion on the church's treatment of homosexuality in light of Pastor Lou Gigglio's removal from praying during the presidential inauguration due perceived anti-gay comments.  Secondly, a church member scheduled a meeting with me ...

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.  I John 2:9 "We must pray for Gays" Pastor Heritage Munyakuri, Yesterday, at the church where I have the privilege to pastor (www.newhopefree.org), one of my assistant pastors delivered the message.  The topic of the sermon was "The Power of Prayer".  In that sermon, Pastor Munyakuri encouraged the congregation to pray for others as prayer is effective means to blessing others.  As an example, Pastor Munyakuri, who is from Congo, discussed the controversial initiative in Uganda, where it has been proposed that people found in homosexual realtionships should be put to death.  Pastor Munyakuri denounced this policy and went on the encourage the congregation to pray for all people, including gays. Interestingly, because of the highly sensitive nature of sexuality in the church, many listeners understood the message to be about homosexuality as opposed to prayer as a means ...

John 15:1-3 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  The life of a church community is not static but always changing, always evolving or decaying.  There is a certain ebb and flow that is inherent in the life of any living organism.  Times of development, times of growth, times of strengthening, times of disease, times of reproduction, and ultimately times of death.  A church body is a living thing.  Despite church growth experts opinions, I do not believe a local church body was created to last forever, but like our lives, has an unique lifespan that is created for the purposes of demonstrating the Kingdom of God in its socio-historical context.  I have seen some wonderful and powerful communities of God that had relatively short life cycles, but were beautiful in their creation and fruitful in their ...

That has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.  Ecclesiastes 1:9 This week's violent attacks on American embassies do not make sense to me.  I know its easy to dismiss this violence as simply out-of-control religious fanatics who are lead by zealous militants who despise the United States.  Yet, there is something missing.  It does not make sense.  Allow me to postulate a couple of things that I think will give clarity to this mess: 1. Muslims, like other peoples of the world, are intelligent people who desire significance, security, and acceptance.  In this manner, we are all alike. 2. All faiths that are exclusive, by nature, are an offense to the world around them.  In Christianity, this is openly acknowledged (I Corinthians 1:18-2:16 for instance).  Muslims readily understand that they are misunderstood and that a majority of the world is not Muslim.  While they may be of...