Conformed or Transformed?

I am reading this book Inclusion Making Room for Grace by Eric H.F. Law. I found the following "Respectful Community Guidelines" helpful when approaching a meeting. We don't always all agree on everything, so in trying to respect other's and hear what they are saying...check these out..... R - take RESPONSIBILITY for what you say and feel without blaming others E - engage in EMPATHETIC listening S - be SENSITIVE to differences in communication styles. P - PONDER what you hear and feel before you speak E - EXAMINE your own assumptions and perceptions C - keep CONFIDENTIALITY T - TOLERATE ambiguity because we are not here to debate who or what is right or wrong

James 2:18 You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works. Here are some good words from Neil Anderson: When my son Karl was just a toddler, I would stand him up on the table and call for him to jump from the table into my arms. Did Karl believe I would catch him? Yes. How did I know he believed? Because he jumped. Suppose he wouldn't jump. "Do you believe I will catch you, Karl?" I might coax, and he may nod yes. But if he never jumps, does he really believe I will catch him? No. Faith is active, not passive. Faith takes a stand. Faith makes a move. Faith speaks up. There are a lot of Christians who claim to have great faith in God but are spiritually lethargic and don't do anything. Faith without action is not faith; it's dead, meaningless (James 2:17, 18)! If it isn't expressed, it isn't faith. In order to believe God and His Word, we must do what He says. If you don't do what He sa...

There is a great post about criticism and hurts on Perry Noble's site. We need to stay focused on playing our game for an audience of One. Only what God says counts! It's so easy to get our eyes off the good things and focused on the one bad thing. If 10 people say good things and one person says a bad thing, that is where we, by nature, focus. If 10 people say bad things and God says "Good job, I'm pleased!" then that's all we need. Today I play for an audience of One. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdX-77UhwgU

Tonight Andrew helped me babysit for my sister and brother-in-law. They have 3 children under the age of 3, so I thought he would be a big help. Let me just say.....He was amazing! Thanks, Andrew! He has grown up and is a very responsible and helpful babysitter. When we got the kids all to bed, Andrew decided to take his scooter down the big hill on the side of the house. It's blacktop, but ends about 30 ft. before you would hit the lake. I had to crack up as I watched him fly down the hill and then use his SHOES to slow him down before he hit the grass. He came within about a foot of the lake. He melted the heels of his shoes and ground them down. I felt the shoes and they were hot. It was such a great idea, he went down about 5 more times. Tomorrow we go buy more shoes!!!

As we look at what happened at Virginia Tech this week, we don't have answers, no matter how much we analyze and pick it all apart. This song came to mind as I wrestle with things in my own life and watch others and their struggles....when answers aren't enough....Praise God! there is Jesus! Listen here: http://cdbaby.com/mp3lofi/randymayfield3-01.m3u You have faced the mountains of desperation You have climbed, you have fought, you have won But this valley that lies coldly before you Casts a shadow you cannot overcome And just when you thought you had it all together You knew every verse to get you through But this time the sorrow broke more than just your heart And reciting all those verses just won't do When answers aren't enough, there is Jesus He is more than just an answer to your prayer And your heart will find a safe and peaceful refuge When answers aren't enough, He is there Instead of asking why did it happen Think of where it can lead you from here And a...

Jamie Arpin-Ricci writes about becoming missional and this quote is something we wholeheartedly need to think about and embrace. "Hospitality is, perhaps, one of the most significant and powerful aspects of being missional that has been lost to most of the Western church. While I am not arguing that "house churches" are the only or best way of doing community, I will say that in order to have true loving relationships and community, we must live our lives together, demanding that our homes be open to each other more than brief events or meetings. So much of the New Testament cannot be understood fully until we recognize the degree to which the early church embraced this communal hospitality, not only to each other, but also to the outsider."

Are you just going along in life with no regard for what God has for you? Do you just take life as it comes? Check out this video....something to think about. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt5Ws13Yy9Q

I am reading the book Ministering Cross-Culturally by Lingenfelter and Mayers. It is really a good book about seeing how our Western culture differs from most other cultures. They contrast 12 different areas that can cause tension on the mission field. The one that really hit home for me was the contrast of goals. Are you task-oriented or people-oriented? I found, much to my surprise, that I am a task-oriented person, even though I am very much a people lover. Most of Western culture is task-oriented. So, here's what got to me.....There was a man who wanted to have some of his friends come over and help him do a task. Only a few showed up and so they sat on the porch and talked until more men showed up. Not enough men showed up to work, so they just sat talking and called it a day later that afternoon and decided that they would try it again next week. Now, I would have been frustrated by this. Frustrated that the few that were there didn't at least start on the task. Frustrat...

This morning I got up and read 1 Samuel 17, which is the story of David and Goliath. It's fun to read those ever so familiar stories again. It's been a while since I've actually read the story and not heard it Veggie Tales style. Here's a YouTube depiction of the story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQDAp1SGRTU So what I take away from David this morning: 1. He was obedient to his Father to go serve his brothers and did not question him, but went. (vs. 20) 2. He considered himself a servant. (vs. 32,34) 3. He was faithful with a little, so he was prepared for much (Note: to me...killing a bear and a lion with his hands wasn't little) (vs. 34-36) 4. He took no confidence for himself. His courage was strong and His trust was completely in the Lord. His faith now had feet to them. (vs. 37) 5. When David knew what God had called him to do, he didn't hesitate. He moved quickly. (vs. 48) I want these things for my life. May I always be an obedient servant who is fai...

HUH??? I opened my email to find the subject line "Moody Pastor's Conference". Well, well, well! Do Pastor's get moody, so much that we need to go to a conference if we are? Upon opening the email, it was a conference at Moody Bible Institute entitled "Pastor's Conference". "Relax. Refresh. Recharge." So, I guess if you are moody, you can go. And if your not...you can still go! ha ha ha!

On Friday night, I attended a Sader Dinner at my Mom's church. They had a converted Jew lead us in the dinner. It was so neat to hear him explain and then partake in the parts of it all. The plate to the left is a traditional Sader Dinner plate. He did a good job of telling us what they would say and do for each part, but then also added "the rest of the story" for Christians. We have a blessed hope!

We went "home" this last weekend to visit family and our old church. It was great to see all our friends again (notice I didn't say OLD friends...for those of you reading this who would slap me for that! ha ha). They have gotten rid of the pew benches and put some really comfortable chairs and changed the stage setting. It looks really great! It's amazing to just "pick up where you left off" in some ways. I am so thankful for the real relationships there. But there was a small distraction just before Easter. The service started normally, and they took the offering early in the service. When they went to put the money in the safe......uh.....it was GONE! Being April Fools Day, the teller thought it was a joke. Come to find out, an intruder not only stole that heavy safe, but also one of the pastor's laptop computer and the church's digital camera. What'll be interesting is when that intruder finally gets that heavy safe open, they are go...