Ministry in Motion

Thomas Merton once wrote: “…the beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them…” What will it take for you to amp up your authentic love and see others and love others, as God sees them. My prayer this week: Lord, I'm willing to see differently. I'm willing to see through your eyes; I’m wiling to learn to love as you love without opinion or bias; teach me I pray, Amen.  #minmchurch

#Passover2016

W hen peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well; it is well with my soul. Interesting blue hymnal song, one that’s way too easy to dismiss as being, well, old. Horatio Spafford penned this classic tune after his worldly assets were reduced to ashes by the great Chicago fire of 1871 and just after the deaths of his four children, who drown while crossing the Atlantic Ocean in 1873. Scripture tells us : “ ... We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed…” Russian novelist and philosopher Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote: “The darker the night, the brighter the stars; the deeper the grief, the closer is God.” When something happens as horrific as Spafford’s loss it can be devastating, yet he wasn’t crushed – he rose above his grief. Spafford got closer to God. He chose to survive and thrive; He chose to honor the dead by living well; He chose to write, despite his loss “It is Well with My Soul

The American church is walking its own Emmaus Road, trudging along, confused & somewhat disappointed; maybe what we need is a sense of the sacred. #FirstWorldTheology

For the past couple of years I’ve been on a theological Merry-Go-Round that’s quickly turning into an adult sized Tilt-A-Whirl. My conundrum? American theology or as I’ve coined it: 1 st World Theology.  A prominent Missouri pastor, recently wrote: “…the kingdom of God persuades by love, witness, Spirit, reason, rhetoric and if need be martyrdom …” He added on Twitter : “ If you don’t know how to preach the gospel without making appeals to afterlife issues…you don’t know how to preach the gospel!” I’m thinking out loud here, but maybe we should consider abandoning our Americanized Christian faith in favor of an Apostolic faith, taking our directions from the Apostle Paul, where Luke recounts: “..he [received] all who came to him…with no hindrance, he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about…the Lord Jesus, God’s Anointed..” Consider this: Is your faith simply based on not going to hell? Or, do you embrace all people, sharing your faith in love, yet boldly?   Would the Gospel

The Apostle Paul refers to our vulnerability by saying:  “…we are only like jars of clay,  or  cracked pots made of earth…”  we are this way because of God’s grace and so that His authenticity will be clearly seen as coming though us. University of Houston professor, author and public speaker, Brene Brown’s  TED Talk  on vulnerability is epic.   While being vulnerable takes courage, it also connects us to others. God has wired us for connection, for community, and has given us a longing to be known and to know others. Here’s my encouragement: tell your story; be exposed or vulnerable; be genuine & authentic; receive God's Word, letting it be your cloak, like a new garment to cover your nakedness. Then watch others gravitate to the hope you have within you. Blessings…pkes  #minmchurch #churchpearland CLICK HERE >  brene_brown_on_vulnerability