Ministry in Motion

Recently when I meet someone new I ask: "..so tell me a little about your story.." I could ask about their education, their family, their job or which city they're from, but asking about their story opens an entirely different conversation. According to the studies of narrative psychology, the stories we tell about ourselves are the key to our well-being. People tend to reply to my question about their story with broader facts, more personal, more interesting and with relevant intimacy. Now I have a deeper appreciation and understanding of the person I'm speaking with. Few people ask this question, of someone's story, well. Maybe it's because we're more interested in getting to the bottom line of a conversation than getting to know someone. Conversely, most folks don't know how to tell their story well. Or, they have so much to share they don't know where to start or when to stop. I like this icebreaking bridge: “..tell me abo

In Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan Cpt. Kirk says: “..Old friend, do you know the Klingon proverb, "Revenge is a dish best served cold?” If someone does you wrong, cheated or betrayed you, getting over it and living a happy life is often said to be the best revenge. But sometimes, it can be really hard to just leave the culprit without any form of retribution - people can be surprisingly creative and mischievous, when it come to getting back at them. For the most part, we enjoy seeing the bully get his comeuppance, his just desserts. Confucius stated: “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” He’s suggesting that the desire for revenge hurts you as much as the person you want to inflict the revenge upon. While standing up for yourself might be admirable, a higher road maybe letting God’s standard set the example: W hen we look upon the cross, we see a God who would rather die than kill his enemies. Think about it, because it’s a philosoph

Well defined prayers result in a well lived life! #MetroLifeChurch #minmchurch

" ...In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes..."  Every culture has tried to get God to approve of their definition of right and wrong, but God's standards are perfect and timeless. In ministry, I meet folks who want to take the truths of scripture and even the acts of the Christ and redefine them in order to establish their own boundaries for living. Never a good idea.  Each of us must make a decision whether to live this life according to our personal preferences or according to the unchanging, albeit sometimes difficult, way of Christ. Allow Him to erase your ways in favor of His ways.

#MetroLifeChurch #minmchurch In legends and folklore, the white knight rescues the damsel in distress, falls in love and saves the day. From all the comments airing in the media and floating around cyberspace, Twitter and Facebook I have to assume there are many more white knights in our world than I ever imagined. I’m curious about those guardian personalities, whose voice is so loud, so strong, they offer nearly every solution from how to save us to restoring our politics and our nation. Checkout Dr Nicola Davies thoughts on The Rescuer Personality . Pay close attention to her final point, a question, Am I a Rescuer? Consider this thought from Eugene Peterson :   “Rescue me from the person who tells me of life and omits Christ, who is wise in the ways of the world and ignores the movement of [God’s] Spirit” Amen…pkes

The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Rome: “…I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but [sometimes ] I can’t…” People sometimes act in puzzling ways, making decisions or comments you can't possibly comprehend. I once had a pastor tell me he would rather share the Gospel of Jesus with someone who is a Christian. Insert my puzzled look here. What he was saying is he wanted to share the Gospel of love and acceptance with people who thought and acted like he did. Weird. Catholic theologian Karl Rahner wrote, "The number one cause of atheism is Christians…who proclaim Him with their mouths and deny Him with their actions [this] is what an unbelieving world finds unbelievable." Evangelicals have a habit of being a contradiction in behavior, between the message of Jesus and his Gospel, and their actions and attitudes. I pray you are not this contradiction, but try this simple test, none-the-less: Are most of you