Ministry in Motion

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ' Thy will be done,'  and those to whom God says, 'All right, then, have it your way.'   ~C.S. Lewis #MetroLifeChurch  #MinMChurch

“...So he got up and returned to his father. The father looked off in the distance and saw the young man returning. He felt compassion for his son and ran out to him...” Most people understand imagery much better than doctrines and religious dogma. In Jesus’s gospel story we see this imagery clearly: the jilted father hurrying to his returning son. No judgment. No condemnation. No “I told you so’s”   The faithful father didn’t look upon his inquisitive, carousing, indulgent son as a loser or a reprobate. He doesn’t labels him; no negative monikers or accusations or judgment. Au contraire, the patriarchal papa welcomes his son home, showing him that he’s valuable, loved and appreciated. This story here isn’t about conversion to Christianity. Just maybe, it’s about God being on the lookout for those, in the family, who have wandered off. God simply can’t wait to welcome the wayward home and He gives thanks for their return. In   the story we see what it is to run towards

Are you madly in love with God? Before you respond too quickly and say yes, give an honest pause… breathe...exhale. We must explore this question carefully, almost silently, knowing, realizing,  that God knows the secrets of the heart .  Love, as we often define it, is a far cry different, and often contradictory to the kind of love revealed by the Christ: “… love your enemies , do good to them...without expecting to get anything back…”  To be madly in love with God demands we love as Jesus loved. Love the seemingly unlovable, starting with the people who creep you out the most. This is at the crux of being a Disciple - it pushes love to the extreme.   #MetroLifeChurch #MinMChurch  #pkes

Do dogs really like hugs? The short answer, and according to veterinary specialists is, not really. Hugs are for humans.  “…For everything that happens in life—there is a season, a right time for everything under heaven… a time for a warm embrace [a hug] …”   Almost nothing in the world is better than a "proper" hug!  I grew up in a home where hugs were sort’a rationed, especially by my dad. We didn’t hug, we shook hands. As an older adult my mom and dad came to visit. After a week of sharing time and space with my parents I took them to the airport, they were headed back home. As we said our goodbyes my father extended his hand. I took it, pulled him close and gave him a “proper” man hug. He was shocked. Speechless. His eyes welled with a tear or two. We embraced on the concourse, near departures. It was a special moment.  I think we were made to let people know we care, and with a hug we can show our compassion, our concern, our love. Hugs boost happiness levels, bot

Let’s be honest! Some people are more difficult to get along with than others; they totally rub us the wrong way. Getting along with these folks requires a innovative point of view = we must see them as God sees them. Seeing God’s handiwork in every human being is not easy.                    S andpaper people are not only a reality of life, but opportunities given to us from the heart of God, a:  “...product of His hand, heaven’s poetry etched on lives created in the Anointed, Jesus...”   I think He uses difficult people & relationships as catalysts through which He lovingly upsets our comfortable plans. Every arduous relationship, every exhausting person, is wrapped in God’s love, faithfully delivered to us. I’m pretty convinced He purposefully redirects our safe and sound steps and, if we listen closely, he’ll give us permission to engage and enter into their story, for his name’s sake.  Are you willing to see others differently and enter into their challenging story?…#pkes

#MetroLifeChurch #MinMChurch #pkes Pastor, you smell like sheep!   Me, that’s a good thing, right? “…The priest who seldom goes out of himself … misses out on the best of our people, on what can stir the depths of his priestly heart…” Pope Francis  The invitation for all of us in leadership roles is to be like good shepherds and get out among our flock.