Ministry in Motion

I know it’s coming. I expect to hear those words at any minute. The pastor clears his throat, pauses and utters the words that, IMHO, can make cheese curdle — ‘This is my Bible..I’m standing on the word of God’  Gasp….I let out a long  sigh. My heart begins to break; sadness isn’t far behind.   The Word of God means...pick one, only one:   1) The Bible;   2) The msg of God in the Bible; 3) Jesus.   Think about the simple shift of emphasis between number one and number three. It's really important. The role Jesus plays in how we interpret, understand, and apply everything in the Bible is hypercritical, if we are going to be disciples of Christ . As we mature as believers, as we lead others to the hope we have within us , we may have to grapple with, and give space to, the question: are Jesus and the Bible equals?   The Bible is an invaluable and beautiful tool for getting to know and follow the teachings of Christ. The Hebrew and Greek scriptures are preci

Some days later when Jesus came back to Capernaum, people heard that He was back in town, teaching and sharing stories of love and truth. Soon the crowd overflowed from the house where He was ministering; they spilled into the streets, and still more people pressed in to hear His teaching.  Four men tried to bring a physically-challenged friend to Him. There were no ADA rules in effect. The crowd was super dense - it prevented them from getting close to Jesus. Being resourceful, and slightly disrespectful to the home owner, they climbed up and onto the roof, cut a hole between the rafters, and lowered the paralyzed man on his mat down to Jesus. Recognizing their faith, Jesus said to the mat bound  man: Son, your sins are forgiven . This statement by a ‘mere man’ was totally radical - some in the crowd were peeved. They believed this Jesus was making bold statements and he was taking away honor that was due only to God.  Now things get really dicy: Jesus looks at those gathered, I

"...when did we find You hungry and give You food? When did we find You thirsty and slake Your thirst? When did we..." "...I tell you this: whenever you saw a brother or sister hungry or cold, whatever you did to the least of these, so you did to Me..." The only difference in the sheep and the goats is what they did or did not do... Or, As God told Israel, “You’re doing all your religious exercises, but those things mean nothing if you ignore the poor."  So each month Ministry in Motion rents this truck, full of fresh produce, to share with our friends at the The Well on Masters Road . Lean in and be part of MinM family. # MinMChurch     # MetroLife Church  

My God! He is not an Episcopalian, not a Catholic, not a Baptist, not an Evangelical. His politics are not left leaning nor do they hedge to the right. He will outlast Mt Rushmore; He is not represented by a bald eagle but a descending dove.  Every nation has churches that are shaped by their society’s cultural values and by the political landscape of the day. America is no different. But we must  always remember that the God of the Scriptures is the God of one ideology, His.  He is the God of the poor and stranger(s), Lev 19:10.  God , residing in his holy dwelling, is a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, Ps 68:5.  The Eternal preserves the stranger [foreigner].        Ps 146:9  I love America, my country - I’m committed to liberty and justice for all. But way to many churches are reflecting the ugliness of our age rather than the beauty of the risen Christ.  Pray with me : Lord, save us from ourselves. In your great mercy, restore and heal each of us

The Christian life is not just about a personal relationship with God, even if personal faith and responsibility are absolutely necessary. When too much emphasis is placed on a privatize salvation, we run the potential of getting so much wrong. Avoid the draw to escape church citizenry .  Becoming a disciple of Christ was never meant to be a solo expedition. Doing so means we expose ourselves to totally missing the opportunity to see the Eternal and His Holy Spirit in action: in real communities, in actual churches, in non-partisan politics, in obvious differences, in honest-to-goodness marriages, in authentic social discussions and during hard theological disagreements.   You can't go it alone . Following Jesus shouldn’t be about intellectual assent, but rather it's communal activity, where-by we help ensure we don’t run the risk of missing the Word who came to dwell among us . Consider that believing in Jesus and being mentored by the Holy Ghost is largely