Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. -Proverbs 31:30
I saw a lot of people in the gym today I haven't seen before. Tis the season for getting all that Christmas cheer off your waste line.
In a worship planning meeting the other day we got off on the subject of looks. Someone told the story about a local preacher who has his own hair dresser follow him around before he preaches. Yeah- you guessed it, this digressed to all kinds of crude remarks about how their preacher certainly doesn't need that kind of attention.
Someone then made the observation that life in Christ really should make you beautiful in a meaningful sense. That living well and taking care of the temple God has given you and the result of the fruit of the Spirit in you should certainly result in a more orderly, beautiful life. But come on... hair dressers following you around? (Although I could use someone to powder my head occasionally).
I remember when my son was about 2 years old, I walked into our bathroom and found him sitting down staring at himself in the mirror. He had no expression on his face. It wasn't a look of admiration or horror, it was just a curious stare- as if to say, "who am I?"
It is quite natural in us, isn't it? According to the consumer trends online magazine, Euromonitor, the cosmetics industry has enjoyed an almost unfathomable 45% increase in the past six years!
The world is spending a LOT more money on appearance.
But hey, this has been going on for at least 10,000 years. The wisdom of Solomon above was written hundreds of years before Christ. Cosmetics has it's roots in ancient Egypt, where many thousands of years ago men and women alike applied cosmetics to enhance their looks.
"They applied green to their lower eyelids, then black or dark gray to their eyelashes and upper eyelids. And keeping with their spiritual beliefs, the dark colors were designed not only to enhance their appearance, but to ward off evil eyes."
In a kind of weird irony, Nature magazine is reporting that a type of vulture native to (of course) Egypt, is so serious about impressing the opposite sex, that it eats animal dung to change it's looks. I'm not making this up, according to this article, male Egyptian Condors actually stuff themselves with animal droppings until it literally turns their face yellow- apparantly a real turn on to female Egyptian vultures.
This article reminds me of a college roommate who used to put liver powder, skim milk, raw eggs and whey protein in a blender after working out. With a great burst of will power, he would down the entire blender in one outrageous gulp.
Birds of the feather flock together
All of this as a simple reminder- physical exercise has some value, but godliness is valuable in every way. It holds promise for the present life and for the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:8)
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
the guy you wouldn't want to live next door to during christmas
Part of the reason I didn't put Christmas lights up this year is because I couldn't do it as good as this guy.
Monday, December 18, 2006
what meekness isn't
He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
(Micah 6:8)
Over the weekend San Deigo running back LeDanian Tomlinson broke the longstanding NFL single season scoring record held by Green Bay legend Paul Hornung. MSNBC is reporting that Hornung is not happy. "If someone finishes with a greater average than mine, I'll say, 'Fine, he broke my record", Hornung said in a phone call from Louisville.
Contrast this reaction by Hornung to the following story that comes from Sports Illustrated September 10, 1990:
When the Lions, leading 31-24, took possession with barely one minute remaining, Barry Sanders, their blockish, Scripture-spouting rookie running back, had 158 yards. Ten more and he would clinch the NFL rushing title.
On the Detroit sideline, this was brought to the attention of coach Wayne Fontes, who called Sanders over. "I said, 'You're 10 yards from leading the league in rushing,' " recalls Fontes. "
'Do you want to go in?' "
Sanders responded by parroting one of Fontes's favorite maxims: "Coach," he said, "let's just win it and go home."
"I even asked him if there was anything in his contract that said if he led the league in rushing, he got more money," says Fontes. "He said, 'Coach, give the ball to Tony ((fullback Tony Paige)). Let's win it and go home.' "
Sanders could not have cared less about winning the rushing title. "When everyone is out for statistics -- you know, individual fulfillment -- that's when trouble starts," he says. "I don't want to ever fall victim to that." So he stayed on the sideline, and the Lions won the game and went home. Christian Okoye of the Kansas City Chiefs won the rushing title.
Asked if he had any regrets over the summer about not winning the rushing title, Sanders shook his head. "I satisfied my ego last season," he said.
Biblical humility, often translated as "meekness" may be difficult to explain, but you know it when you see it. Or when you don't see it.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
(Micah 6:8)
Over the weekend San Deigo running back LeDanian Tomlinson broke the longstanding NFL single season scoring record held by Green Bay legend Paul Hornung. MSNBC is reporting that Hornung is not happy. "If someone finishes with a greater average than mine, I'll say, 'Fine, he broke my record", Hornung said in a phone call from Louisville.
Contrast this reaction by Hornung to the following story that comes from Sports Illustrated September 10, 1990:
When the Lions, leading 31-24, took possession with barely one minute remaining, Barry Sanders, their blockish, Scripture-spouting rookie running back, had 158 yards. Ten more and he would clinch the NFL rushing title.
On the Detroit sideline, this was brought to the attention of coach Wayne Fontes, who called Sanders over. "I said, 'You're 10 yards from leading the league in rushing,' " recalls Fontes. "
'Do you want to go in?' "
Sanders responded by parroting one of Fontes's favorite maxims: "Coach," he said, "let's just win it and go home."
"I even asked him if there was anything in his contract that said if he led the league in rushing, he got more money," says Fontes. "He said, 'Coach, give the ball to Tony ((fullback Tony Paige)). Let's win it and go home.' "
Sanders could not have cared less about winning the rushing title. "When everyone is out for statistics -- you know, individual fulfillment -- that's when trouble starts," he says. "I don't want to ever fall victim to that." So he stayed on the sideline, and the Lions won the game and went home. Christian Okoye of the Kansas City Chiefs won the rushing title.
Asked if he had any regrets over the summer about not winning the rushing title, Sanders shook his head. "I satisfied my ego last season," he said.
Biblical humility, often translated as "meekness" may be difficult to explain, but you know it when you see it. Or when you don't see it.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
joy and community
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete (1 John 1:3-4).
God Himself lives in perfect community in the Trinity. To be drawn “into Christ” is to begin to understand the kind of community that is in His nature. As the Father loves the Son, and the Holy Spirit reveals that love, the experience of God’s love is realized more fully as we relate to one another. Jesus said “Love the Lord your God with all your heart… and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:34). Could it be that the two are related? Jesus said, “They will know you are my disciples by the way you love one another (John 13:35).” John put it this way:
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love (1 John 4:8).
To nurture an “in Christ” lifestyle, the church must create multiple environments, not just for witness, but for “withness.” Not just for discipleship, but for fellowship. This is why our church is putting a lot of time, resources and energy into a structure of Sunday morning Bible study connection classes and home community groups that meet Sunday nights and throughout the week. We recognize that our product is changed lives and that life change happens best in small groups. We are creating multiple discipling and fellowshipping environments. Our goal is that every member and attender will be in a small group of some type.
It is in the small group that we fellowship and do the hard work of discipleship with others, and it is in those groups that we do community missions together. We are, in other words, swept up together in the movement of the Holy Spirit, accomplishing the work and calling of the Father, modeling the life of the Son. We are joining God in His perfect community and inviting others to join with us. This is how our joy is made complete and our mission accomplished.
God Himself lives in perfect community in the Trinity. To be drawn “into Christ” is to begin to understand the kind of community that is in His nature. As the Father loves the Son, and the Holy Spirit reveals that love, the experience of God’s love is realized more fully as we relate to one another. Jesus said “Love the Lord your God with all your heart… and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:34). Could it be that the two are related? Jesus said, “They will know you are my disciples by the way you love one another (John 13:35).” John put it this way:
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love (1 John 4:8).
To nurture an “in Christ” lifestyle, the church must create multiple environments, not just for witness, but for “withness.” Not just for discipleship, but for fellowship. This is why our church is putting a lot of time, resources and energy into a structure of Sunday morning Bible study connection classes and home community groups that meet Sunday nights and throughout the week. We recognize that our product is changed lives and that life change happens best in small groups. We are creating multiple discipling and fellowshipping environments. Our goal is that every member and attender will be in a small group of some type.
It is in the small group that we fellowship and do the hard work of discipleship with others, and it is in those groups that we do community missions together. We are, in other words, swept up together in the movement of the Holy Spirit, accomplishing the work and calling of the Father, modeling the life of the Son. We are joining God in His perfect community and inviting others to join with us. This is how our joy is made complete and our mission accomplished.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
huh?
In the "what was he thinking?" department, recently a pastor in Africa drowned while trying to play Jesus' in front of his congregation.
An evangelist who tried replicating Jesus' miracle of walking on water has reportedly drowned off the western coast of Africa. Pastor Franck Kabele, 35, told his congregation he could repeat the biblical miracle, and he attempted it from a beach in Gabon's capital of Libreville. "He told churchgoers he'd had a revelation that if he had enough faith, he could walk on water like Jesus," an eyewitness told the Glasgow Daily Record. "He took his congregation to the beach saying he would walk across the Komo estuary, which takes 20 minutes by boat. He walked into the water, which soon passed over his head and he never came back."
We shake our head in wonder at these kinds of stories, but is it any different, really, than our own foolish attempts to bring glory to ourselves?
I wonder how often I do even good things, not out of pure motive, but because it serves me well and brings me glory.
Sometimes I am a nice guy, not necessarily because of the Spirit of Christ working in me, but because I want people to like me and see my glory.
Sometimes I am more concerned with how I am percieved than whether I reflect the image of Christ.
I am not good at saying, "not my will, but yours".
I often long for attention and affirmation more than I affirm His glory and His name.
If I'm honest, I usually seek my own comfort and my own needs more than I seek His glory.
I want you to like this post so that I can get the glory for it.
To cut to the chase- If I ever tell you I'm gonna walk on water- bring a rope and a life jacket.
An evangelist who tried replicating Jesus' miracle of walking on water has reportedly drowned off the western coast of Africa. Pastor Franck Kabele, 35, told his congregation he could repeat the biblical miracle, and he attempted it from a beach in Gabon's capital of Libreville. "He told churchgoers he'd had a revelation that if he had enough faith, he could walk on water like Jesus," an eyewitness told the Glasgow Daily Record. "He took his congregation to the beach saying he would walk across the Komo estuary, which takes 20 minutes by boat. He walked into the water, which soon passed over his head and he never came back."
We shake our head in wonder at these kinds of stories, but is it any different, really, than our own foolish attempts to bring glory to ourselves?
I wonder how often I do even good things, not out of pure motive, but because it serves me well and brings me glory.
Sometimes I am a nice guy, not necessarily because of the Spirit of Christ working in me, but because I want people to like me and see my glory.
Sometimes I am more concerned with how I am percieved than whether I reflect the image of Christ.
I am not good at saying, "not my will, but yours".
I often long for attention and affirmation more than I affirm His glory and His name.
If I'm honest, I usually seek my own comfort and my own needs more than I seek His glory.
I want you to like this post so that I can get the glory for it.
To cut to the chase- If I ever tell you I'm gonna walk on water- bring a rope and a life jacket.
Friday, December 1, 2006
the truth about christianity and divorce
In the scripture we are studying this week in John 14, Jesus asks,
"Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?"
You can know a lot about Jesus, and not know Jesus. There is a difference between mere religious knowledge and genuine Christianity. Religious folks make Christianity one part of their life; they seek a church affiliation in order to be a fully orbed person. Christians, on the other hand, recalibrate and refocus their life based on their love for Christ. They see all of life through the lens of their commitment to Him.
There is a big difference between the two.
Consider the studies on divorce and religious affiliation. For years we have heard that "church people" have a higher divorce rate than normal folks. Especially depressing is this one that says Baptists are more prone than anyone to cut the ties.
Have you walked with me so long and not know me?
A careful look at these studies reveals that when you look at the "church people" who are actually living out their faith, the story is much different. The University of Virginia recently completed a study that is very instructive. When the principles of Christianity are actually put into practice in the home, this study reveals, the marriage is healthy and happy. The difference in this study and others is that the research went beyond just asking about religious affiliation and probed into actual religious habits and lifestyle.
Spouses who share weekly [church] attendance had happier wives. Spouses who share a strong, normative commitment to marriage—that is, who are opposed to easy divorce, who believe the kids should be reared in married households—have wives who are markedly happier. This factor is as strong as who works outside the home or who earns the lion's share of the income. It's also extremely important that the wife considers the division of housework to be fair to her. A sense of equity is extremely important, but equity is not equality. Women want things to be fair in their homes, but they don't equate fairness with equality.
The impetus here is especially on the man. If a man is living the biblical principles of manhood, and serving his wife, loving his kids, leading in a godly way, the home is healthy and functional.
Make no mistake- there is a wide variance between the man who says he is a Christian and the one who actually lives it out in the flesh- where it counts, in the home.
"Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?"
You can know a lot about Jesus, and not know Jesus. There is a difference between mere religious knowledge and genuine Christianity. Religious folks make Christianity one part of their life; they seek a church affiliation in order to be a fully orbed person. Christians, on the other hand, recalibrate and refocus their life based on their love for Christ. They see all of life through the lens of their commitment to Him.
There is a big difference between the two.
Consider the studies on divorce and religious affiliation. For years we have heard that "church people" have a higher divorce rate than normal folks. Especially depressing is this one that says Baptists are more prone than anyone to cut the ties.
Have you walked with me so long and not know me?
A careful look at these studies reveals that when you look at the "church people" who are actually living out their faith, the story is much different. The University of Virginia recently completed a study that is very instructive. When the principles of Christianity are actually put into practice in the home, this study reveals, the marriage is healthy and happy. The difference in this study and others is that the research went beyond just asking about religious affiliation and probed into actual religious habits and lifestyle.
Spouses who share weekly [church] attendance had happier wives. Spouses who share a strong, normative commitment to marriage—that is, who are opposed to easy divorce, who believe the kids should be reared in married households—have wives who are markedly happier. This factor is as strong as who works outside the home or who earns the lion's share of the income. It's also extremely important that the wife considers the division of housework to be fair to her. A sense of equity is extremely important, but equity is not equality. Women want things to be fair in their homes, but they don't equate fairness with equality.
The impetus here is especially on the man. If a man is living the biblical principles of manhood, and serving his wife, loving his kids, leading in a godly way, the home is healthy and functional.
Make no mistake- there is a wide variance between the man who says he is a Christian and the one who actually lives it out in the flesh- where it counts, in the home.
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