Yesterday I posted concerning the first four Beattitudes, which deal primarily with our direct response to God’s work in our lives as we strive to enter the Kingdom. Today I want to share some brief reflections on the last four Beattitudes which relate to our response to others. “God blesses those who are merciful, for…
Month: February 2015
The Blessed Life:: 2
My best understanding of The Beattitudes is to view them as building blocks. Certainly one could let each stand alone on its own merit, however there seems to be a logical progression not unlike links in a chain. I prefer to take them in order and attempt to understand those correlations. “God blesses those who…
The Blessed Life
Years ago I served a church in St. Louis. Following one particular Sunday morning service I was approached by a distinguished looking man who asked for an appointment. We quickly set up a time to meet. When we met for our appointment, I began the conversation like I begin most. “Tell me your story,” I…
Approval Versus Acceptance
I am a part of a congregational church. With the exception of one Elder led congregation, I have always been a part of a congregational church. A congregational church government means that the membership sits atop the organizational chart, providing the final thumbs up or thumbs down to initiatives from subsets of the church. A…
Introducing the Greatest. Sermon. Ever.
I’ve preached some pretty bad sermons. When I think of some of the worst, I cringe in disbelief that anyone would even return the following Sunday. There have been moments during sermons when I silently prayed that the earth would open and swallow me up! Yeah, that bad. One thing that may be helpful to…
Greatest. Sermon. Ever
Who is a good person? How does someone learn to become a good person? These were the kind of questions Jesus addressed in The Sermon on the Mount. This weekend in worship I’m beginning a new series out of the Gospel of Matthew based on this epic text. Check out the artwork for the series…
On Bullying
There seems to be a lot of talk about “bullying” in the news lately. Parents frequently claim that their child has been bullied at school, and are frustrated that teachers and building administrators are not doing anything to prevent these abusive acts. I recognize that our first response to this conversation could be to brush…
10 Symptoms of An Inwardly Focused Church
From Tony Morgan, a quick but helpful read. Click HERE for this excellent post.
