Monthly Archive for November, 2005

Fasten Your Seat Belts

Published on November 30, 2005 in Daily Commentary. 0 Comments

A thought came to me sometime last week when I was meditating, and it has returned at least a couple more times in the past few days. It’s one of those really wacky thoughts, but only history will be the judge of what I say here; and probably none of us will remember.

There are some events that happen over a few decades and those who are able to look back 50-100 years can see what those who were “in the moment” were not able to discern.
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Living Jesus Christ

Published on November 29, 2005 in Daily Commentary. 0 Comments

I’m going to use this Friday to follow up on my last commentary on diversity and it’s impact on the American religious landscape. And if you think culture isn’t impacting people’s faith, let me share the following information with you.

Let me kick off with a statement from Ken Wilber, “During the last thirty years we have witnessed a historical first: all of the world’s cultures are now available to us. In the past, if you were born a Chinese person, you likely spent your entire life in one culture, often one province, sometimes in one house, living and loving and dying on one small plot of land.” Translating that into what you might relate to; fifty years ago everyone was like everyone else. Today, on one side lives a Buddhist from China, on the other a Hindu from India, and across the street is an African-American Muslim.
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Thanksgiving Lesson

Published on November 27, 2005 in Daily Commentary. 0 Comments

What do we do with DIVERSITY and the SIN of OTHERS?

Notice how I conveniently left out OUR sins. So this should be a relatively painless exercise, right? Wrong! Unfortunately though living in America brings the paradigm that there is no pain, it’s not reality! The government or someone is messing up if I am inconvenienced in any way, right? WRONG again! So, this is what I am HEARING the day before Thanksgiving.
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Without Him

Published on November 26, 2005 in Daily Commentary. 0 Comments

We’re about to enter THAT time of the year!

It’s time to dig out our Christmas songs, and sing the prophetic words of Isaish 8:8. The only problem is that “Immanuel’s land” is not just for Christmas! How unfortunate that we sing “God is with us”, the interpretation of the Hebrew word, and then start the New Year without Him!
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Open Up the Gift

Published on November 24, 2005 in Daily Commentary. 0 Comments

Surely there is more- so much more!

Jesus was either a lunatic, an historical myth, a wise man, or He was the Son of God. I believe the last two. First, He showed unparalleled wisdom: wisdom that is still being unpackaged 2,000 years later. And being the true and only Son of God, He had the authority of Almighty God to empower us and reveal what promises were in store for those who would believe.
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Polytheism, or Not

Published on November 22, 2005 in Daily Commentary. 0 Comments

How many gods are there?

Note I put the word under the small “g” category. Isn’t it convenient that the god that we believe in is a Christian god! How cool and lucky is that? But, wait. Isn’t it amazing that the god (Allah) the Muslims believe in is an Islamic god. And how about that Jewish god? If you’re still scratching your head or going back to reread the last couple of sentences, don’t worry. My point is that we SAY that we all believe in ONE GOD until someone defines their god in different terminology than we do.
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A Long Trip

Published on November 20, 2005 in Daily Commentary. 0 Comments

I know that this is going to sound like a silly question, but here goes anyway. What’s the purpose of the church?

I am talking about the church of Jesus Christ. I am talking about the Matthew 16:18 church that Christ said He would build. Is there anyone that really thinks church as we know it in America, in 2005, is what Jesus had in mind?
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The Deep End

Published on November 19, 2005 in Daily Commentary. 0 Comments

The problem with swimming in the Spirit is that there is no shallow end!

I knew when I began this year, that I had no clue what I was getting myself into. It turns out that was an understatement. In this journey of visiting the desert fathers, the mystics, and asking questions religion avoids, I’ve begun to find the REALITY of the CROSS- and it’s painful!
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Dig Deeper

Published on November 18, 2005 in Daily Commentary. 0 Comments

I keep being astounded at how much the world sees itself through various religious glasses. And I am slowly wiping mine clean. Everything religious, in some way, has to have a moral message, an ethical slant, or a behaviorially right doctrine. The problem with all of that though is that every denomination is wearing different colored glasses. So, what’s right. Where is true North?

What do you do with statements like Matthew 21:31?
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The Transition

Published on November 17, 2005 in Daily Commentary. 0 Comments

What is to give light, must endure burning. Viktor Frankl

If religion has anything to give us, surely learning to deal with our pain is on that list. Unfortunately, in most churches in the West, the theme is about how to avoid pain, or worse yet, the philosophy that Jesus took our pain for us, and we need never suffer. Wow. I have a couple hundred people that would like to talk about their cancer, heart failure, diabetes, and so on.
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