Across Church Street

Featured
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Practicing Our Scales

Imagine if our walk with Christ, representing his kingdom in the world, were as practiced and pure as Hania Rani’s fingers on the piano keys.

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Rescue

I practice the spiritual discipline of rescuing earthworms on paved surfaces. It's a reminder to me that I can pause what I'm doing, get a little dirty, and help. Also, that I've been given the responsibility to care.

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Your Roots Are Showing

The life that I bring to the world can only be found in my attachment to Christ. His presence with me is essential.

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Connection

I live in a U.S. county with traffic problems. It's a peninsula, and what's not swamp land has been developed. Building new roads is difficult and expensive. Making things worse, roads that could connect don't.

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What's in the Bowl?

During a spring trip, my wife and I purchased a glass bowl. It's colorful and handmade. When I turn the bowl upside down, nothing falls out. Does that make it empty?

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Bewilderness

A dog barked in a distant hollow. Truck tires crunched on a gravel road far away. The woods were peaceful, but I was getting a little panicked.

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The Life Gauges have a priority

Expression comes out of formation. And encounter sources everything.

  1. HUMILITY | Worship God

  2. RESPONSIBILITY | Attach to Jesus

  3. ACCLIMATION | Live from the Kingdom

  4. IMITATION | Love the world

  5. MISSION | Persuade others

The Life Gauges have a priority. Worship supports the weight of all the others. Ministry is supported by all the others. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus says “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men”. His command is not “Come be fishers of men”. His command is “Come follow me.”

As we encounter him,
He forms us,
And we express.

For a lifetime, our greatest concern must be our posture of worship and our connection to Jesus. Only then can we have confidence in our spiritual formation and ministry expression.

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Approaching Greatness

A short poem about approaching God.

I journey His Greatness
to trembling’s door.

There
meet His Goodness greeting:

"Do not fear, my child.
Approach
my throne with confidence.”

My Father is fear extinguished;
Perfect Peace is my reward.

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Pinned

A conversation I had with God about grace.

I had a conversation with God this morning.

ME: Father, give me the grace to follow you more fully.

GOD: My grace is sufficient for you.

ME: Well, then give me the grace to better appropriate that grace.

GOD: My grace is sufficient for you.

ME: But I need more of your grace.

GOD: My grace is sufficient for you. Desire me, not my grace. Seek first my kingdom. Love me with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and the rest will take care of itself.

At this point I wanted to ask for the grace to seek first his kingdom and to love him this way. But I saw that I was pinned.

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