Climbers
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ⏤ Galatians 3:28
Climbers climb. It's in their nature. Like the vines that grow through my fence from next door. Like wisteria. Like kudzu. At first, we admire their vitality and their showy blooms. But eventually, climbers take over. They disrespect boundaries. They block out the light. They imprison, then constrict. Strangle. There's some climber in me that needs to be checked—old nature. In God's economy, status ladders are meant for elevating others.
Meet Your Maker
I don't think that means what you think it means.
Prepare to meet your Maker. Why is this used as a death threat, rather than an invitation to life? I can prepare to meet my Maker every time I read Scripture, take Communion, or take in the Arts. I can prepare to meet him when I walk in the glory of his creation or when I talk with a friend. When I visit the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner. I can prepare to meet him when I pray. I can prepare to meet him every day!
Job Description
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? ⏤ 1 Corinthians 5:12
It's good to review a job description. Over time, we can get weighed down with responsibilities that were never intended. The job of the Church is to live eternal life (which is life with God, knowing him) in a culture of death, and recruit others to join us. That's what we should assess. Are we coming to know God? Do we love him with heart, soul, mind, and strength? Are we loving the world as ourselves? These set us up for a good appraisal.
- love
- Holy Spirit
- humility
- church
- politics & society
- mission & witness
- holiness
- parable & metaphor
- identity
- eternal life
- doubt & deconstruction
- leadership
- grace
- justice
- scripture
- spiritual life
- advent & christmas
- poverty & compassion
- imagination & creativity
- technology & ai
- knowing God
- human dignity
- faith & trust
- incarnation & cross
- kingdom of God
- community
- reconciliation
- spiritual formation
- epistemology
- prayer
- gratitude
- culture
- creation & nature
- discipleship
The God of the Bible looks like Jesus, the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being. It would be just like him to go to the cross.