Taken By Surprise
Today I had the amazing privilege of baptizing one of my nephews. He's always been a young man I've been proud of. But many wonderful people don't claim to follow Jesus. Part of his story is that he didn't grow up in church and was never very interested in church. So I was surprised to hear him share a testimony that was as genuine and compelling as I've ever heard.
But Then
Let the one who is wise heed these things
and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord. ⏤ Psalm 107:43
I love this psalm. How many different ways can we find ourselves in trouble? Desperate. And God meets us in all of them. His love can be found. Wise people look for it and dwell on it. Then, maybe they write psalms to tell others.
A Sacred Watch
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. ⏤ Acts 20:28
First, govern yourselves. Overseers (leaders, supervisors, guards, helpers) carry a sacred responsibility. Elders are appointed by the Holy Spirit. They pastor precious souls redeemed by nothing less than Christ's blood. They care for God's family. What a humbling message. (By extension, could the same be said to parents, coaches, and employers?)
- 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.