Am I invisible?

So, do I have anything worth saying that anyone else would want to read?  That is a good question and one worth pondering.  I remember hearing Bill Hybels say once, and I will have to paraphrase cause I am not good at word for word quoting, that as a leader you should be able to learn something from anyone.  I tend to agree.  If you spend enough time with someone and you are asking the right questions you can learn something from anyone.

I remember spending time at a shelter for the homeless or struggling and I gleaned so much wisdom from the people that were there.  It may have come from an angry at the world person or a genuine heart of "help me I made some mistakes" but it was refreshing and real.  I can remember learning from children, from teens, from the sick as well as the educated (sometimes the over educated).  You don't have to have a piece of paper hanging on your wall to have permission to pass on wisdom from the things you learn as you walk through life.  You and I are not invisible.  Though it may seem like it at times.  Always remember that Jesus sees you, he notices you, he loves you and he cares for you.  He is interested in what you have to say.

So, Do I have anything to say that may be worth hearing?  Probably.  It may not be what you were looking for but if you have enough patience you could learn from a cricket I suppose.

Tomorrow night we will kick off a series called "The Invisibles" for our midweek program at Calvary.  Come and give us your 2 cents worth.

What is the Gospel and how has it changed your life?

I was recently reading  an article in a journal about the number of college students who grew up in the church that were unable to answer the question, “What is the Gospel?”  The professor at this Christian university knew she might get a few different answers but expected to hear some similar themes but was surprised to hear some students answer this question with the simple “be nice to others.”  Now obviously Jesus did teach to be nice to others by stating love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39) but that is so far from the fullness of the Gospel and that knowledge alone would not be enough to bring salvation to the person.  So then I began to wonder how many of the parents of these students would be able to give a definition of the Gospel? 

At the beginning of the school year I spent a few weeks in our 9th and 10th grade Sunday school class unpacking the Gospel and was still a little surprised at how gun shy our students were to answer the question of what is the Gospel even after I had just given a definition.  Even right after I gave a definition (minutes after) the students were all still so gun shy to proclaim this gospel to a class of churched peers.  What is it about the Gospel that causes us to have a mental block to speak it out?  Why is our confidence in the Gospel so shaken?  Obviously there is a measure of spiritual warfare that tosses doubts our way but is there something more?

Now, if a person is unable to define the Gospel then how will that person live according to it?  Is there a sense of life change that needs to take place in order for the full understanding of the Gospel to take root?  Is there a sense that in our culture our students have not seen the life change in the adults around them to give them a sense of confidence that the Gospel is life changing and worth repeating or proclaiming?  If the Gospel has not made a change in my life then do I fully understand what the Gospel really is?  

This season of Christmas coming upon us is a celebration of the Gospel, the word, the begotten coming to take the form of a human to ultimately become our rescuer.  It is our sin that separates us from our God and it is our sin that causes us to need a rescuer.  The baby Jesus which is the Christ, the messiah, has come to bring salvation to those who believe.  He will experience birth, life, ministry, death and the resurrection.  All those who trust in him alone will receive life that is eternal and will get to be with Jesus forever.  This message of redemption and rescue should be life changing as we spend the rest of our lives doing our best to work out our salvation.  Once we see our sinful state and see the need for a savior and then receive this gift of salvation (Romans 6:23  ) our lives should be different after.  Are our lives any different?  Have we truly embraced the freedom that comes from salvation (Galatians 5:1).

I want to hear more about this from you so I have set up a blog for you to post how the Gospel has changed your life.  Let our students see it, hear it and learn how powerful (Romans 1:16) the Gospel really is so they will have the confidence to proclaim it and live it out.  How has the Gospel changed your life?

Other great links related to the Gospel
Awesome presentation of the GOSPEL

Incredible ministry training teens to share their faith

Founder of the Dare 2 Share organization

Another rambling

Yes, it has been nearly two months since i updated this. I don't blog much. Maybe it is because I don't think much, but i have to think to function or maybe I don't. What if life is all automatic and we could just coast through it. Then there would be no challenge, no purpose, no fun, no responsibility. Would that make our emotions automatic as well? If we did not think could we truly love?

But contrary to all that we, most of us, can think and love because we were made in God's image. Some of us think and love more than others, but we all at some level both think and love. I think therefore I am is only part of it. And that I love is still only part of it. I am loved is a major part of life. I am loved. Loved by my creator. Loved enough to die for.

So, if I am loved, and I can think and express love, why don't I? Or maybe I do, I just think about and love me more than I think about and love my creator. The more I dwell on, love on, think on Him, the more alive I truly am.

Great movie

You gotta check this movie out. I was at a pre screening of this film and it is a great story. Very moving. Find out how you can support this movie.