The goal

It's that time...when everyone makes decisions to do something different with their lives and most of the time we fizzle out by the middle of February. We call it our "new years resolution" or "goals"...no matter what terminology you use the new year ushers in a sense of starting over, of being able to make something in your life or about your life better than it was in 2007.

Anne Frank said "Then, without realizing it, you try to improve yourself at the start of each new day; of course, you achieve quite a lot in the course of time. Anyone can do this, it costs nothing and is certainly very helpful. Whoever doesn't know it must learn and find by experience that a quiet conscience makes one strong."

The Bible talks about a goal, maybe the only goal that really matters. 1 Timothy 1:5 says "The goal of our instruction is love, from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith."

Our goal as followers of Christ is not to make it to church on Sunday...we are the church.
Our goal is not to be religious...Jesus hated religion and those who lived religious lives.

The
goal
is
love

That's it. To simply love God and love others. Jesus gave us the golden rule in His time here on earth, to love others as we would choose to be loved. Paul instructs us on how that is done from a holistic viewpoint: mind, body and soul.
A pure heart = body
A good conscience = mind
A sincere faith = soul

This is what we're going to explore this Sunday.
What does it mean to love people from a pure heart?
What does it look like to love from a good conscience?
How do you love from a sincere faith?

The goal is love. The path is faith, love and a good conscience.

We're going to start a journey on this path at KC Life...

I'll keep you updated on where it takes us.

peace,
glo

More pictures of Hailey Gwynn!!!

Hailey Gwynn Owens

Here she is...the most beautiful girl in the world.

Here she is...the most beautiful girl in the world.
She was born at 2:23PM on Christmas Day. She weighed 7 lbs. 3 ounces and was 19 inches long.

Evel Knievel is in Heaven

I ran across this video today...it's worth your time.


He passed away shortly after this was taken...

peace,
glo

The Secret to Life!

I realize it sounds like a grand title for this post...but it couldn't be more of an understatement. It is human nature during the holidays to look towards our past, hopefully we can look back with happiness and enjoy remembering the journey that has taken us to where we are today. But there is something more that we can experience as we look back over our lives...the secret to genuine life! This is no special revelation that God has given me, by any means, it's simply a realization that God has shown me as I meditated on a few thoughts over the last couple weeks.

The early nineteenth century theologian and philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, observed what most of us already really know: "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

If we truly understand that, it frees us from the chains of failure and doubt in our past to live the life that God created us to live. The past is a doorway to genuine humility. Genuine humility is the secret to really living life to the fullest.

The Bible tells us that humility is the secret to
riches and honor
unity and fellowship with our fellow man
rest for our souls
salvation
greatness
exaltation
revelation
faith
victorious living
and redemption!

Not too bad of a list. All of us want those things for ourselves, whether we openly admit it or not.

It's as simple as allowing God to identify the chains of our past that are holding us back and taking the key of humility to unlock them, rise up out of where we have been and live in the place God had intended for us all along!

It can't be done alone. We need His help.

Humility is the beginning...

I think Jesus said it best in the beatitudes...
"Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven."

peace,
glo

preach it Lenny!

Lenny Kravitz - Bring It On lyrics

Streetlight Art Gallery

KC Life's foyer is a little different...actually, a lot different. You see, when you walk in our church you are actually walking into an art gallery. The "Streetlight Art Gallery" is the first thing you see and the art on the walls is more than something pretty to look at. God is the ultimate creator and we believe that His creativity is available to us through His Son in new expressions of art. Every six weeks we have a new showing, the topic of our latest showing is "Love".

All of the art is for sale and all of the profits go to the House of Dreams orphanage in Cochabamba, Bolivia. If you are interested in purchasing any of the art, you can contact our gallery curator, Andrea Parnell, via email at andreakparnell@yahoo.com.

Here is the artwork and artist that contributed their time and talents to this showing.

Untitled - Andrea ParnellA Life of Love - Andrea ParnellTree of Love - Andrea ParnellLife's Visual Love - Andrea ParnellUntitled - Kayla RobbinsSycadelic Love - Kayla RobbinsMatthew 25:35 - Kayla RobbinsTreasure - Rachel PlanteTreasure (inside) - Rachel Plante

Andrea Parnell Kayla RobbinsRachel Plante

I promised

to put a picture of bob the Betta fish on here this week, so here it is.

I got a fish

I got a fish today...a beta. He looks cool, I will post a picture of him sometime later this week. I've made some early observations about him already...

Pet fish pretty much do two things : eat and poop.
Pet fish can’t feed themselves.
Pet fish can’t clean up after themselves.
Pet fish can’t handle a change of environment well at all.
Pet fish die way too easy. (my new fish hasn't died yet, but I had plenty of childhood pet fish that had to take the toilet turnpike.)

As strange as it may sound, this is all relevant to what I am going to be talking about this coming Sunday. Jesus said He would make His disciples "fishers of men"...He didn't say anything about us being "fish"...

peace,
glo

Fatherhood...

Many things in my life have been bringing me to contemplate fatherhood more than ever before. Just this week a good friend of mine, Nathan and his wife, Liz, brought a baby boy into the world. This Sunday I will be doing the first baby dedication in our new building for John and Jay Rosenbaum's baby girl, Isabella Pauline. We also finished our classes at the hospital where we will bring our baby girl into the world in less than 6 weeks. So, I've been thinking a lot about it...

I don't know if I could put it any better than "new-grandpa", Rick Gann put it, on a thread about his new baby grandson, when he said...

In producing a child, we share the glory of the Creator
In forgiving rebellion, we share the heart of the Father
In being reconciled, we share the love of God.

yeah, that just about says it all.

peace,
greg

The rules

So this Sunday a group of us are going to play some ultimate frisbee in the field behind the church building and since the world series is over and my Chicago Bears are re-defining what it means to be bad I thought I would post the "rules" of one of the greatest sports ever invented! Read and enjoy...

1. The Field -- A rectangular shape with endzones at each end. A regulation field is 70 yards by 40 yards, with endzones 25 yards deep.
2. Initiate Play -- Each point begins with both teams lining up on the front of their respective endzone line. The defense throws ("pulls") the disc to the offense. A regulation game has seven players per team.
3. Scoring -- Each time the offense completes a pass in the defense's endzone, the offense scores a point. Play is initiated after each score.
4. Movement of the Disc -- The disc may be advanced in any direction by completing a pass to a teammate. Players may not run with the disc. The person with the disc ("thrower") has ten seconds to throw the disc. The defender guarding the thrower ("marker") counts out the stall count.
5. Change of possession -- When a pass in not completed (e.g. out of bounds, drop, block, interception), the defense immediately takes possession of the disc and becomes the offense.
6. Substitutions -- Players not in the game may replace players in the game after a score and during an injury timeout.
7. Non-contact -- No physical contact is allowed between players. Picks and screens are also prohibited. A foul occurs when contact is made.
8. Fouls -- When a player initiates contact on another player a foul occurs. When a foul disrupts possession, the play resumes as if the possession was retained. If the player committing the foul disagrees with the foul call, the play is redone.
9. Self-Refereeing -- Players are responsible for their own foul and line calls. Players resolve their own disputes.
10. Spirit of the Game -- Ultimate stresses sportsmanship and fair play. Competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of respect between players, adherence to the rules, and the basic joy of play.

"Basic joy of play" should be a phrase that is found in every sport rule book...it just should.

peace,
glo

Homeless hot tubs?

While I was driving on Saturday I came to a stop at a large intersection in a wealthy part of Kansas City. My attention was immediately focused on the two homeless women standing on the corner. One of them was giving water to their pet dog, the other woman was standing with a sign that read "broke, hungry, need food or supplies, anything helps." I'm sure these women wouldn't have stuck in my head if it wasn't for the sign that I saw sticking up out of the ground behind them on the same corner. It read "hot tubs - half off!" and had a phone number to call on the bottom. It struck me as odd that we live in a society in which someone driving by these women could have two contradictory thoughts when passing by a scenario like the one I just described. I'm quite sure it's possible someone's reaction to this situation could have been...

"I don't have any extra money to give this woman, why doesn't she get a job!" and then in the very next instant have the thought...
"Oh, hot tubs for half price...we need one of those!"

I'm not sure if anyone actually had those thoughts in that order, but none-the-less we live in a society in which someone can be begging for food for existence and someone else can be advertising hot tubs for half-price on the same corner and most people wouldn't think twice about it.

Think
about
it.

peace,
greg

I love her already!

Yesterday my wife and I and her parents and my father went to go have a 3D/4D sonogram of our daughter. It was simply amazing. She hid her face from us most of the time with her arms and her feet. Yeah, her feet, up by her face...I think it would literally kill me to try to do that.

This is my daugther.

She is beautiful.

I will spoil her immensely.

Take a look!

we're going...

This is going to be awesome! We're going...you should too.

he who has ears...

....let him hear what the Spirit is saying.

That is how Jesus talks to the churches in the book of Revelation. Jesus talks to and through the church. He tells them what they are doing right (love) and what they are doing wrong (religion, pharisee's and other crap). Then He promises cool stuff to those who overcome.

He talks to the church.

He has a message to the local church.

We've been on a series about what Jesus said to those seven church in the first few chapters of Revelation and now I'm thinking about what would Jesus say to the congregation that He has given me to shepherd. It's amazing that I started to ask this in my prayer life and...

He's

talking to me about it.

He has a message. He knows what we are doing, both the good and the bad. I'm going to be sharing this with the church at the end of this series.

He has a message for each one of us.

He knows.
He loves.
He forgives.
He challenges.

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want Him any other way.

peace,
pastor greg

Absolute History

The link below is to a transcript of the president of Iran's address at Columbia college and the comments from Lee Bollinger. It would be worth your time to read it. Yes, it's long, but human rights are worth your time and Maumoud Ahmadinejad's comments are quite simply...horrific


History isn't relative!

peace,
glo

The "church"?

What is it?
Who is it?

What does it mean in the new testament?

Is the church simply just a building? When you think of church, do you think of the building you go to on Sundays or the people that join you there?

Lately it has become "hip" to say "I am the church" or "nobody goes to church, because you are the church". While there is a measure of truth to the latter of those two statements, the former is simply theologically impossible, according to NT theology based of the words of Jesus and the writings of Paul and the other Apostles.

The reason the former statement, "I am the church", is so dangerous is that it focuses itself on the wrong thing. To understand this we need to go to the first mention of the word in the Bible...

Matthew 16:18 - "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hades will not overpower it.

The word Jesus uses in this passage is the Greek word "Ekklesia" which is defined as...

an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting

a company of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order's sake

those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body

Notice any theme in those definitions? They all refer to multiple people in some form of assembly or gathering or group that comes together in unity. The statement "I am the church", is not only theologically incorrect, it goes directly against the definition of the word "church" that Jesus Christ used Himself. Church happens when multiple people get together...not just one.

This theme is found all through the new testament as well. Almost every one of the Pauline Epistles was written to a "church" of a specific area or town. Not the church of one individual person, but of a group of people. Jesus addressed the "churches" again after His resurrection, in the book of Revelation. He addresses seven churches, He doesn't address seven individual people who consider themselves to be the "lone rangers" as the church themselves, He addresses a group of people who exist in community and have a common goal with a unity of beliefs.

The church is NOT a building. But the church is not individual people either. The NT tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, but that is not the same as the "church" as defined by Jesus Christ and the Apostles. The church happens when people gather together in community with a common goal, the furtherance of the kingdom of God on earth and the glorification of Jesus Christ.

Be weary of anyone who tries to convince you otherwise...

peace,
glo

Time for some props to my peeps!

Last week was one of those weeks. We moved KC Life into our new building, which freakin rocks, and it was a LOT of work...but it was absolutely worth it!

I need to throw some major props out to the peeps that gave so much of their time to help get everything ready. So here ya go, here's the shout out...

THANK YOU!
Brian
Andrea
David
Kayla
Aaron
Jen
Peggy
Carrie
Marcus
Crystalyn
Butch
Scott

There is NO WAY the work would have been done in time without all your amazing help!

You guys all rock my face off.

peace,
Greg

A few gifts for you

So we're on this series about spiritual gifts and I didn't get a chance to finish teaching about a few of the gifts on Sunday morning so I'm going to post some thoughts on here about three of the gifts from Romans 12 that I didn't get to talk about yesterday morning.

The Gift of Giving - Romans 12:8 ...he who gives, give with all liberality.
Is giving a gift? Yes, absolutely. It's a pattern we see over and over again in the new testament, not only in the church as it was operating in the book of Acts, but Paul sprinkles details in almost every epistle about one church giving to another or one person giving to others. Certain people have an ability to make money, those are who God uses with the gift of giving. That doesn't mean that you can't give if you don't make a lot of money, but just like the other gifts, some will have more ability to do so than others. If you have the gift of giving some basic characteristics are that you are inspired to give, not by a preacher, but by an inner motivation to see the kingdom of God advance on earth. The perspective on money, as a whole, is different as well. Money is seen as simply a tool to be used to bless others through the ministry of the church. That reminds me of a saying, "Money is a horrible master, but a wonderful slave."

On the flip side, some of the things you must guard yourself against are the idea that giving gives you the right to be critical of what others do with their own money. It can also be difficult to not want to control what is done with finances if you have given a large portion of what is being used. By far, the most serious error to be on guard against is the problem of giving so much to the church that your family suffers, that is not the gift of giving, nor is it the will of God.

Scriptures about the gift of giving : 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Acts 4:36-37

The gift of Leadership (or administration) - Romans 12:8 ...he who leads, with diligence.
While we are all part of the body of which Christ is the head, we still need people with the gift of leadership. We need leaders. Leaders have vision, they can see things that others can't. Not necessarily in the same way as a prophet, but similiar to that, none-the-less.

Those with the gift of leadership can get things done, the know how to delegate tasks effectively and how to communicate a vision in a way that inspires others to follow. For a leader without followers is simply a person on a walk by themselves. A leaders greatest satisfaction isn't how many people are following them, but how many goals are they able to accomplish together as a team.

Those with this gift must be cautious as well, for it has it's own pitfalls to be weary of. Dominant, demanding personalities often find themselves burdened with this gift, which in turn, can appear to be insensitive. Details may be annoying because you are focused on more of the big picture and you must learn to be alright with people questioning your decisions.

Scriptures about leadership - Live in Luke 16 and learn the "three rules" of leading...

The Gift of Mercy - Romans 12:8 ...he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Having the gift of mercy is a beautiful thing. Those who have this gift exhibit amazing amounts of grace and compassion on those who are hurting or have hurt. If you have the gift of mercy you greatly desire to see people get back on their feet and want to be part of the healing process, sometimes at any cost.

The strengths of the gift of mercy are many; usually those with this gift are able to show amazing patience and unconditional love, kindness and gentleness. If you have this gift you may feel yourself being drawn to the "down and out" and take great joy in seeing people overcome difficulties.

At the same time, the strengths of this gift can also be it's most difficult weaknesses to overcome. Because of the nature of this gift you may have trouble becoming overly emotional about situations and getting emotionally attached in ways that are not healthy. A person with this gift is also very easily put in a position in which you could be taken advantage of easily. You also need to realize that all people don't have this gift and overcome the temptation to judge those who may seem to be less sensitive than you.

Scriptures to consider about the gift of Mercy : Ephesians 2:4, Acts 9:36.

peace,
glo

God speaks...

All we have to do is listen. Think about all the things you may listen to in your day. My day is less than half over and already I have listened to audio on the internet, in my car (both talk radio and music) to the conversation about burritos that the people in line behind me were having at Chipotle, I've listened to friends and colleagues on the phone, and I've taken some time to listen to God.

How many days go by in which we don't take time to do the latter on the list? Sometimes it's just a little too easy, or maybe we're just so used to having everything made obvious for us that we don't want to have to try to listen. Think about it, we live in a society in which companies are sued because they didn't warn their customers that their coffee (a drink most often served hot), was hot. Do we really need things to be that obvious? If so, how does this co-exist with the idea that we are still "evolving" into beings of "higher" intelligence. Will we eventually have shoes that have directions for tying the laces written on them, in case we forget? How about a coat that has the directions for putting it on and zipping it up printed on the lining?

Sometimes God is obvious in His communications with us...

sometimes
He's
not.

Don't let the obvious nature of the majority of the input in our lives acclimate your ears and heart to a point of not being able to hear the less obvious. Sometimes we just need to slow down and be quiet. Does silence scare you? Is it unbearable to sit in a room alone without a radio, TV or mp3 player turned on? If so, you might just be de-evolutionizing yourself with the obvious.

"Be still and know that I am God."
~God

peace,
glo

Just like home...

It isn't very often that I will post on here about a restaurant, but if there was ever a reason to make an exception this is it. Boudreaux's is in KC now! This is, by far, Jen and I's favorite restaurant in the entire world. Our first date was there, it's were we got engaged and celebrated with our friends and family. And they have the greatest chicken fried chicken in the world. I'm so excited that they've opened one down in KC, and only 15 minutes from out house.

This is a good week. A very good week indeed.

peace,
glo

Never more than a Theory

It seems like it's happening on an almost weekly basis now. Science is coming closer and closer to absolutely disproving the foundations of the Evolutionary Theory. Obviously this is in reference to macro evolution, not micro evolution.

You can find the entirety of the article here, the beginning is good...then the scientist start to talk in circles about how it doesn't disprove evolution and it's part of the scientific process. While it may be part of the scientific process eventually they are going to have to come to terms with the fact that the foundations of their theory are all being dismissed as completely inaccurate. You can tell they are getting concerned with the random attack of religion that is found in the middle of the article. If Evolutionist were genuinely confident in their theory, they wouldn't bother with attacking religion in such an unprovoked manner as what is found in the article. The attack itself is evidence that they are seriously worried about the consequences of finding more evidence contrary to their theory.

It's really not that complicated. As they continue to find new evidence, like the evidence that prompted the article I linked, I firmly believe they will eventually discover that macro evolution was completely impossible. It will go down as one of the biggest jokes in scientific history, not because of the ignorance of the theory (it's quite complicated), but because science and culture bought into it so wholeheartedly without questioning it for so long.

Now the questions are beginning to pop up. The Evolutionist are still defending their position, but the "evidence" they are supporting their theory with keeps getting washed away and replaced with evidence that contradicts what they originally thought.

It's only a matter of time.

peace,
glo

Vancouver - day 5

Kayaking in the ocean...This is "Deep Cove" where we spent most of our day...
We took two double kayaks into Deep Cove this morning, which is just East of the English Bay. It was probably the most beautiful thing we've seen since we've been up here. This first pic is from the back of our kayak.There are seals and sea lions in the ocean bay that we were kayaking in, we saw a couple in the water with us but they were too fast to get a good picture of. These four bay seals were just hanging out soaking up the sun. They didn't mind us at all and actually allowed us to get really close, it was great.

peace,
glo

Vancouver - Day 4

We started the day by going to Tara and Caleb's church here in Vancouver and then we were off to Queen Elizabeth park to have a picnic with their Canadian grandma. There is a botanical garden there in what used to be a rock quarry, it was gorgeous. This is a picture we took in the botanical garden with Tara and Caleb. It was a great afternoon.
After the picnic in the park we went to the Vancouver Aquarium. It's famous for the otters that hold hands while they're floating in the water. We saw the famous otters, they weren't holding hands, but were very playful. The aquarium was amazing, it was just as good as the one in Chicago, if not better. This is a picture I took of some of the jellyfish from one of many of the displays they had. The most entertaining part was definitely the feeding of the sea lion. He was huge and we just happened to be waking by when they were getting ready to feed them, it was great.OH YEAH! Here's what we're having for dessert tonight. They have a place that only sells gourmet cupcakes and they are supposed to be amazing, we haven't had them yet. They actually sell cupcakes in that little shop that are big enough to feed three people.

peace,
glo

Vancouver - Day 3

Today was a great day! We started the morning off by having breakfast with some friends of Tara and Caleb's in their apartment in downtown Vancouver, there was a golf course right across the street, so the view was beautiful. If you look at the picture below you'll notice all the electrical lines in the intersection. Almost all the buses for mass transit in Vancouver are electric, it's a very clean city.
After breakfast we went to Lighthouse park in West Vancouver. It's a wonderful natural park that is on the side of a mountain in an "old growth" forest the meets right up against the ocean. We took picnic stuff with us on our hike and below is the view we were able to enjoy while eating our lunch together. Caleb and I got to climb out on the rocks and I saw a seal swimming in the ocean right underneath us when we were eating. It's been absolutely beautiful all day today, mid 70's and partly cloudy.
After lunch we headed to Lynn Cove. It's a old forest in East Vancouver that has one of the most beautiful waterfalls I've ever seen. That wasn't the most exciting part of the afternoon though. In order to get back to the waterfall you have to walk across this crazy suspension bridge that is over 150 feet up in the air over a ravine with a creek running through the middle of it. I don't like heights, so it wasn't the most pleasant experience for me, especially when a mother in front of me had the wonderful idea to jump up and down on the bridge to make it swing back and forth. It was pretty much the closest I've come to vomiting in about two years. Below is a picture I took while panicking on the suspension bridge...Tonight we are headed off to see a fireworks show put on by Canada, yeah the country. They have an international competition every year and it's supposed to be amazing, tonight is Canada's turn to represent so we're going to go check them out.

peace,
glo

Vancouver - Day 2

Here's the update from our adventures today...

This is Commercial Street, it's an awesome little part of Vancouver that has some great unique shops that my wife loved and some awesome ethnic restaurants that I loved, we had Cuban food for lunch today from a place called "The Havana", it was great.





Vancouver has the second largest "China Town" in North America, so we went there. Actually over 50% of the population in Vancouver is Asian, pretty cool!
We finished up the day playing the greatest game on Earth. Ultimate Frisbee! I quickly came to the realization that I am no longer young and fast. Ultimate Frisbee + Me + Seminary students = Me breathing really hard and not running very much. We had a great game of 5 on 5 going with students from Regent Seminary. There were two players from Australia, one from England, two from Japan, two native Vancouver residents and three of us Americans, it was great!

I think we're going to finish up tonight after dinner by walking along the Frasier River...

peace,
glo

Vancouver - Day 1

So Vancouver is absolutely one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. Here's a few images from our first 24 hours here...

This is the cottage we are staying in. We are literally surrounded by a botanical garden, the temperature was in the 70's all day, we were able to sleep with the windows open, wake up to the birds chirping and horses walking down the road beside our cottage...it was simply amazing.
















My friend Caleb and I walking in the ocean, it was low tide so we were able to walk really far out into the ocean without it getting above our knees.


Here's the forest we walked through, there are over 30 miles of trails for walking, running or riding your bike through this amazing forest. Some of the trees are over 100 feet tall, it was one of the most amazing places I've ever been to.








Check back tomorrow for more pictures from our adventures north of the border...

caio,
glo

The Big Announcement!

So we went in today to see if we're having a baby boy or baby girl...

and







we're




having


a


baby













girl!!!!!!!

prayerfully consider? Whatever.

The New Testament writers tell us that God never "leaves or forsakes" us, no matter what life circumstance we may be going through. I know I've been through a few storms that have made that difficult to believe and I know others who have had the same experience or are having a similar experience right now spiritually speaking. So I've been thinking about it for a while and I keep thinking about the people that didn't recognize Jesus after His resurrection, more specifically three instances that have stuck in my mind. I wanted to share my thoughts on the first instance today...I'll post about the other two in the days to come.

1. Peter went back to fishing. (John 21:1-11) To be fair, none of the other disciples recognized Jesus either. I don't believe that it was because Jesus had put on some spiritual mask or something that prevented them from recognizing Him. I think it's just as simple as they were out on the water and He was standing at the sea shore and they just couldn't recognize Him from how far out they were. These guys had all seen amazing things while they were with Jesus for 3 years and here they were just hanging out, fishing because they really didn't have anything better to do. I can't help but think they were probably just apathetic because they didn't have any specific direction. I think too many of us don't realize that God is right here with us, wanting to speak into our lives, to give us purpose and direction...but we're too apathetic to do anything about it, so we just go back to doing whatever it was we were doing before.

I'm probably coming at this from this perspective because of a book I've been reading by Erwin McMannus. In it, he talks about a friend of his who graduated from seminary and was prayerfully considering which option to take of all the job opportunities that his education had afforded him. His friend was talking about how he kept waiting for God to give him the "green light" so he wouldn't fall out of the will of God and offend His sovereignty. McMannus makes a great counter to his friends position. He simply asks him why he thinks he would offend the sovereignty of God? Did Hitler or Stalin affect the sovereignty of God with any of the choices they made? Of course not. God is still God. So, if someone with such evil motivations as that couldn't hurt God's sovereignty why do we think that we might do that by simply following our hearts if we have a genuine and living relationship with God?

A more simple way to put it is this. We already have the green light, just go. Augustine said it best when he said "Love, then do what you please." How often have we missed opportunities because we were sitting on our butts "prayerfully considering" something. What does that even mean? If we have a relationship with God through Christ then we shouldn't have to have a prayer meeting every time something comes up that we want to do. If God doesn't want us to do it, He'll stop us. I can't help but think when someone tells me they'll have to prayerfully consider something for two weeks that they probably need to learn how to pray first. I understand using wisdom and not rushing into things, but if we have failed it hasn't been on that side of the fence...

Jesus
simply
said
GO.

peace,
glo

Rubber ducks

From "The Sun"
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007290671,00.html

A FLEET of 29,000 rubber ducks is set to wash up on Britain’s shores after a 15-year, 17,000-mile epic journey.

They are expected on Cornwall beaches in late summer.

The bath toys were set adrift in the Pacific after a container was washed off a cargo ship in 1992.

The sea corroded packaging, freeing the Chinese yellow ducks, plus blue turtles, red beavers and green frogs. Their colour has since faded to white.

Experts have tracked them across the world, spotting them in Alaska, Siberia, Japan, Iceland and Canada.

Oceans scientist Curtis Ebbesmeyer said: “They’ll turn up on English beaches.” Collectors pay up to £500 for the toys which have The First Years stamped on them.

Can you imagine someone asking you what you do for a living and saying "I'm an expert rubber duck ocean tracker". Someone has that job...they are the newest addition to my hero list.

peace,
glo

awesome video

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4 years

4 years ago today I married the most beautiful woman in the world. We've been through quite a bit in the last four years, both great and difficult, but through it all she has just continued to become more and more amazing to me.

I've read stories of couples that are more in love in their sixties and seventies than ever and I realize that I've found the woman that I can live that out with. We're still in the beginning stages of our journey together, but it's already been the best trip I could possible imagine.


Jen, I love you...more today than ever before.

peace,
glo

O.A. Revisited

A while ago I posted about the concept of "Ordo Amoris", which St. Augustine defined as "the ordinate condition of the affections in which every object is accorded that kind and degree of love which is appropriate to it." I've been wrestling with the concept for quite sometime now and seem to have had an epiphany while sitting in my chair this afternoon doing some studying.

The question is what "kind and degree of love" is appropriate for us to offer to God? I think Paul sums it up quite well in Romans 12, verse 1...

I therefore urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercies, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God, for this is the reasonable way for you to worship.

That's it. Nothing less, nothing more. I think the problem most of us have with this idea of "living sacrifice" is that we think it's the end of our lives. It isn't at all. It's actually just the beginning. The obvious place to go with this line of thought is to reference how Jesus came into His kingdom by the resurrection, after the cross...which was His ultimate sacrifice. But I want you to think of it another way. Think of someone you respect, they can be someone you know personally or just someone you know of. They can be alive or have been dead for hundreds of years...just put this person in your mind.

Now, why do you respect them?

Is it because of all the cool stuff they own(ed) in life? How about because of how well educated they were or the home they live in? If it's someone that is alive today do you respect them because of the car they drive?

I would venture to guess that your respect for said person is not based off what they have or have accomplished for themselves in their life. You probably respect them because of what they have given or accomplished for others.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Mother Theresa

The whole crew of "Extreme Home Makeover"

"insert your hero here"

These people and the people you are thinking of are remembered because of the sacrifice they made for others. For the things they accomplished for others...

Not

For

Themselves!

What have you done for someone else lately? What "living sacrifice" (as Paul would say) have you lived out?

Are you living for yourself? If so, you will live a shallow and meaningless life, filled with empty regrets. If you don't believe me just look at human history, it speaks more poignantly than I.

Live for others. It's the only way
to
truly
live
at
all.

peace,
glo

Article of the Month!

You have to read this...it's awesome!

Shortly before landing, Bob Hayden and a flight attendant had agreed on a signal: When she waved the plastic handcuffs, he would discreetly leave his seat and restrain an unruly passenger who had frightened some of the 150 people on board a Minneapolis-to-Boston flight Saturday night with erratic behavior.

Hayden, a 65-year-old former police commander, had enlisted a gray-haired gentleman sitting next to him to assist. The man turned out to be a former US Marine.

"I had looked around the plane for help, and all the younger guys had averted their eyes. When I asked the guy next to me if he was up to it, all he said was, 'Retired captain. USMC.' I said, 'You'll do,' " Hayden recalled. "So, basically, a couple of grandfathers took care of the situation."

The incident on Northwest Airlines Flight 720 ended peacefully, but not before Hayden, a former Boston police deputy superintendent and former Lawrence police chief, and the retired Marine had handcuffed one man and stood guard over another until the plane touched down safely at Logan International Airport around 7:50 p.m.

State Police troopers escorted two men off the flight. Trooper Thomas Murphy, a State Police spokesman, said one of the men was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital for "an unspecified medical issue, possibly mental health."

He said State Police detectives will investigate whether the man's behavior should be treated as a medical or criminal matter. A second man escorted off the plane identified himself as the unruly passenger's brother. Murphy said police would not release the names of the men, who Hayden said appeared to be in their 30s or 40s.

Dean Breest, a spokesman for Northwest, confirmed that "there was an incident that required State Police to come on board the aircraft" but declined further comment.

Hayden said the unruly man's behavior upset some passengers. One told Hayden the man had said, "Your lives are going to change today forever," as he shouted and refused to take his seat before takeoff and at various times during the nearly three-hour flight. He said that at one point the man lay on his back and was screaming, moaning, and thrashing on the floor.

"Some people were crying," Hayden said. "I thought it might be a diversion. I kept scanning the back of the plane to see if anyone was going to rush forward. The flight attendants did a great job, literally surrounding the two guys who were making all the noise. I told one of the flight attendants I was a retired police officer and would be willing to assist, so we agreed on a signal."

When the captain announced preparations for landing, the man jumped up shouting, the flight attendant held up the handcuffs, and Hayden and the Marine came bounding down the aisle. Hayden said he and the retired Marine, whose name he never got, received an ovation from fellow passengers, and "some free air miles."

Hayden's wife of 42 years, Katie, who was also on the flight, was less impressed. Even as her husband struggled with the agitated passenger, she barely looked up from "The Richest Man in Babylon," the book she was reading.

"The woman sitting in front of us was very upset and asked me how I could just sit there reading," Katie Hayden said. "Bob's been shot at. He's been stabbed. He's taken knives away. He knows how to handle those situations. I figured he would go up there and step on somebody's neck, and that would be the end of it. I knew how that situation would end. I didn't know how the book would end."

Big...really Big

There will be a hugemongous announcement this Sunday at church that will be freakin awesome! You don't want to miss it...

It'll rock your face off!

peace,
glo

where's my card?

Alright, so 9 days ago I officially turned 30 years old. While it seems as though general opinion is that you should have everything together by this time in life I still have a few unanswered questions that are bugging me. I am going to proceed to list them in an effort to get some answers.

1. Where's my flying car? Come on people, it's freakin' 2007 and I still have to buy new tires for my vehicles? I want a flying car, or at least a hovering car...I'd probably even settle for a hoverboard like they had in "Back to the Future 2".
2. Animal talk? Why haven't they figured out a way to translate animal sounds so we can finally understand what they are saying. My guess is probably that the technology already exists but they were shocked to discover that dogs and cats literally only think about food, sleep, attention from their owners and how much they loath the other species.

watch this...you'll laugh, hard.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZCYaw5tGYAs

3. Where's my adult ID card? Really. Aren't you supposed to get a welcome packet of information once you've reached full adulthood? I want a laminated card. It's weird to think that when people say I look young it's actually a compliment now...that must mean I'm not "young" anymore. Nope, I refuse to believe it.

Welp, that's enough rambling for today. I can't ramble too much you know, I'm an adult now and don't have time for such childish things.

peace,
glo

Ordo Amoris

St. Augustine defined virtue as ordo armoris, the ordinate condition of the affections in which every object is accorded that kind and degree of love which is appropriate to it.

Appropriate affection. I've been meditating on that sentence for a few days now and I keep coming back to one though...I keep wrestling with it like Jacob wrestled with God and I'm afraid I might have the same outcome that he did...I've got a limp.

The problem I'm having is trying to wrap my mind around what the "kind and degree of love" should be that I have toward God, my Creator, who sent His son to die for me. It's not possible. There is nothing I can offer, nothing I can say or do...and yet, He loves me with everything He is. This doesn't ignite in me some unending apathy. Quite the contrary, it makes me want to give Him everything I have. It's an understanding of what John Piper would call "faith in future grace".

My God, thank You.

peace,
glo

e-community

It's seems strange to think that 15 years ago the Internet didn't really have any impact on any one's life, much less have any sense of community built into. But that is where we stand today, with sites like myspace, facebook and others creating the sense of a genuine online community of friends that can communicate with each other in ways that you would have never believed even 10 years ago.

Which gets me thinking about prayer. In some sense, the idea is as abstract to some as the Internet was 15-20 years ago. Think about it. If someone would have come up to you in 1990 and said "In the next 10-20 years there is going to be this thing called the Internet where people can type conversations to one another and share photos, music and even videos" you would have thought they were crazy. Especially if they told you it was going to be wireless (which is how I am connected to this "crazy" Internet thing right now). You could have presented a pretty good case to make them seem like a complete loony. Now we know this as a reality in our lives though and it seems as though the only crazy ones are the ones who aren't plugged into, or wireless connected to, the Internet. Everyone uses it, but do you really understand how it works? I don't. I'm sure some tech-genius's do somewhere, but the majority of people using the Internet really don't have a clue how it works, they just log on and surf away.

I think we should be more like that with our prayer life. You don't have to understand how it works or have it all figured out. All you need is the basic equipment, a relationship with Christ and the ability to speak your heart, and you're good to go. Your knowledge of how to pray will increase the more you do it, just like surfing the net. God is available all the time, all you have to do is open your heart and let your mouth talk to Him. You don't even have to be plugged into something, He's been wireless for centuries now. (He's way ahead of the times)

So we recently re-designed the website for KC Life Church and added tons of new content. It's turning into quite the little online resource and community builder...if you have a few moments (and of course you do because you just wasted 3 minutes reading this) you should run over and check it out....

www.kclifechurch.com

peace,
glo

walking by beauty

A friend and fellow blogger recently posted this article on his blog and I think it's awesome...take a few minutes out of your day and check it out.

He emerged from the Metro at the L'Enfant Plaza Station and positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. By most measures, he was nondescript: a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money, swiveled it to face pedestrian traffic, and began to play.

It was 7:51 a.m. on Friday, January 12, the middle of the morning rush hour. In the next 43 minutes, as the violinist performed six classical pieces, 1,097 people passed by. Almost all of them were on the way to work, which meant, for almost all of them, a government job. L'Enfant Plaza is at the nucleus of federal Washington, and these were mostly mid-level bureaucrats with those indeterminate, oddly fungible titles: policy analyst, project manager, budget officer, specialist, facilitator, consultant.
Each passerby had a quick choice to make, one familiar to commuters in any urban area where the occasional street performer is part of the cityscape: Do you stop and listen? Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? Do you throw in a buck, just to be polite? Does your decision change if he's really bad? What if he's really good? Do you have time for beauty? Shouldn't you? What's the moral mathematics of the moment?
On that Friday in January, those private questions would be answered in an unusually public way. No one knew it, but the fiddler standing against a bare wall outside the Metro in an indoor arcade at the top of the escalators was one of the finest classical musicians in the world, playing some of the most elegant music ever written on one of the most valuable violins ever made. His performance was arranged by The Washington Post as an experiment in context, perception and priorities -- as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste: In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?

The violinist was world-renowed Joshua Bell. He was playing a violin worth over $3.5 million. He made a total of $32.17 over the course of an hour.

peace,
glo

Greatest April Fools prank ever!

Either Jesus was exactly who He said He was or He was the greatest prankster in the history of humanity. Actually, if the resurrection is false and He didn't raise on the third day then I'm not sure "prankster" is really the appropriate term to define Him with. Prankster implies a joke that is used for the humor of others and the enjoyment of a surprise. One can hardly relate the affect that the claims of Christ have had on human history to that of a practical joke. Oxford University Press released an article claiming that there were over 45 million martyrs for Christ in the 20th century alone. That doesn't seem too funny if they died for a lie. That would actually make Christ the most evil and horrible human being to ever live. Think about it. About 5-6 million Jews died in the holocaust, historians say that about 15 million slaved died during the slave period of American history. Both of those numbers are horrific, but they pale in comparison to the number of people who have "died for Christ". If what He claimed was false and He didn't raise from the dead then He has sent more people to their death than anyone in history. Hardly someone you would want to call a "good teacher" or "good man". He has to be one of two things...either exactly who He said He is, The Son of God...or the most twisted, evil human being to ever walk on the face of the earth. Read what He said, look at His life and think about it.

This is what we're going to talk about at KC Life this Sunday morning...the greatest April fools prank ever!

well said...

I've been a Cash fan for a number of years now and was listening to one of his CD's the other day and couldn't get over how powerful the lyrics of "Man in Black" are...so...please take three minutes out of your day and think about what he's saying...

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.

Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.

...well said Mr. Cash, well said.
peace,
glo

who's your neighbor?

So it happened. I had one of those moments in which I was reading through a passage and read something that I've never noticed before. Here's the scripture that struck me...

Numbers 35:34 - Don't desecrate the land in which you live. I live here, too—I, God, live in the same neighborhood... (MSG)

I know I've read this passage before and it says the same thing in every translation, but I think it was the way that Peterson puts it in the message Bible that really made it stand out to me this morning. It really got me thinking about the fact that God is here among us, He is not sitting up on some throne in some land with golden streets just waiting to throw down lightning bolts and divine sized drop-kicks. He's here, right in our neighborhood. The New Testament is fairly clear that He lives in us! Wherever we go, He's going as well.

I don't want to take this passage out of context, so it needs to be explained that the entire chapter of Numbers 35 is talking about how to handle the act of murder and what to do with the one who committed the murder and the one who wants to avenge the death. So how does God end that discussion, by saying don't desecrate your neighborhood cause I live here too. It may be easy for us to read through that chapter and think "I've never murdered anyone, so God obviously isn't talking to me" and be done with it, but Jesus challenges that thought head on in the gospels...

Matthew 5:21-22 - You're familiar with the command to the ancients, 'Do not murder.' I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother 'idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell 'stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill. (MSG)

That puts a whole new perspective on the matter doesn't it? How many times have we flippantly said something negative about someone without giving it a second thought? How many times have we held onto anger or even hatred in our heart because of an offense? I'm sitting in my chair this morning feeling convicted that I shouldn't be crappin' up the neighborhood that God is living in...me. I suppose maybe it's a new realization of the fact that when Jesus tells us to love our neighbor He is, in turn, also commanding us to love Him as well. If we fail in our love for those around us, we fail in our love for God too.

However, when we live lives that are motivated by the selfless love of God it can be a catalyst for amazing change, not only in our own lives, but in the lives of everyone around us. Why? Because it gives complete liberty to God to move through us in ways like never before.

Maybe try loving a little more...after all, God is living in your neighborhood.

peace,
glo

To resurrect or not to resurrect

Well, once again we have come into the season of Jesus' resurrection and once again there is a media explosion of questioning whether or not He actually was raised from the dead or not. It's nice how every year around this time some "new" theory comes up to try to discredit what almost all historians and scholars have considered to be true for almost 2000 years.

Of course the latest version of this "uncovered cover-up" is the finding of Jesus tomb. Which actually was found in 1980. There are so many problems with the "story" they are trying to put together that I don't have the time to write about them all, but I will mention one. They use select parts of the Bible to support their position. That's fine, except in the same documentary they also discredit parts of the Bible in order to further their position. Here's where they face a dilemma that they convieniently forgot to mention in the Discovery channel program.

The Bible is one of the three following...

Absolutely true from beginning to end. - Of course they can't align themselves with this position because it would completely discredit what they are trying to prove.

Absolutely false from beginning to end. - Well, they can't take this position either because they use parts of scripture to support what they're saying. They can't use it to support their argument if it isn't true and was all just made up.

True in some areas and not true in others. - This is their position, which, if backed up with reasoning, could be discussed on an intellectual level. But it's not. They don't explain why they choose to take certain passages as reliable and then discredit other passages in the same context. The only motivation that can be found is the obvious one, they're just trying to make their story sound more reliable without using an form of academic research or accountability. With, in turn, completely discredits their story.

So, in actuality, it doesn't matter which position you take on the validity of the Bible, the way it is used in the "new" discovery is completely self-refuting.

Here's another thought to chew on for a while. I cannot think of one person in my life that I know would die for a lie. If the disciples really did steal the body and hide it, don't you think at least one of them would have confessed up when they were facing death? The odds of that many people knowing about a "conspiracy" and facing death because of it without confessing the truth are impossibly small. Just a thought.

peace,
glo

The irrelevance of relevance

A while ago I got to hear Erwin McMannus speak in Atlanta and something he said has stuck with me these past couple years and probably will be with me the rest of my life. I think it was so thought-provoking for me because I didn't expect to hear it from someone who is part of a church that is as "cutting-edge" as Mosiac is, but after he said it, I understood why they are like they are. He said he doesn't care about being relevant because if you are trying to be relevant to someone or something else in culture you are basically saying that someone else has already been there or done that and you just want to be like them.

We're basically copying someone else's creativity, which in turn, puts a paralysis on our own creative ability. Don't misunderstand me, I don't mean that we cannot be inspired by something that someone has done, all we have to do is read a beautiful poem or a great book, look at a masterfully done painting or watch a beautiful sunset to be inspired. But if we are simply inspired to copy that which has impacted us then we have not only incapacitated what we are capable of, we have cheapened said thing that has caused the reaction in the first place. I'm not trying to present a formula, for in esence, that is the very thing I am revolting against...but what we should allow to happen in our lives is a genuine inspiration of something touching the deepest parts of our own souls to ignite the creativity that we are all born with. Sometimes the best way to do that is to look at or experience a representation of that very thing from someone else's "depths of the soul".

Instead of trying to be relevant to what someone else says why not be relevant to who we really are deep down inside. Simply put, the most relevant way we can ever live our lives is to simply live them as genuinely and passionately as possible. Our imagination and creativity is not something that we should supress as followers of Jesus Christ, it is something that He calls us to dive into and use in our everyday lives. Do not be afraid to think, to dream, to imagine and to create. We are made in our Father's image and He is a creator...we should follow suit.

peace,
glo

More than a good idea...

I was recently "lurking" around some online religion forums and came accross a thread about some small groups that a church was going to start. They seem like they are going in the right direction with the motivation and topic of the small groups, but I read a post on this thread that broke my heart...

Well I think the unvarnished groups is a good idea on paper....but won't be participating.

This breaks my heart because it's an attitude that is far too prevalant in today's Christians. And it is one of the most deadly attitudes we can have. I use such strong language because I've seen this as the main attitude of more Christians than I want to admit. Christianity is NOT about debating ideas and philosophies (even though it is the basis for all logical philosophy that is not self-refuting...but that's a whole 'nother post). It's about life, it's about living the lives that God created us to live. It isn't about sitting back and reading all the "pretty scriptures" and saying that's a great idea, or moral position and then not participating in it by refusing to live it out in our lives!!!

I've been listening to Switchfoot's new CD "Oh, Gravity!" (which is very good) and one of the songs has a line that says something to the effect of "what if we saw love as a verb again". I've started a four week series on the "verbs" of Christianity, first and foremost of which is love.

When I read that post I immediately got challenged to examine my life and make sure I'm not just sitting back and watching in any areas of my walk with Jesus. I would strongly encourage you to do the same...you'll never regret it.

Christianity is so much more than "a good idea on paper."

peace,
glo

First Sunday morning!

Alright, so it's finally here. Sunday, January 28th I will preach my first sermon as pastor of KC Life Church!!!

I am so excited, I don't even know what to type. God has really been speaking to my heart about rebuilding the community of Westport and helping the "down and out" in the area. So many people just need to know that they are loved...

peace,
glo

Walkin up the hill

I had one of those "moments" last Friday, unexpected...as usual. I was walking up the hill behind Dean and DeLuca (my former employer) and I had a thought...but before I get to that thought I suppose I should lay down the backstory of what got me to that hill in the first place.

A little over four years ago I heard God speak to me in prayer telling me that He was calling me to ministry. It was confirmed just five days later in a miraculous way...(that's a whole 'nother deal). So I began volunteering and serving in just about any ministry that would have me. Fast forward a few years.

About 19 months ago I was sitting in my mentors office and a mutual friend came by and asked me to lead worship for the youth group the following night becuase he was going out of town. I said ok (believe me this is all going somewhere). We led worship, Pastor Linda Saunders preached and all was well. The next week I got a phone call from her son, who had planted a church in Westport and wanted to talk to me about being the worship leader. Long story short, my wife and I moved down there to help start this church. The church was small at first...like 6 people on Sunday morning small...but we've grown. Pastor Linda came down in January to take over as Pastor and we've being growing ever since. I've been working at Dean and DeLuca for the last year and a half, while serving at the church to the best of my ability.

So that catches you up to my last trip up the hill...

You see, I would walk down this hill every morning and up it every afternoon after work, I did this for a year and half. Friday was my last day at Dean and DeLuca because I am taking over the pastoral position at the church (Pastor Linda is moving to California with her hubby, and man is she excited!!!). So I was thinking about how this has been a four year journey in my life and how Friday afternoon as the last time I would walk up that hill...and it struck me. It was no different that any other time I walked up that hill after working all day, it was just a normal hill, with a normal guy taking a normal walk. ( I just read a qoute in a book that said "great people are simply average people that refuse to give up.) There were not beams of radient light shining from heaven, there was no choir of angels singing...there was nothing. Other than the grace of God to allow me to see that this is how He works in our life more often than not. In the everyday, humdrum, monotonous things we do. The problem isn't that God isn't active in our lives, the problem is that we don't take the time to see how active He really is. We don't notice it because he rarely operates in our lives in the way we expect it. But He is always there, always acting and working on our behalf. What an amazing God we serve!

So on Monday I begin a new chapter of my life. I must say that I am so excited about this I can hardly control myself. It's funny how it's been a four year journey to this...which is truly just the beginning. Ha! It took me four years to get to the starting line, now the race will really begin...

peace,
rev

So, I'm still walking around the magical land of Narnia in my studies for my Sunday night sermons and I was just profoundly hit with a very simply, yet powerful, thought.

The world identifies by what we have...God identifies by what we give.

It won't go away...so maybe I should "Selah"...maybe you shoud too.

peace,
glo

"I was the Lion"

Those were the words that Aslan spoke to Shasta in the dark (A Horse and His Boy). In describing all the events of Shasta's life that had led him to that point, Aslan simply said...I was the Lion. Our God is so awesome, even when we don't realize that He is there (He is the Lion), He is always with us through good and bad. It is so easy though, in this life, to lose heart, to begin to doubt if there is really any good out there, especially when we go through hard times. In my studies I've found three misunderstandings (so far) about the nature of God that prevent us from trusting Him when we are going through something difficult. We misunderstant God's...
Position - as our loving Father
Punishment - for our sin, that was actually poured out on Christ while He died on the cross. (there is no condemnation for those who have Christ Jesus)
Providence - the amazing blessings of our lives that we take for granted everyday (especially here in America)

What we must understand is that God is the "Lion" in our lives, through good times and bad, even when we don't understand why we are going through what is happening to us...He is there. Hopefully, in this holiday season we will all take time to sit back and reflect on all the good things that we have in life...and remember that it's not about the gifts we give, but the love we share.

peace,
reverend glo

It has been said that when God looks at His children He sees them in a red "tint" because of the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from our sins. On November 19th we are going to "gather the red" together for a night of intimate worship at kc life. Our gathering will begin at 6pm and all who desire a genuine intimate experience in worship that incorporates all forms of artistic expression are welcome. We will be gathered together to express our love to God through music. We will be gathered together to express our love to God through the performing arts. We will be gathered together to express our love to God in each of our unique ways. You are more than welcome to gather together with us.

peace,
the rev