Ever wonder how lives can be transformed? Hear 3 stories of change and how the transformative power of the Holy Spirit can inspire and give hope.
Category Archives: Faith
The New Has Come…
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
People change. When someone says “that’s just the way that I am” or “I can’t change who I am” it frustrates me because you can change who you are and often for the better. A while back, I shared with you an e-mail I sent to my friends and my family talking about my how my faith in God was growing. There was a point in my e-mail that I said, “What I don’t want is for all of you to think I’m going to completely change who I am and who you all have come to know me to be.” Well, I’m COMPLETELY different from the person I was 5 years ago. My priorities are different. My outlook on my wife, my kids and my job is different. The reason I’m different is because of a faith in Someone that has the transformative power to heal the sick, mend the broken and raise from the dead.
The same Someone impacted the life of Travis Gluckler. A guy that lived the east coast lifestyle and moved that lifestyle to Las Vegas. See how his life was transformed. Who knows, maybe it will get you to think about your own life and the changes you need to make.
Did You Know…
The average American Christian donates a measly 2% of their income annually. If all of us who call ourselves Christians donated 10%, we could raise $163B (yes, billion) dollars. That would be enough to feed every poor person daily, build wells to provide clean water, and get basic medicine for things like malaria.
Something Is Missing
Something is missing. I think I know what it is and the irony of it is that I talk about it often about other people. Action. Doing more than talking about something but actually doing something about it. In this case, I’m talking about my faith. Yes, I talk a lot about it but do people really see me living it out? Maybe. Maybe not. Regardless, there is a big hole in my faith and I can finally see it.
Do We Pursue God’s Blessing And Not His Heart?
Where is my focus? Is it only in how my faith impacts my own life and my family? If I were to take an honest look at how my prayer life has been, I’d say it’s selfish. ”God, please bless my children. Help them grow up to know you. Please bless my marriage and help Julianne and I keep our focus on you.” Don’t get me wrong, these are great prayers to ask but do these really get at the heart of God? Where is my prayer about what God is calling me to do in this life with my resources and time?
Let’s put some context around this. Do you consider yourself rich? I originally thought I wasn’t especially when you put it in the context of the country we live in. What if you put it in the context of the entire world? Did you know that my family is in the TOP 0.49% of the richest people in the world? In the world! Wow! If I’m so rich, what am I doing with my money? Who is being blessed by it other than me? This doesn’t just have to be about money either. Where are you spending your time?
As Christians, if we were to truly follow the heart of God, we’d be doing more. A lot more because what I’m doing now isn’t enough.
Faith Alone Saves But Faith Is Never Alone.
What I’m talking about is more than doing things. This is about taking to heart the idea that someone loved me enough to pay the ultimate price for my sins so that I can share that love with my family AND OTHERS.
“We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19 NIV)
This is about believing in Someone I can’t see. Trusting my wife and my kids to Someone I can’t see. Surrendering my entire life to Someone I can’t see. It’s called faith for a reason and at some point you just have to believe. I’d rather take the risk of believing in God than not at all because if that can help me become a better husband, father, friend and co-worker then it certainly is worth it to me and to those that I am in relationship with on a daily basis.
I believe that my faith in God has saved me but I can’t just rest on that. I need to live out the “We love” part of the verse above and that is why faith is never alone. If I really believed what I’ve just written and if I believe that what the Bible says is true, then my faith is going to be accompanied by action.
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. (James 2:14-18 NIV)
This Is What Is Missing…
Now comes the part where I ask you all to keep me honest. This is where I actually tell you what I’m thinking about doing and in all honesty, it scares the crap out of me. Two things keep coming up in my life:
- Foster Care and/or Adoption
- Going on a mission trip
These are things that I’m digging into this year. I’m going to take that first step in each one of those things and commit to following a nudge from God (through others) and seeing where it takes me. I have no idea where all of this will lead but what I do know is that I can take comfort in knowing that I’ll be doing more for my faith and my family by stepping out of my comfort zone and following the heart of God and serving others.
To The Skeptics…
Some of you might think I’m crazy. Thank you. What I’m hoping this does is motivate you to look at your own beliefs and decide if the God I believe in is worth your time. I’m more determined than ever to live out my faith and let it be a way to have a dialogue with people that might not believe. You all are out there. I see it in my Facebook News Feed every day. I know I’m not going to miraculously convert all of you by the Bible verses I generally post. I am certainly not going to debate you on matters of politics and religion. What I am going to do is attempt to live the best life I can that is based on the life of Jesus Christ and the things He did when He was here on earth.
To My Fellow Christians…
Take this to heart and evaluate your own faith. Is there something missing? I challenge you to found what your mission in life is and follow it. More than likely you are only scratching the surface of what your life is all about. Take a moment and listen. Keep your eyes open. Be aware of God’s will for your life and follow it. If all of us did that, the church could radically change the world as we know it…brick by brick.
If you’re wondering where all of this is coming from, take a look at the video below. If you’re interested in seeing this series yourself, I invite you to go to Kensington Church and check it out. In the five years that I’ve been going there with my family, this series will be a catalyst for my faith and how live out my life moving forward.
What about you? What’s missing in your life?
Christian? Yes. Religious? No.
This video made it’s way to me from my buddy Justin Brackett this morning. WOW! WOW! WOW!
In my mind, there is a difference between Christianity and Religion and this video from Jefferson Bethke gets at the heart of it.
It’s funny that this video came right after I had read the verse below.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV
Can you find power in weakness?
Peace On Earth
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:14 KJV)
I just saw the Christmas service from Kensington Church tonight. A few thoughts. The 12 Days of Christmas will never be the same again for me. I never thought Eminem would make his way into a church service. I had 80′s flashbacks with Devo. The arts team at KC is simply amazing.
More than anything, the message was one of significance for me particularly as I continue to reflect on Christmas and what it means to me. This year, the Kensington team went to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ and brought back a story of hope. A story of people divided politically and literally by a wall separating Palestine and Israel. We learned about peace on earth. We learned about people putting aside their labels and bringing forward their humanity. A humanity that thinks more about the person rather than trying to change a mind or opinion.
It was a great reminder to me to really focus on the people that I come into contact with on a daily basis and honor them. Respect them. Love them. These are the things that come to mind especially when I hear the words “Peace be with you.” Jesus Christ was and is the Prince of Peace. When that offering of peace is made, I feel relief, love, hope, and joy.
Peace is often the forgotten message but it can be the unifying message in any discussion or debate.
This week, I invite you to join my Kensington family and experience the hope and peace that was talked about today. There are a few of you I’m already thinking about that I believe would really get something out of the message and I’m praying for the right opportunity to invite you. There is also the opportunity to watch from the comfort of your own home as Kensington will be streaming LIVE all 15 Christmas services from its Troy campus at kensingtonchurch.tv. Whatever you decide, I invite you to join me and renew your sense of peace with a faith and hope that has given me strength over the last few years.
Merry Christmas. Peace be with you.
If you’re on Twitter, follow #kensingtonchristmas to see what people are saying!
The Christmas Revolution
Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Both of these conjure up images of people doing anything and everything possible to get the best deal and the newest stuff for Christmas. I don’t have any issue with this. We all want nice things but does this become the most important thing about Christmas? Does it become so focused on self indulgence that we lose the meaning of what these holidays really should be about? Family. Community.
One thing that I’ve appreciated the most about Kensington Church is its ability to deliver impactful messages that make you think about your life and your purpose. This holds true each year when they talk about The Christmas Revolution. As we head into this Christmas season, I invite all of you to participate in something my family will be doing again. Do something radical with the money you were planning on spending for gifts…spend it on someone in need.
If you’re interested in learning more about this program that has raised over $2 million for people in need, go to www.kensingtonchurch.org/christmas.
This has changed the way my family and I view Christmas each year. We appreciate everything God has given us. More importantly, we value the people in this world God has given us the ability to bless financially. Who knows…if enough people participate, we can make this something to look forward to after Thanksgiving instead of something peppery.
When Tragedy Strikes, Who Do You Turn To?
I’m continually amazed at the stories that come out from my Sunday home, Kensington Church. This past weekend, was no exception as we watched and listened to Danny Rossi share his story. What I found to be the most encouraging is how scripture found its way into every challenge he faced. Take a moment and watch this. Not only will you be blessed by his words, but also encouraged by his song “There’s Still Hope.”
Don’t Forget The Hand That Feeds You
I’m on a Bible passage kick I guess. I came across this passage this morning and wanted to share it with all of you. Prosperity should be humbling but in many cases it causes us to forget how or from whom we were able to achieve our good fortunes. Is it really our power and abilities or was it His blessings?
When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.
“But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath. (Deuteronomy 8:10-18 NLT)
Live It. Teach It.
A few words from a really wise man named Moses. Not only does he encourage all of us to live out our faith, but just as important, he urges us to teach it tour children.
“Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 NLT)
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