Living life with steps of faith

This morning I've been working on the lesson plans for our church's youth ministry. The topic is "What does it mean to be great?" The fascinating thing is how much Scripture tells us about what it means to be great and offers a different perspective of life, leadership, and perhaps even leisure? The obvious Scriptures do come to mind - the story of Zebedee's sons wanting to be honored, Jesus washing the disciples' feet and sharing that He came not to be served - but to serve, Jesus reprimending Peter and instructing him to have a right perspective of life, and of course the 2nd Greatest Commandment to love one another. But then there are the other stories and illustrations that capture our attention and explain in even greater detail what it means to be a leader as Christ was a leader, how to have a right perspective, and what leadership attributes/attitudes to avoid. There is the list of woes and corrections in Matthew 23 (practice what you preach, don...

Okay, I've always dreamed of being a transformational speaker, but now I think I've added another dream job to my list. (or perhaps I'm just on a momentary soap box.) Wouldn't it be great, if I secretly became a multi-millionaire or billionaire and then volunteered my time with various non-profit groups for a significant amount of time (maybe 1 or 2 years.) Then after getting to see the insdie scoop of the non-profit, I'd make a decision if I wanted to give it several hundred thousand dollars or however much would be significant to start a fund that would generate enough interest to help the non-profit survive. A month or two prior to making this annoymous donation, I would quit volunteering and move on to another non-profit to serve and perhaps later financially support.

I found this article online( http://criswell.wordpress.com/files/2006/03/3,2%20APastoralPerspectiveontheEmergentChurch%5BDriscoll%5D.PDF ) that briefly outlines the beginning of the naming of the emerging movement. I found it helpful in recognizing the different theological positions and ideologies within the movement. I also found it interesting that the author recognized that the changes that have now been labeled have been in existance for some time. But one must also recognize the power of giving something a name, which allows it a much more powerful identity. A name allows people to come together in a unified direction. When I first heard about the emergent church it was through an article read at a para-church youth ministry regional meeting. As I read the description of the church it reminded me of the church that I grew up in. "Where the Bible speaks, we speak, where the Bible is silent, we're silent." I remember and still observe debates about what our denominat...

When I think of redemption, I think of God sending His son to earth as an infant and then allowing Christ Jesus to be sacrificed as a perfect offering as an adult. But the idea of redemption has been in place since the beginning of time. God has modeled redemption over and over and over again. This concept that can seem so foreign to the Western mind (and perhaps even to the Eastern mind?) has been modeled throughout the Hebrew (Old) Testament. In reading through key stories of the Bible today (following a Biblegatway.com reading plan) I came across the record of God's decision to have the family of Levi serve in place of the firstborn son. In the 3rd chapter of Numbers it reads: (Message Version of Scripture) 39 The sum total of Levites counted at God's command by Moses and Aaron, clan by clan, all the males one month and older, numbered 22,000. 40-41 God spoke to Moses: "Count all the firstborn males of the People of Israel who are one month and older. List their n...

The future has become the present. What does a person do, when the future becomes the present, and the new future is unknown? Perhaps why some in our generation have such a hard time "being all here" and existing in the present is because we're hopeful of the future. But, what happens when your future becomes the present?