Jun 18
Last weekend at Neighborhood Church, I talked about how God is the God of generations.
Check out this message and tell me your thoughts on how different generations can “come to the table” and become God’s generation.
Our Generation: Generation X (Generational Theft) from Neighborhood Church of Redding on Vimeo.
Mar 6
A while back my family and I relocated into a different time zone. We moved from the CST time zone (Central Standard Time) to the PST time zone (Pacific Standard Time). “What’s the big deal?” you ask. Well, just a two-hour time difference. Two hours may seem like a small change, but it created huge upheaval for me.
All of my life rhythms got knocked off balance. I felt as awkward as a dog in the back seat on a car ride. My fitness routines were disrupted. My spiritual disciplines became disheveled. Every routine in my life got knocked into a state of disequilibrium. I really could’ve used a time zone converter to help me adjust to living in my time zone.
There are times in life when all of us find it hard to live in our current time zone–not geographically, but existentially. Past mistakes (or successes) as well as future worries (or expectations) can keep us from peace in the present. Here are some lessons I learned about living in my current time zone.
1. Get past the past ~ The biggest obstacle to present-tense-peace was my own desire for things to be the way they were. I loved the consistency of routines that helped me grow physically, spiritually, and relationally. However, those days were gone and they weren’t coming back. Moving to a different place meant moving on to new rhythms.
2. Build the future today ~ Everyday I preached to myself, “The road to tomorrow runs through today!” Like a song that makes the day go faster, I kept reminding myself that I was creating tomorrow’s life-rhythms today. Every awkward action became another stepping stone carrying my feet into the future.
3. Live in the present ~ Living in the present moment is much harder than it sounds. Distractions, frustrations, dead lines, and obligations confronted me like a bullies in the lunch line with their hands out. Present-tense-peace is something I had to fight for; over and over, and moment by moment.
I’ve discovered that God is in-tense. He is fully present “in” the present “tense.” And if God is in-tense, I needed to learn how to live in-tense too. In-tense living has been all about the moment-by-moment realization that I can only experience God’s Presence in my present tense.
I’m really learning how to live in my time zone. Everyday I fight to be in-tense with God, my wife, my kids, and whoever God puts in front of me.
After all, the past is past. The future flows through the present. And I can only experience God in this present moment. Just like God, I want to live in-tense!
Nov 30
Oct 19
With the spread of H1N1 (aka swine flu), lots of people are worried about catching diseases from others. And they should worry–because people are carriers!
Everybody’s carrying something, not just physically, but spiritually too! Scripture teaches that you can catch spiritually transmitted diseases from people.
“Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old ‘yeast’ by removing this wicked person from among you.” (1 Cor 5:6-7, NLT)
People can be contagious carriers without ever realizing it. In fact, some of the most spiritually infected people have no clue that they are sick…or that they are harming others.
Here’s what to watch for in order to avoid spiritually transmitted diseases…
1. An uncovered mouth ~ everyone knows that an uncovered mouth is the portal to serious sickness. All too often, people open their mouths and spew division, suspicion, and negativity on you. If you put up with it, it’ll make you sick. When dealing with verbally infected Christians, Scripture cautions us to keep our distance.
2. Unwashed hands ~ infectious germs spread rapidly through unclean hands. Some people never deal with their dirt, and thereby infect others with the junk they never dealt with. If you get too close, their dirt will become yours. When it comes to unrepentant Christians, Scripture says to quarantine those who WILL NOT come clean.
3. Inconsiderate attitude ~ some people never think about how their sickness affects others. These people bring their runny-nosed kids to school. They sit by you all day, and later admit they had the flu all night long. Everyone gets sick, but not everyone cares about not spreading their sickness. When it comes to infected Christians, Scripture tells us to give them a dose of loving truth.
God doesn’t want us to live like germophobes, seeking to isolate ourselves in a bacteria-free world. He wants us to care about and protect the health of His community.
As for me…I’m gonna cover my mouth, keep my hands clean, and be mindful of the affect I’m having on others.
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Read about how one person created a pandemic of spiritual sickness affecting a whole community here ~ read Joshua 7.
**Post your thoughts / comments below**
Jul 24
Nothing will determine the quality and direction of our lives like our relationships. As our relationships go, so goes our lives.
Very few things can ruin relationships faster than gossip. Here’s a helpful definition ~ “gossip is passing on information about others when I am neither part of the problem, nor part of the solution.”
FACT ~ Gossip destroys relationships.
FACT ~ God totally hates gossip.
FACT ~ Gossip is the Devil’s playground.
Most people don’t realize that the Devil’s name refers to his favorite strategy for ruining our relationships. Whenever we slander, criticize or accuse others falsely…we’re being duped into doing the Devil’s job for him.
We all know that spreading gossip is wrong, but did you know it’s just as wrong to listen to gossip? Listening to gossip is like accepting stolen property, it makes you just as guilty as the person who committed the crime.
In order to have a great life, we must work hard to maintain great relationships. So here are a few biblical ways to guard your relationships from gossip.
Six Steps To Stopping Slander – OR – Six Rules For Respecting My Relationships…
Proverbs 26:20 says, “Where there is no fuel a fire goes out; where there is no gossip arguments come to an end.”
I’ve never met a person who worked hard at relationships and lived a lonely, regret-filled life. But I have met lots of people who are living lonely, regret filled lives. As your relationships go…so goes your life!
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I am a Missional Leader and Community Life Pastor. This blog is a place for people who're interested in learning to HEAR God, FOLLOW Christ, and / or LEAD others. Everything here is my own opinion, meant to help you wake up to God's dream for your life. 
