People

I wonder, am I sensitive to the needs of people? I struggle with being sensitive to their feelings, as in, I say stuff that comes out wrong. But do I see their needs? 
Jesus was hyper-sensitive to those needs. It's thick in the Gospels. Health needs- He healed the sick and lame, daily needs- He fed the crowds and paid taxes, leadership needs- He taught classes on prayer and giving and exhortation, spiritual needs- He forgave sin. 
Then there's the example of Paul. Much of the same. Especially the leadership side. He taught how to be a pastor, "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
So I guess the question I am asking myself is, "Am I looking at people and thinking, What can I do to help them serve to build the church?"
I'm in over my head! Praise God, He showed that I'm inadequate :P

Sold Out?

I have heard lots of people use the term "Sold Out" as they describe their walk with Jesus. Meaning that they had given it all to Jesus, but last night I walked past the now closed B. Dalton Bookstore, I reconsidered the phrase.
I remember going past the store, when it was open, and seeing thousands of books on most every topic. Books about cooking, racing, self-help, religion, SAT/ACT testing, How to, you name it, they probably had it. But as I looked inside last night, all of the shelves were empty. It was sold out. Empty.
I've heard lots of people claim being sold out, but the number of them that had emptied themselves to that degree is much smaller. We all seem to want to hang on to our "pet sin". We compartmentalize that thing, claim complete surrender to Christ, and the church suffers.
The book of Acts records a few of the amazing things that happened with the early church. People coming to Christ by the thousands from one sermon, people giving up their possessions for the needy, miraculous healing, people being martyred. Things that are seldom witnessed in the current American church. 
Sold out. I wonder... if we emptied ourselves like B. Dalton and presented God our entire self what would happen in the American church. 

Simple Obedience

Simple obedience. That's all God wants. It's always been what He's wanted. The crazy problem is that obedience is the way to experience life at the extreme level that God wants for us.
In my life, the mountain-top experiences have come when I was obedient to God's guiding. The things that I would never have imagined happening, the relationships that have carried me in bad times, the people that make my life amazing...all of these are connected to simple obedience. Maybe obedience to the call to GO, maybe obedience to the call to SERVE, perhaps the obedience to LOVE. 
Yep, the amazing things in my life are all tethered to obedience to The Creator.

Not even a hint...

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.
"Not even a hint" wow, that's a tall order. That would include every aspect of my life: what I watch on TV, movies, music, etc. 
Not even a hint...

Last July, Tommy Oakes challenged me to pray and ask God to send workers for the harvest, daily. Well, I haven't done that but I am praying alot for workers.
God has already started to answer my prayer as I have seen Ashley and Jeremiah commit to doing missions work. I've also witnessed how families have been "the workers" as they, along with the church, share the Good News of Jesus with children and spouses.
The harvest is obviously plentiful. The workers are few, but it is awesome to see God using us.  

New Year

Well, it's a new year. The YMCA parking lot is full. All those New Years Resolutions that are bound for failure. Not pessimism, realism. Happens every year.
I wonder, with all the problems that people are experiencing in their relational world, why weren't the worship services packed out on Sunday? 
Why do we care more about our physique than eternity? Age-old question, I suppose. 
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord...in 2010. Oh yeah, I'm gonna be under 200 by the end of February, too :)