I read the essay from Dr. Jim Denison that I have a link to below and I want to encourage you to read it as well before Sunday and the Super Bowl. It says a lot about our culture, the church and what people are really looking to find from the church. Read and be challenged.
http://www.denisonforum.org/cultural-commentary/622-unprecedented-super-bowl-advertising-strategy
For the journey...
Tim
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
Wood, Hay and Straw
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 1 Corinthians 3:11-13
It is interesting what things survived my in-laws house fire. It is remarkable the things that did not. A small glass Christmas ornament made it through surprisingly well; an expensive flat screen HDTV did not. Things honored with places high on walls - pictures and portraits - did not do as well as things relegated to the floor. The dining room with the door open had considerable damage through out. The laundry room with the door closed seems totally intact.
Paul wrote the verses above to remind us to build our lives on something sturdy - Jesus - and not to put much stock in things that will not last. Fire does reveal the nature of things. Fire will reveal the value of what we have poured our lives into and if it was worth it.
This Sunday we will hear from a young man who just got some pretty bad news about his cancer. That kind of test by fire shows what is valuable and what will last. Maybe it is time that we take a deeper look and re-evaluated what are the things in life that last.
For the journey...
Tim
Saturday, January 19, 2013
The Cost of Redemption
Most of you know that my in-laws home burned in Houston. I say "burned" and not "burned down" purposely. Though the house is a total loss, most of the structure of the house stands, it stands completely smoke damaged. Some of the contents can and are being saved. I say "some" purposely too.
Everything above four feet high in the house is covered with soot and in varying shades of black, most of which is ruined, but some things can be saved. In that "some" is the overwhelming task. Everything has to be cleaned to be determined if it can be saved; well everything that is glass or metal. So dishes must be washed, pots must be cleaned then it can be determined if it can be saved.
The task of cleaning is daunting. The task of washing seems unending. The task of deciding is wearying. All of it is overwhelming. It is a messy, ugly job where the soot gets on you and you breathe it in and it remains in the cracks of your hands. But things are coming along, progress has been made. Inventories were turned into insurance on Friday of things that were lost. Decisions still need to be made about the things that were saved.
In my time of helping last weekend, it hit me what a huge task it is of redeeming a fallen world where everything has been covered black with sin. Were every single thing (mankind and creation) is damaged but some things (us) can be saved. It is a messy, ugly job. It cannot be done without it sticking to the one who cleans and redeems. Yet Jesus took it upon himself to clean the whole world of sin. It takes a lot of love to do that. It is such a big job it is still being done, even now.
I have a new gratitude for the cleaning Jesus did for us and the love that moved him to move piece by piece, person by person through the universe to redeem what could have been lost.
I am grateful for so many prayers and so much help from the people on this journey with us at Northside. I am even more grateful for a savior who loved us enough to take on the overwhelming task of redemption and who overcame its overwhelmingness.
For the journey...
Tim
Everything above four feet high in the house is covered with soot and in varying shades of black, most of which is ruined, but some things can be saved. In that "some" is the overwhelming task. Everything has to be cleaned to be determined if it can be saved; well everything that is glass or metal. So dishes must be washed, pots must be cleaned then it can be determined if it can be saved.
The task of cleaning is daunting. The task of washing seems unending. The task of deciding is wearying. All of it is overwhelming. It is a messy, ugly job where the soot gets on you and you breathe it in and it remains in the cracks of your hands. But things are coming along, progress has been made. Inventories were turned into insurance on Friday of things that were lost. Decisions still need to be made about the things that were saved.
In my time of helping last weekend, it hit me what a huge task it is of redeeming a fallen world where everything has been covered black with sin. Were every single thing (mankind and creation) is damaged but some things (us) can be saved. It is a messy, ugly job. It cannot be done without it sticking to the one who cleans and redeems. Yet Jesus took it upon himself to clean the whole world of sin. It takes a lot of love to do that. It is such a big job it is still being done, even now.
I have a new gratitude for the cleaning Jesus did for us and the love that moved him to move piece by piece, person by person through the universe to redeem what could have been lost.
I am grateful for so many prayers and so much help from the people on this journey with us at Northside. I am even more grateful for a savior who loved us enough to take on the overwhelming task of redemption and who overcame its overwhelmingness.
For the journey...
Tim
Saturday, January 5, 2013
An Assignment
Let me ask you to take some time to view another blog - that of Andrew Heard. Take the time you would have taken here to go there and read about his struggle with cancer and faith....
http://andrewbheard.com/
Andrew will be speaking at Northside on January 27. As you read a post or two and pray for him as he gets ready to speak to us.
For the journey...
Tim
http://andrewbheard.com/
Andrew will be speaking at Northside on January 27. As you read a post or two and pray for him as he gets ready to speak to us.
For the journey...
Tim
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