Pastoral Thoughts for New Disciples

Devotional Reading: Philippians 4:10-23 Paul had a very different understanding of wealth than most people.  When the Philippians were the only ones who financially supported him, he thanked them for their gifts, but recognized that their gifts resulted in people coming to know Christ.  He wanted more of their financial gifts, not because he wanted more money, but because he wanted them to continue to experience the blessing of spiritual fruit that those gifts brought about.  That is a very different perspective on money. When you give to the church it may seem like the money has just left your account and gone into another and that is the last you'll see of it.  But, when you give to the church the money leaves your account and goes into the church's and is used to bear fruit for the Kingdom of God, for which you will receive credit.  It is like an investment that gives a spiritual return. It is kind of like when you invest in a child's life, you don'...

Devotional Reading:  Malachi 3:6-12 What does it mean to have reverence for God?  I often wonder about this and what it means for a pastor to help his or her congregation have reverence for God. I wish it was just contagious. I wish one could learn from osmosis.  And yet, sometimes I feel like that is the exact way that we learn reverence for God - by learning from each other's example. When I read the last few chapters of the Old Testament, I find myself feeling reverent. This is a God worthy of respect.  This is a God worthy of personal sacrifice.  This is a God worthy of my full trust. I don't know how you have heard the promise of Malachi 3:10 interpreted in the past.  Nor do I know how you will hear it interpreted in the future. What I do know is that I believe it still means something today. My personal experience has been that in giving God at least a tithe (10%), God hasn't failed me yet.  And I'm still waiting for the story of the perso...

Devotional Reading: Haggai 2:1-9 "Be Strong."  How often have you needed to hear those words?  Apparently the people really needed to hear them, as they are recorded three times in this text. Once to their political leader, once to their religious leader, and once to the community as a whole. "Be Strong and work.  For I am with you," declares the LORD Almighty.  God continues, "And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear."

Devotional Reading: Numbers 14:5-19 How does God prove He is God? Often through His relationships with His people.   We learn about God’s faithfulness through the stories of those to whom God has been faithful.   We learn about God’s provision through the stories of those for whom God has provided. We learn about God’s righteousness and forgiveness through the stories of those who have knelt in awe before God and received His mercy. But what happens when the church rebels together against God? What type of witness is that to the world? The twelve spies representing the twelve tribes of Israel returned from exploring the promised land only to give ill report. This land that God had promised them was full of intimidating giants and well-fortified cities.   They would rather return to slavery in Egypt then go in and fight for the land. How would that look to the outside world? Would it appear that God only led the Israelites out of Egypt to let them wander in th...

It has become part of my regular routine to look up commercial properties for sale on the SW side. Today, when I opened the listings on my phone a property that has regularly caught my eye was back on the market for a lower price.  I decided to drive over to the property. I pulled in and counted parking places and once again there were too few for a growing congregation.  Twenty-five in the building's lot.  Twenty-five across the street.  Not enough.  The building would also require the installation of an elevator and one of our goals is to be easily accessible for folks of a variety of abilities.  I sat in the parking lot and prayed. Then I drove to a second location. A building in my mind that was a perfect possibility, but very likely out of the price range.  I sat there and noticed the various ways it was deteriorating.  Remembered the inside of the building and how it would need to be remodeled to meet our needs. I sat and prayed.  "...

Fourteen years ago, God provided for me in an unexpected way and today God mirrored that provision in an even more unexpected manner.  When I was in my early twenties God called me to return to my home city to start a ministry reaching out to higher-risk youth.  During that time, I worked as a volunteer missionary.  I made no income for my full-time mission work.  On the side I worked odd jobs such as house sitting and helping my mother at her fitness club.  I lived in my parents' basement. My mother suggested that I redecorate the basement guest bedroom to make it my own.  We hung some greenery around the ceiling.  My uncle helped to cut some boards into shelves for my books.  My mom gifted me a beautiful pastel green and blue quilt.  When I looked around my newly decorated room, it seemed like something was missing... a chair.  In my mind I could picture a pastel green bean bag chair sitting in the corner.  But I wasn't sure if ...