Tag: Jesus

something beautiful :: 1.1 :: ((deep))

The latest something beautiful podcast is up online now!

Thomas and I spend some time catching up and talking about a new emergent gathering he’s hoping to get involved in near his home in Scotland.

We also hear from Thomas’ friends Dan and Laura who share their thoughts on Jesus’ question, “Who do you say I am?” (starts about 20 min in)

Looking forward to doing more of these. Maybe this will become the radio show I keep dreaming of hosting and producing. We’ll see.

Check out the show and share your thoughts and comments: www.somethingbeautifulpodcast.com

Love wins

I was reminded of this quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today.

“I’ve seen too much hate to want to hate, myself, and every time I see it, I say to myself, hate is too great a burden to bear. Somehow we must be able to stand up against our most bitter opponents and say: ‘We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will and we will still love you…. But be assured that we’ll wear you down by our capacity to suffer, and one day we will win our freedom. We will not only win freedom for ourselves; we will appeal to your heart and conscience that we will win you in the process, and our victory will be a double victory.”

Sounds like Dr. King saw a third-way. It wasn’t running. It wasn’t hitting back. It was standing up – reaching out – and loving.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” – Jesus (Matthew 5)

Driving in reverse

For the past 4 months, our pastor, Brian (aka Brother Treadaway, Brother Brian, Pastor Treadaway, Rev. Pastor Brother Brian Treadaway :-)) has been challenging the men of encounter with the encounter 9. You’ve probably heard me mention it here or on twitter more than a couple times.

Each month we’re given GPS coordinates to an undisclosed location and a set time to meet there. The location varies from month to month. The first month we met at a boat dock and were carried out by john boats to an island in the middle of the lake. The next month we met next to a stock pond while Brian talked about growing spiritually and Scott grilled fish on a nearby fire — illustrating the progress from a baby drinking milk, to fixing our own meals and then fixing meals for others (physically and spiritually). Another month we did a “prayer/Q&A walk.” And this last month we met at a local cometary and talked about our legacy and identity and how Jesus called the disciples out of their known identity — their careers as fishermen or tax collectors, etc — and into a new identity with Christ — as fishers of men.
Continue reading Driving in reverse

Something every non-Christian should know

Ever feel this way?

For years I was convinced that it was my job, as a Christian, to make sure that those I came into contact with knew and believed the things that I knew and believed…

Maybe we’re forgetting this childhood song:

Jesus loves You
This I Know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak but He is strong…

…That said, I am increasingly convinced that, if I am walking in the Way of Jesus and you only know one thing about me, it should be this…that I love you.

Read the rest of Kester Smith’s column

re: Hanging out with Jesus

my friend John shared his comments via e-mail on the recent Hanging out with Jesus post. He took issue with some of Kevin Hendricks comments:

“He’s not doing anything productive, he’s just hanging out.”

Jesus was intentional in the things he did. He had a purpose.

“Not doing anything productive?” I don’t think so.

Purposeless? I think not.

“Producing” disciples involves intentionality and an investment of time in their lives.

John

Hanging out with Jesus

Kevin Hendricks (Church Marketing Sucks) shares some thoughts from his community group last week:

Throughout the New Testament he spends a lot of time just hanging out with people. He’s not doing anything productive, he’s just hanging out. That Jesus–what a bum.

But I think Jesus was intentionally modeling the value of relationships. In many ways I think our faith is worked out in our relationships with others. When I’m really close to people I don’t have to do anything with them. We can just hang out.

and love this…

Contrary to what we may think, Christianity cannot be lived in a vacuum. No Christian is an island. We need each other. There’s value in just being with other people.