Thursday, October 25, 2018

Submission

Our ConnectGroup completed the HeroMakers segment, and we have moved on to the Andy Stanley sermon series called "What happy couples know."  I continue to be amazed at how Andy can craft and deliver a message.  One of the points in his message last night dealt with the frequently abused passage in scripture where Paul tells women to submit to their husbands.  I feel like men and women have both used this for their own selfish gain.  Some men have used it to make their wives feel guilty for not doing everything they need for them to do.  Some women have used this as a reason to reject Christianity altogether due to the seeming inequality it represents.   What is almost unbelievable is that so many people ignore the rest of the passage where Paul instructs us to submit to one another.  At the time when Paul was living, women were actually considered "the property" of their husbands.  They were not treated equally, and neither men, nor women, expected men to treat women equally.  Paul's instruction that husbands and wives should submit to one another would have been considered blasphemous to some and shocking to almost everyone of that time.  This teaching was the seed that grew into the current state of our culture where men and women should be treated as equals.  I understand that we are not there yet, but it least in our western society, most would agree that is a standard to work towards.  Paul was instructing us to love each other like God, through Jesus, loved us.  Jesus gave us everything, including his life, and expected nothing in return.   We are called to do the same with the people we know, and especially with our spouses.  Click here for the full message series.  This content was taken from the second message.

Thursday, October 18, 2018

The Legend

A friend of mine died this week, and I attended his funeral.  He was a successful businessman, had a rock-solid marriage, raised three kids and was committed to his church.  He was humble, served others, and loved God.  He was described as a legend by those who knew him best.  I probably only met him a half dozen times over the last 30 years, but I feel like I knew him well.  He was 95 years old, sang in the same church choir for 60 years and was married to his wife Sue for 72 years.  I know him well, because I know his son, and his son has told me all about him.  His son is one of my best friends and mirrors the qualities that his father lived out every day.  I know the father through the son, and that is God's plan for us to know Him, too.

Thursday, October 11, 2018

Whose kingdom are you building?

Our ConnectGroup series on HeroMakers wrapped up last night with a lively discussion on Kingdom building.  Members had different ideas on what kinds of actions contribute to kingdom building, but for me, I see anything that helps bring heaven to earth a part of Kingdom building.  That could be quiet time alone where God gets a bigger piece of me, me helping people at work for their gain and not my own, or me telling someone who doesn't know Jesus what Jesus means to me.  If we do it for His glory, I believe the Kingdom is growing.  I found this fun videofrom Rend Collective asking God to help us build His Kingdom here.  Enjoy.
Whose kingdom are you building?

Thursday, October 4, 2018

She's A Little Bit Country


Most of my family lives still on the east coast, but my sister-in-law, Polly and her husband, Larry, raised their two kids in Oklahoma.  Their daughter, Kimberly, was married this past weekend to Mark, and all of us went out to join the celebration.  Polly and Larry live on a mini-farm complete with chickens and horses outside Tulsa.   We had a blast unwinding and getting a taste of what it be like to live out in the country.  I am so proud of how Polly and Larry have raised their two kids, Phillip and Kimberly, into vibrant adults, and so happy that we were able to spend time with all of them this week.