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Endurance and Encouragement?

 Romans 15:5-6 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,   that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The endurance of welcoming others in the midst of differing convictions can encourage the weak by walking together in full faith and the strong in demonstrating meekness. This harmony of relationship doubles as a song of praise, lifted in corporate worship. The Father is glorified in unlikely friendships, called and built together through the unique work of the Son, and operating in the unity of the Spirit. This is not possible apart from the body, the church, as it is built by God. As a light, we shoulder the responsibility of how we shine. In the darkest of times, every one of us is hoping to find the right way forward. It can be easy to blind someone with a flashlight but that only makes it difficult to see. It is better to walk together, heading in the s
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All In Good Time

Where does my help come from...and when will it get here?! I have a fairly predictable struggle in my faith walk when it comes down to the timing I would prefer versus the timing of God. Mostly this revolves around my own comfort and desires but there have been occasions when God's timing has cause me deep pain and sadness. Still, I trust Him. In the those times of real struggle I place my hope in what Jesus has already accomplished, and then cast my gaze to what the Bible reveals of the final victory. The greatest resource for my peace is not found in a distraction or a pleasant feeling but in the reality of Christ's death and resurrection. Knowing God was able to bring about the salvation of all in that way, I renew my faith in that great and glorious day yet to come. Sure, my anticipation grows with every look ahead but my temporal peace also increases even in the midst of calamity. Still, I trust Him. This statement is not a mantra or religious chat I use to calm myself i
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Where does my help come from?

I have to stop to think about that. This past Sunday, Lumumba proclaimed Psalm 121 in the midst of a world in pain and a population trying to process all that has happened. On top of a pandemic, demonstrations of all kinds have erupted all over the world as the evil of racism overtook our collective focus. Where does my help come from? The psalmist admitted he had to lift his eyes to receive the answer. I can look in the mirror to review my own behavior and thoughts but for the people of God, there is no real hope without the involvement of Jesus. He is not only the author of our faith, He is the maker of Heaven and Earth! He has a depth of understanding as to what is wrong in this world that makes my attempt at contemplation seem like a newborn trying to fathom the complexity of the universe.  I keep hearing people preach about the importance of looking "deep within ourselves" and "tap into your basic human morality" but that is not what the Bible w
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Eternal Boredom...

Will living for eternity in heaven get boring? This is an interesting thought that I have heard from a couple of people in the past few weeks. Two Sundays ago, while proclaiming Psalm 23, I said that the idea of dwelling in the house of the Lord forever was a difficult concept during this "Stay Home" season. Then this past Sunday, Ty was proclaiming Psalm 27 and the same phrase was repeated! Oh, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life? First of all, it is astounding to meditate on the fact that when I consider "all the days of my life" they extend throughout eternity. There is now, in Christ, no separation between my days under the sun and my days in the fullness of His presence. That idea alone ignites my imagination and challenges my limited concept of time. Next, how can I possibly fathom the dimensions of "the house of the Lord?" This is a location unlike any other. God is both outside of time and space, yet able to be
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What should I do for Lent?

Be led by the Spirit, practice discipline, reflect on Jesus, and listen. Lent is a traditional time of 40 days to prepare the Church for Easter. There is a liturgical build toward Passion Week and all of it culminates in celebrating Jesus rising from the dead. The time period is set in recognition of the time Jesus was led into the wilderness prior to His public ministry. Matthew 4:1     Be led by the Holy Spirit. As a follower of Christ it is difficult for me to avoid the imperative of listening to the Comforter. The One who was sent to come alongside humanity is still the One who leads the Church. To prepare myself for Easter, what can I do to engage in this practice? Matthew 4:2     It is common to fast during these 40 days. I have heard it taught that there are two types of spiritual discipline: engagement and abstinence. In order to set this time apart perhaps I should be led by the Spirit in my decision to practice a spiritual discipline that will focus and elevate this
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Peeling the Onion

Every layer of bias brings tears to my eyes. There is nothing easy about having the Holy Spirit reveal the ways in which I think I am better than others. Neither is it comfortable to see how often I compare myself negatively to those around me. While the process of detaching those layers is painful, the end result is a newfound freedom. Only the Holy Spirit can work on me in this way. The funny thing is, I once played the role of a certain big, green ogre in a musical. In that show, he tries to explain how complicated he is by describing himself as an onion. NOT that he's smelly, but you'll understand him better if you just accept that he has lots of layers. This was a way to explain away his behavior, and justify himself believing that he was better off living outside of community. How good have we become at self-deception? The most painful layer of "better than-ism" exposed last week in the preaching was in regards to God, Himself. Sure, I thought of how I m
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The Revelation of Belonging

Belong is a bit of a goofy word. Say it a few times and tell me it doesn't feel like you're just playing with sounds while you're trying to think of a better word. Ok, maybe that's just me. The desire to belong, on the other hand, is something we wrestle with throughout our lives. We try not to give in to it so that we don't become social chameleons. Many of us carry scars from groups we have been a part of. There are others who take it for granted, as they always seem to fit in wherever they go. Whatever the case, we were designed to belong in community. Each of us created out of love, for love, to be loved. What we may not realize is that our ability to grow is intimately connected with our security as a valuable member of a loving community. This originates from our Creator as we are made in the image of God, our image. It was this point which caught my attention last Sunday. In taking a close look at Romans 12:1-5 we received God's truth and it chall
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