Contemplative…

I recently read a book called The Contemplative Pastor by Eugene Peterson. He talks about the role of a pastor being inseparable from time spent contemplating the heart of God. He draws a direct line from the time one spends with God to the effectiveness and quality of pastoring that will take place. The picture is of a man drawn to the character of God, thinking of the ways of God, learning from the actions of God, depending upon the voice of God. It is from this that he can overflow into the lives of those whom he is seeking to influence towards God.

Rental cars are bad ideas…

Talk about your ultimate exercise in futility. I arrive in Kansas City. Grab my rental car. It’s got that new car smell. It’s got pickup when I want it too. It has washer fluid. It has all of those extra features that I would like in a car…….that I can’t actually afford. That would be the glass half empty, I suppose. I’ll just enjoy the car while I have it.

Good Friday

I have always thought the title of this day didn’t make a lot sense: Good Friday. I guess I have always thought that it really sucked that Jesus HAD to die for us. It truly is a matter of perspective. One perspective is that I am glad that He did die for us, without that we would be lost. Another perspective is that I wish there were another way or that we could have in some way measured up on our own so as to not need Him to die for me. But wasn’t the way that it was. There is the realist in Jesus. He had to do what had to be done. And so we have Good Friday.

What is God doing here?

I absolutely love being here at the Beachside Church right now. The conversation that I am having with people, the leaders that I am spending time with, the intensity of life change that people are choosing to make — it leaves me each night with a question: What is God doing here? 

Easter

This is one of my favorite holidays. In fact, it is my 3rd favorite holiday.