Why I’m NOT a Christ-Follower
I’ve noticed there’s a new term being used in the church in place of the word Christian. It’s Christ-follower. Have you heard that? Young people, especially, have adopted its useage. Rather than say, "I’m a Christian," they say, "I’m a Christ-follower."
I’ve actually formed an obsessive-compulsive thing about it. Because Christ-follower is true but it’s not the whole truth. It’s true but it’s not the most important truth. The scripture says
The Christian Life: A Great Adventure
We were back on the bus, ready to move on to our next ministry assignment.
I was with a team of around 30 people, as part of a Brio Missions trip to Peru, and we had just enjoyed an amazing response to our evangelistic outreach on a random street corner in Lima. We stood amazed as the pandemonium of blaring horns, barking dogs, and jostling crowds suddenly faded into the
Maximize Your Prayer Life
One of the most spiritual places I’ve ever been was a centuries-old Spanish monastery in Lima, Peru. It was truly holy ground. God’s presence permeated the place, and whenever two or three people were gathered for prayer, God spoke clearly and unmistakably. I can’t wait to get to heaven so I can meet the monk who prayed the prayers and cried the tears to hallow that ground. It was absolutely
Make Sunday Special w/out Raining on Eve...
My favorite time of the week is fast approaching: it's our family communion celebration. It took me a long time to 'get the revelation' that it's possible to keep Sunday special--and sacred--without raining on everybody's parade with a bunch of rules and regulations.
Here's what the Bible says:
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as
Your Life is a Report Card
A person who shall remain nameless (my brother, John) didn’t particularly care for school and his grades reflected it. Of course, he didn’t particularly care for the trouble he got in when his report card came home. So he came up with a brilliant idea: he took a pen and carefully turned all of his Fs into beautiful As. Problem solved.
Or so he thought!
You see, he may have changed the
New Monasticism & Divine Rhythm
Have you ever been so busy you forgot to eat? Sometimes I even forget to drink, which can have serious consequences since I live in the desert. Dehydration sets in. I feel exhausted, drained and dizzy. I can’t think straight! Sometimes, we can get spiritually dehydrated, especially when we’re so busy coming and going that we forget to just stop the madness. Everyone talks about the hectic pace of life
1 Hr of God’s Favor is great than ...
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Luke 2:52
Yesterday, on my morning walk, I was listening to Lance Wallnau's outstanding teaching series on Favor, which he defines as "the irresistable charisma of Christ" on a person's life. God loves everyone, of course, but the clear teaching of scripture is that God reserves his special favor for certain people. It is a powerful
The Unreflected Life is Not Worth Living
Remember the old Jackson Browne tune "Running on Empty"? Well, that's what far too many of us try to do. We run and run, we do and do, until we can't do any more. Unfortunately, running on empty is a formula for disaster. If there isn't any oil in your car, for instance, it won't be long before you destroy your engine. Then, you have two very expensive options: put