True relgion is not about the name on the building or the acts that are done inside that building. These may be important however too many of us get caught up in the acts and lose the heart. James 1:27 says, "Relgion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
U2's Bono recently made a speech in which he made the following coments:
True Relgion will not let us fall asleep in the comfort of our freedom. Love thy neighbor is not a piece of advice it is a command. That means a lot. It means in the global village we're going to have to start loving a lot more people. His truth is marching on!
Where you live should not decide whether you live or whether you die! To those in the church who sit in judgement about the AIDS emergency let me take your pulpit for just a moment. Whatever thoughts we have about God, who He is, or if He even exisist, Most will agree, that GOD HAS A SPECIAL PLACE FOR THE POOR. THE POOR ARE WHERE GOD LIVES! GOD IS IN THE SLUMS IN THE CARDBORAD BOX WHERE THE POOR PLAY HOUSE. GOD IS WHERE THE OPPORITUNITY IS LOST AND LIVES ARE SHATTERED. GOD IS WITH THE MOTHER WHO HAS INFECTED HER CHILD WITH A VIRUS THAT WILL TAKE BOTH THEIR LIVES. GOD IS UNDER THE RUBBEL IN THE CRIES WE HEAR DURING WAR TIME. GOD MY FRIENDS IS WITH THE POOR, AND GOD IS WITH US IF WE ARE WITH THEM.
This is not a burden, this is an adventure. Don't let anyone tell you it can't be done. We can be the generation that ends extreme poverty!
Monday, March 5, 2007
innerchange
I'm not very good at writing in things like this. I would much rather sit down with you discuss what I have to say and hear what you have to say. I like the face to face discussion. However I am aware of this tool and I do find some enjoyment out of writing my thoughts. So I have broken down and joined the army of bloggers in a hope that at some point I will have something beneficial to say and that I will hear from some others who definitely have good things to say.
At this moment I am in the midst of a great time in my life. God has blessed my wife and I so that we are expecting our first child in April. My life as for work is also great. I am a youth minister at the Airline Dr. church of Christ. Our ministry there is called innerchange, hence the name of the blog. We call it innerchange because of the change God requires inside each of us. Our goal is to give kids who cross our path the building blocks for deep faith in God and when they have grown out of our ministry to mature as Christian adults in active service in God's kingdom and Church. The reason why life is great in this area is because the church I am at is currently in a struggle to find the reason for it existence. Our leaders are actively seeking God's vision and purpose. I believe if we are going to be a congregation in the future we must address the futures needs now! We must recognize the importance of young people (birth - 25yrs) and their differences from us. I'm not that old but I can tell you that I don't express myself the same way these young people do. Nor did I when I was their age. We must not sacrifice the gospel but we must package it in a way that will nourish the spirit and growth of our younger generation. Instead of throwing water on whatever fire is bu ring inside them for God. I heard a preacher put it this way, "If our teens aren't proud to wear the name of Christ, we need to do a better job of telling His story!"
At this moment I am in the midst of a great time in my life. God has blessed my wife and I so that we are expecting our first child in April. My life as for work is also great. I am a youth minister at the Airline Dr. church of Christ. Our ministry there is called innerchange, hence the name of the blog. We call it innerchange because of the change God requires inside each of us. Our goal is to give kids who cross our path the building blocks for deep faith in God and when they have grown out of our ministry to mature as Christian adults in active service in God's kingdom and Church. The reason why life is great in this area is because the church I am at is currently in a struggle to find the reason for it existence. Our leaders are actively seeking God's vision and purpose. I believe if we are going to be a congregation in the future we must address the futures needs now! We must recognize the importance of young people (birth - 25yrs) and their differences from us. I'm not that old but I can tell you that I don't express myself the same way these young people do. Nor did I when I was their age. We must not sacrifice the gospel but we must package it in a way that will nourish the spirit and growth of our younger generation. Instead of throwing water on whatever fire is bu ring inside them for God. I heard a preacher put it this way, "If our teens aren't proud to wear the name of Christ, we need to do a better job of telling His story!"
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