Will this be the song of my children? Is this my song?
Daddy was a preacherShe was his wifeJust tryin to make the world a little betterYou know, shine a lightPeople started talkingJust to hear their own voiceThose people tried to accuse my fatherSaid he made the wrong choiceThough it might be painfulYou know that time will always tellThose people have long since goneMy father never failed
ChorusEven when the rain fallsEven when the flood starts risingEven when the storm comesI am washed by the water
My response:
Even when the Earth crumbles under my feetEven when the ones I love turn around and crucify meI won’t never ever let you downI won’t fallI won’t fallI won’t fall as long as you’re around me
- Need to Breathe's "Washed by the Water"
Monday, January 28, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Stones into Bread
Matthew 4: Turn these stones into bread... Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Jesus' Temptation - Turn stones into bread
Rev. Michael Smith
Thursday, January 24, 2013
New Year's Resolution
I know that the month of January is almost over, but I wanted to check and see how everyone was doing on their 'New Year's Resolutions'. Are you someone that has given up entirely on making such resolutions? Is it because of disappointment in the past because of the lack of follow through?
It seems that the Girls Scouts have timed their cookie drive just right every year to either break people's cycles of better health, or to comfort them from their discouragement of not being able to lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks. Obviously I am poking fun at this issue, and I do not want to discourage anyone from healthier living.
My hope is to help us reach our goals when it comes to new things to do or new goals to set in a new year. However, the problem is not the goals we set or the hopes we have. The problem is not a lack of follow through on our part. The entire thing, I believe, hinges on this simple truth: who is the resolution for?
Every year we make resolutions on what we want to do for OURSELVES. This is the problem. It is all about us, us, us. The way in which we were created speaks against this entirely. It is in our spiritual DNA to not think of us, but to think of the other. We were created to live for the other, and to seek the best interest of the other. So every year we try to become better people by focusing on what WE need to do for US. Perhaps the best way to fulfill a New Year's Resolution is to change the type of resolution we make. It should not be about what I want to accomplish, how much weight I want to lose, or who I want to be. Instead we should resolve in a new year to do and to be all for the sake of someone else. Who are you going to help? How are you going to help them? Who are you going to serve?
It seems that the Girls Scouts have timed their cookie drive just right every year to either break people's cycles of better health, or to comfort them from their discouragement of not being able to lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks. Obviously I am poking fun at this issue, and I do not want to discourage anyone from healthier living.
My hope is to help us reach our goals when it comes to new things to do or new goals to set in a new year. However, the problem is not the goals we set or the hopes we have. The problem is not a lack of follow through on our part. The entire thing, I believe, hinges on this simple truth: who is the resolution for?
Every year we make resolutions on what we want to do for OURSELVES. This is the problem. It is all about us, us, us. The way in which we were created speaks against this entirely. It is in our spiritual DNA to not think of us, but to think of the other. We were created to live for the other, and to seek the best interest of the other. So every year we try to become better people by focusing on what WE need to do for US. Perhaps the best way to fulfill a New Year's Resolution is to change the type of resolution we make. It should not be about what I want to accomplish, how much weight I want to lose, or who I want to be. Instead we should resolve in a new year to do and to be all for the sake of someone else. Who are you going to help? How are you going to help them? Who are you going to serve?
Monday, January 21, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
the fullness of His humanity
I am returning to my home this week from vacation and I need to face the task of putting away our Christmas decorations. Yes, they are still up. I actually have an excuse this time because I wasn't home to put them away, but honestly, if I was - they would still be up.
This Christmas, we learned how the story and message of Christmas is not something that should be put away just because we take the decorations down. One theme that is emphasized almost every Advent is that God is our Immanuel - God with us. One question that I want to search deeper at Tabernacle is, 'how much was God truly with us'?
Our faith speaks of how Christ is both fully human and fully divine. When we read the Gospels sometimes I feel we emphasize one over the other (depending upon the story). The beauty of the Incarnation (the enfleshment of God) is that Jesus really does understand what we go through. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way -
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are —yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4: 15-16
Join us at Tabernacle for a time to think together around the temptation that Jesus faced. Maybe we too can discover God’s grace and mercy for our times of temptation and need.
This Christmas, we learned how the story and message of Christmas is not something that should be put away just because we take the decorations down. One theme that is emphasized almost every Advent is that God is our Immanuel - God with us. One question that I want to search deeper at Tabernacle is, 'how much was God truly with us'?
Our faith speaks of how Christ is both fully human and fully divine. When we read the Gospels sometimes I feel we emphasize one over the other (depending upon the story). The beauty of the Incarnation (the enfleshment of God) is that Jesus really does understand what we go through. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way -
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are —yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4: 15-16
Join us at Tabernacle for a time to think together around the temptation that Jesus faced. Maybe we too can discover God’s grace and mercy for our times of temptation and need.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
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