Accordian Spirituality

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him” (John 14:6,7).
More than any passage in the Bible, these verses point to the [...]

Holy Love

“To all…who are loved by God and called to be saints….” (Romans 1:7)
What is the relationship between holiness and love? This question has lingered for me since last Sunday’s sermon, and maybe for some of you as well. Sometimes Christians have a tendency to set these against one another. The only holy people we talk [...]

Holy Indulgences

This morning I offer a few quotes to go with yesterday’s sermon, which focused on the (surprising) purpose for God’s grace and gracisms (spiritual gifts): to make us holy, to make us saints. Especially a community of saints.

The Noontime Demon

This is the last post about how to re-vision our roles. The sixth principle we mentioned on Sunday was: “Be Wholehearted (and Watch Out for That Worm).” Paul writes: “Whatever your task, put your heart into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters” (Colossians 3:23).

Sacramental Living

As we carry out our various roles today as part of our call, I invite us to focus on the 5th principle we talked about on Sunday: “Do It for Jesus.” It’s tempting, even dangerous, to think that whatever we do for Jesus has to be really significant. Actually, as Henri Nouwen points out, it’s [...]

Cop an Attitude

As we continue our discussion about how we’re to carry out our various kingdom roles, today I encourage us to focus on the fourth principle we talked about on Sunday: “Cop an Attitude — of Reverence, Respect and Honor.” Paul writes, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” “Children…honor your father and mother….” [...]

The Status Game

As we continue our discussion about how our various roles inside and outside the church fit into our call, let’s zero in today on the principle, “Refuse to Play the Status Game.” I think that’s what Paul was meaning when he said, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for [...]

Submit

This week, as we continue to think about “call,” I’m encouraging folks to focus each day on a different way to “re-vision” the various roles of their lives. The principle for today is “In Order to Serve We Have to Submit.” Paul writes, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” The word “submit” can also [...]

Jump!

During worship yesterday we talked about the roles that are part of our call. (If you don’t attend BRC, read the previous post for a summary of what we’ve discussed so far around the subject of “call.”) We culled several principles from Ephesians 5:21-6:9 that apply to all of our roles — whether we’ve chosen [...]

Call

I’m writing this post for people who read this blog but don’t attend Bellevue Reformed Church (as well as to offer a little refresher for those that do.)
A few weeks ago we began a sermon series on the subject of “call.” While ”call” can mean many things, even in Scripture, during this season of our church’s life [...]