While the first part of the film is cheesy, and maybe purposefully so. It makes one ready for the engaging saga that unfolds in the rest of the movie. Don’t be fooled into thinking this is something your fourth or fifth grader should see. The PG-13 rating is legit. At the same time the willingness of the film makers to crash into the culture (both West Coast and Bible Belt) is refreshing. You will be confronted with how poor of a reflection of Jesus we can be, and that following Jesus without repentance is really not following at all. You may even be tempted to be offended by the fact that Trojan, the condom manufacturer, is a corporate sponsor of the film. Christians use condoms too, right?

Here’s the trailer once again just in case you missed it the last time.

In the Church our motivation for our work should be Christ born out of a continual recognition of the work of salvation, the hope of the resurrection, and the presence of the Holy Spirit during our life of sanctification. I find the case that Daniel makes here translates really well to those of us who follow Jesus because when we find ourselves adrift it may only take a quick look as to what our motivators have been in order to make a course correction.

And this…

And this…

And more, plus we’ll give away some T-shirts and bracelets and bumper stickers and pins.

It began a week ago in Uganda and the Congo…

And we will bring it to Georgetown tonight, 8:30pm, Harmony Christian Church.

The choice seemed obvious to Joshua and the Israelites. From the looks of things these people weren’t a threat and what they were offering sounded pretty good – a lifetime of servitude and no war. What they failed to recognize is that man’s heart is wicked and unless one is mastered by God then deception must always be suspected. The vow the Israelites make with the Gibeonites results in war anyway (see Joshua 10)

I wish I could say I consult with the Lord about decisions, but the reality is I more often pray after the decision has already been made seeking God’s grace and rescue from consequences I could not foresee.

As our family swelled to eight we needed a new dining table if we were going to eat as a family. We looked everywhere, or so we thought. We just happened into a furniture store that will remain nameless where we thought we had found the solution. The choice seemed obvious. The result was disastrous and eventually evolved into my first use of the Better Business Bureau, which worked just like it should have. A solution was reached almost nine months later, only a month after involving the BBB. It consumed time we didn’t have, and resulted in a loss of peace every time we sat down to eat at the defective table. After reading this verse I wonder if the Lord might have steered us away from that choice.

Here’s the reality about what I believe or don’t believe:
1. I really don’t believe God will actually communicate with me about where I should go for lunch, whether or not I should buy a car, or do business with a particular furniture store, or how I should organize my calendar.
2. Nor do I believe that any of those small choices may have really big consequences.
3. Lastly, because my tendency is to want to be satisfied immediately I will refuse to allow my wants to be suppressed, and typically I know that God almost always suppresses my wants. So, including Him in decisions regarding my wants will result in a struggle for self discipline that I would rather ignore. I almost always will be led to suspend my satisfaction in the wake of God’s direction.

What do you really believe?

For God hears the cries of people.

Brene’ Brown does it again, but this time she’s on the big stage. Her follow up to her TEDx talk on vulnerability is once again a surgically precise analysis of what haunts the human heart. While she does not wax-theological it is not difficult for those of us who are determined to free the world from the power and curse of sin to see the connection. Shame is sin’s executioner that kills the soul slowly. When Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead He not only defeated death and sin, but He freed us from the executioner’s grasp.

To quote Brennan Manning, “God loves you as you are, not as you should be.”

I am a victim and an assailant. I have been abused and have been the abuser. I have been lied to and I have been the liar. On one hand I can point out the road you should travel and on the other hand I can choose a different road. I would rather hide than be seen, and yet wish to be known and loved. Many come to ask for my advice, and I am often the last one to take it.

The good news is that Jesus died for me anyway.

He died for you anyway.

We no longer must die at the hand of Sin’s executioner, but can live abundantly joyful even in the face of death.

Thanks be to God!