Following The Son

This morning I attended Life Church in San Antonio, TX. Pastor Terry reminded us of what is sometimes referred to as, “The Law of Worship,” during his message. Although I had heard it before it sure was both a great reminder and challenge.  Check out this passage: “ When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed festivals, whoever enters by the north gate to worship is to go out the south gate; and whoever enters by the south gate is to go out the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which they entered, but each is to go out the opposite gate.” Ezekiel 46:9 Did you catch it? Whatever way you come into worship you’re to leave another way. Enter through the North, and you’ll leave through the South. Enter through the South, and you’ll leave through the North. No one leaves the same way they came in. That should always be the case for those who worship God. When we enter into God’s presence we’re changed. We’re renewed. Time in G...

Do you have a favorite Bible verse? I have a few that I especially love. One of my all time favorite passages in the Bible is found in two little words in Mark 10:49, "Jesus stopped." Jesus was only about a half a days journey from Jerusalem when he stops. He knew what was coming. When He arrived there he would experience the triumphal entry. What a day that would be. The last supper would take place where Jesus would break the bread, and pass the cup with his disciples. He would head to Gethsemane to pray that night. This would be followed by his betrayal, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. Jesus had quite a week ahead of Him. A large crowd followed Him out of Jericho and everyone must have wanted his attention. One man managed to get it. Blind Bartimaeus called out, and Jesus stopped. “ Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Lord, I want to see,’ he replied.  ...

It’s hard to get comfortable camping. It’s fun, can be relaxing, and makes for a good vacation. Yet, comfort usually isn’t too associated with it. The ground is too bumpy, air mattresses don’t compare to your bed at home, and you’re in a tent. Tents don’t have heat, or air conditioning, or running water, or electricity, or hardly any of the comforts of home. When my sons were young we would camp out in the yard sometimes. I would run extension cords to the tent so we could watch movies and play video games. We brought snacks and board games to it. We piled up blankets to make laying on the ground feel better. It still wasn’t the house though. It was fun, but it wasn’t comfortable. That was ok though, because it was temporary. The Bible compares life on earth to camping. “ For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” II Corinthians 5:1 Life on earth is temporary. Our ...

Sequel's are always a little "iffy." There's Toy Story 3, which was a great hit...but then again there's Home Alone 4 that nobody wants to remember. I’m hoping that when The Incredibles hits theaters this summer it will be as entertaining as the original, and although Pixar missed the mark with Cars 2, Cars 3 was excellent. You never really know with a sequel though. When something has been a big hit Hollywood loves to try to continue the series. Turns out the story isn't over after all. God had the whole sequel thing down long before motion pictures. Resurrection was the big hit of the season, but resurrection wasn't the end of the story. It was just the beginning. After walking out of an empty tomb Jesus would commission his disciples to go and fish for people. “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father...

Wasn’t Easter awesome?! It usually is. Church is packed, the music is special, the sermon extra powerful, there’s just no other day quite like it. We know Jesus is alive all year, but setting aside a time to celebrate sure does accentuate this truth. A day removed from Easter we quickly get back to the daily grind. It sometimes doesn’t take long for all the excitement of the celebration to quickly be replaced by the routine of life. Challenges that were there last week can resurface, and we may wonder if we have what it takes to live in the power of the resurrection. I have good news. “ The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. Romans 8:11 “ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” II Peter 1:3 I was in an antiques store the other day looking at some rotary dial phones. I commented to the woman standing next to me how it didn’t seem that lo...

Everyone knew what he said. He had said it in private. He had said it publicly. It had become common knowledge. Jesus never attempted to hide what he came to do. Remember how he would heal people and then say, “Don’t tell anyone?” Resurrection was nothing like this. He openly spoke about it. “ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:40 Jesus openly proclaimed that he would die, and then three days later he would rise. Even those who didn’t believe in him knew he had said this. After his crucifixion we find this encounter. “ The next day, ...the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the...

There’s a comical video that floats around social media with boxer Mike Tyson saying his back is broken. Generally we don’t think of someone with a broken back being able to compete athletically, and definitely not in a boxing ring. I don’t know what the condition of his back actually was, but the clip has floated around for a few years as folks have generally rolled their eyes at the validity of his broken back claim. Ever know someone who makes claims you just don’t believe? Many of us have had someone like this in our lives. A coworker who has missed work when his grandmother died...for the third time, or some other tall tale teller we know. I was once standing in front of my brother-in-law’s home when a total stranger told me he had seen turtles in the Saw Mill River the size of Volkswagens. If you’re not from NY this river is only about 20 feet wide and you can walk across it. Some stories simply aren’t believable because of who’s telling them. Others aren’t believable bec...