FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2012; 1 CORINTHIANS 12:26 PAIN
The third lens is pain. We all experience pain in some way and there are others all around us who are experiencing the same kind of pain. Alcoholics Anonymous is a shining example of how shared pain can heal and redeem. Think of a painful experience in your life. Have you ever considered how God … Read more
THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2012; MATTHEW 17:1-8 PROXIMITY
Jesus, Peter, James, Moses, and Elijah all in the same place at the same time? When they come into proximity with one another, extraordinary things happen. The second lens for building genuine relationships is proximity. Who are you around on a regular basis? We all have neighbors, but a recent poll reports that less than … Read more
TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012; MATTHEW 20:29-34 PEOPLE
It would be easy for Jesus to simply tend to the crowd, the mass of individuals following him. So many need healing! But Jesus hears the cries of two blind men sitting by the road. He sees them not only for who they are, but for what they might become. He sees them as people. … Read more
SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 2012: EPHESIANS 5:1-14 TRANSFORMATION
It’s all about God: God’s action toward us, bringing us to life, showing mercy and love and grace to those who are deserved of wrath and condemnation. There’s nothing we can do or say. We can’t take credit for this at all. This is Gods doing in Jesus the Christ. And it’s a done deal. … Read more
THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2012: EPHESIANS 2:10-14 MOVEMENT #3
Verse 10 points us to the additional movement of God in all this: that even our lives have been prepared for us in advance. This is God’s action toward us once again. Nothing is left to chance. For Paul, this first movement of restoration is between God and humans. He then moves on to show … Read more
TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012: EPHESIANS 2:1-3 MOVEMENT #1
Within the first movement, verses 1-10, there are 3 sections. Paul pulls no punches in 1-3 when he frames the problem, describing the human condition in stark reality. We’re dead; not hurting, injured, lost, blind, or any other term we use to describe the effect of sin in our lives. Nope. We’re dead. And there’s … Read more
MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2012: EPHESIANS 1 SO WHAT?
In the years following the life and death of Jesus, the church begins to answer some very deep, reflective questions about what this Jesus event means. As Christianity spreads across the world, the “what” of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection becomes firmly embedded into the lives and cultures of many people. But people are not … Read more
