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Interesting Times

Posted by Doug on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 5:22:56 PM
    What does that old proverb say?   "May you live in interesting times."  Well, we are.  We are 30 days from an election, and our entire focus is the gyrations of the economic markets that impact all of us.  Who is to blame?   I hope we do not get too caught up in this.  The truth is we are all to blame.  If you think that your group, or your party is free from guilt here, well you are wrong.  What are we to do about all this uncertainty?   This sounds old and trite, but we need to pray.  Pray for our nation and its leaders.  Pray for our church, that we might be spared from some of the gyrations, and that we might be ready to respond and act in behalf of those who might be struggling now.   We also need to be people who look to bring people together, and meet as many needs as we can in these uncertain times.  There will be enough, no, too much, finger-pointing about who is to blame.  Let's be part of the solution.
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Understanding?

Posted by Doug on Monday, September 29, 2008 1:07:33 AM
   I did something I never imagined doing today - preaching in a baseball cap.  I hope everyone understood what my main point was this morning.  I think everyone agrees that those who follow Christ should demonstrate their faith through their life.  But the question remains, how do these qualities come?  My sermon tried to answer this question.  We follow a CHrist who promised us He would never leave us not forsake us, walk beside us, and as we said this morning - live in us.  If this is true, our Christian walk is not an attempt to live up to a certain level, not the satisfaction of any rulebook, but becomes something else.  If Christ lives in us, we then depend on His presence for guidance, grace and support.  So, instead of trying to remember what standard should apply to a situation, we can seek the guidance of the One who walks with us.  And if we follow the One who walks with us, we find that we become like Christ.  He produces holiness in us far more effectively than any attempt at a standard. 
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Wholehearted Christianity

Posted by Doug on Thursday, September 25, 2008 12:43:04 PM
  Most weeks I really enjoy the process of writing a sermon.  I like the research, putting a framework on the story, and then filling in the details.  Yet, occasionally there is a sermon that makes me a little nervous, and this week is one of those times.  In these weeks the topic is so important, the possibility for misunderstanding greater, but the real chance for change and growth  is so prominent that I cannot help be a little nervous.  This week that feeling is even greater because I am throwing in a twist, and if you read this you will know what that twist was. 
    The sermon this week reflects my own growth and development over time.  When I was younger I heard many sermons on holiness, on a wholehearted Christianity, and it left me a little empty.  There was so much attached to the message that never rang true, that seemed so in conflict with Scripture, and my own experience.  God is continually teaching me what a real walk with Christ looks like, what real holiness contains.  I hope to express it well, because a real, thriving walk with Christ is fulfilling, exciting, and deeply challenging.  I hope I communicate that, but that task seems big today.

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News From Africa

Posted by Doug on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 11:32:05 PM
   Here is some news from around the world.  It reminds you of how blessed we are, and the opportunities we have.

 http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080924/world-vision-warns-of-looming-food-crisis-in-southern-africa.htm
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A New Effort

Posted by Doug on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 11:14:40 PM
  We live in amazing days.  The ways we can connect with each other are greater than ever before.  I used to think that blogs and email were a way to avoid contact with others, and transfer it to a less intimate medium.  But I learned something a few weeks ago.  My kids are more in contact with what is going on with their friends through these new ways to communicate.  This page is an extension of church.  Each day I will add content.  I will share experiences, frustrations and interesting thoughts.  Sometimes these thoughts will not make sense, or seem out of place, but they will be genuine.  You can respond, ignore, or just read and reflect.  I am not sure where this will lead, but I will try to go where I have never gone before.  Bookmark this page, and lets keep the dialogue going. 
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