New Wine Uncorked: Trinitarian Soundings - God is Here…And?

#love #trinity #jesus #holyspirit #father #newwine #nwnws #trinitarian #faith #church

How does a Trinitarian, Christ-centered theology play out in how we see the “other”? Does it matter if one has a Trinitarian theology, and if so, why does this matter?

First things first. In my work as well as my writings, you will find me saying and promoting that theology not only matters, but each of us are theologians. And at New Wine, New Wineskins we believe that the call placed on the Christian is to participate with the Christian Godhead theologically, Biblicially, and Socially. Theology is faith seeking understanding and this is meant to be done both individually and communally.

Trinitarian theology recognizes God’s relational disclosure and seeks to frame our understanding of divine and human being in interpersonal and communal terms. Truth is, the Trinity is the paradigm by which we are to live. It is dynamic in relation; thus, God's being is His eternal, intrinsic communion. So what then of today? 

Recorded live on Fridays at 10am (pst) New Wine UnCorked seeks to step into culture with a heart bent towards engagement, reconciliation, and relationship.

Trinitarian Soundings - The God of Relationship

#love #trinity #jesus #holyspirit #father #newwine #nwnws #trinitarian #epiphany 

Theology, the Trinity... Where do we even start? The discussion this morning flows from the truth of theology, specifically, Trinitarian theology. How does a Trinitarian, Christ-centered theology play out in how we see the “other”? Where the body of Christ gets it right and where it does not.

As the Christian Scriptures reveal, the human is created in the image of the Trinity – A Godhead that does not remain absent or quiet throughout the course of history. We are not talking about a God hidden behind divine revelation. Rather, God is for us fully revealed and fully concealed in His self-disclosure.

The Christian Scriptures calls the reader into transformation –conversion—which is not a static event, something that happens once in a lifetime, but a continual process of turning toward the Son, who leads us, in union with the Holy Spirit, into an ever-deepening relationship with the Father. Thus, we are brought into the very life of the Trinity, that communion of love without end. 

The Trinity is the paradigm by which we are to live. It is dynamic in relation; thus, God's being is His eternal, intrinsic communion. So what then of today? Are we relationally wired by the God of  creation or have we become machines programmed by our own hands?

 

Recorded live on Fridays at 10am (pst) New Wine UnCorked seeks to step into culture with a heart bent towards engagement, reconciliation, and relationship. 

Where to find New Wine: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newwinenewwineskins Twitter: https://twitter.com/nwnws Instagram: https://instagram.com/newwine_newwineskins Podcast: https://anchor.fm/newwinenewwineskins Clubhouse: https://www.clubhouse.com/club/new-wine-new-wineskins Web: http://www.new-wineskins.org/

Who is this One they call Three? How do the many created relate this God who is Three in One?

I am one who appreciates stretching… Maybe not to the point of rupture, but close… One of, if not the greatest forms of stretching has come through my faith seeking understanding. It is a stretching brought on through the inquiry of who is this God celebrated at Christmas, elevated at Easter, awed by the multitude, and crucified by the many? Who is this God called Trinity and why follow Him? Is it more profitable, more comforting, more secure to follow the one they call Christ, or should I continue on my own way, forging ahead on my own, self-made path?

Stepping into the dialogue of faith and life happens through a multitude of ways, yet arguably no way stretches, contorts, illumines, or calls upon us for a response more so than a step into the truth of Jesus. Who is this man who claims to be God? And what is the connection between Jesus and me? That is, the human is created in the image of a God who is relational, so what then are the implications for life, for church, for our engagement of the world? How does the Christian understand Jesus so to then understand the one standing in front of me? 

So where does one go to know Christ? To know the Christian God, and who is this God called Trinity? How does a Trinitarian, Christ-centered theology play out in my life and how I see the “other”?  

As the Christian Scriptures reveal, the human is created in the image of the Trinity – A Godhead that does not remain absent or quiet throughout the course of history. We are not talking about a God hidden behind divine revelation. Rather, God is for us fully revealed and fully concealed in His self-disclosure. As a result, the Christian Scriptures invoke participation… they beckon the reader to transformation. The movement to God, with God, from God is not a static event, something that happens once in a lifetime, but a continual process. And for those whose inflamed heart burns for the Son they find themselves pining after… longing for… continually turning toward the Son, who leads us, in union with the Holy Spirit, into an ever-deepening relationship with the Father. Thus, we are brought into the very life of the Trinity, that communion of love without end.

The Trinity is the paradigm by which we are to live. It is dynamic in relation; thus, God's being is His eternal, intrinsic communion. The Trinity provides not only the paradigm but also the process and protection of the relationality of humanity. For it is through the action of the Godhead that humanity gains relational access to the riches of the dynamics of revelation.

The words of Gregory of Nazianzus draw this to mind as he writes of the Triune God: “No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am illumined by the splendor of the Three; no sooner do I distinguish them than I am carried back to the One” (Gregory of Nazianzus, Oration 40.41).

Trinitarian theology is rooted in a relational foundation that recognizes people are created in the image of a relational God and as such, are not things, generic products, or numbers, but mysterious and unique subjects with inherent worth and the right to self-determination in fostering vital community. Therefore, we should not use and abuse one another. Yet today we experience the loss of personhood through the promotion of consumption. Forget what lies ahead. Push aside the risks. Consume. Consume.

In our push for consumption we consume— inadvertently at first - one another. Now, in our intentional consumption, we not only gain the whole world, but experience the loss of personhood. Today, the widespread loss of personhood and the reduction of persons to things robs all of us of our priceless worth and leads us to consume, deconstruct, and devalue the one sitting before us.

Trinitarian theology is communal and as such recognizes the truth, the necessity of community. It is best done in community, a community in which there is space for otherness and difference given God’s personal space for otherness in the divine life and in the world.

Our identity as relational people of the Triune (relational) God is foundational to our purpose and our activity.

As the great Dr. King illumined:

There is still something to remind us that we are interdependent, that we are all somehow caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.  Therefore whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. 

As long as there is poverty in the world I can never be rich, even if I have a million dollars.  As long as diseases are rampant and millions of people in this world cannot expect to live more than thirty years, I can never be totally healthy.  I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. 

As those created in the image of God, we must account for each human person in all their distinctiveness as being important in addition to their shared humanity. We must cherish each human person as equal in worth and dignity. We must focus upon the heart of the person and not their behaviors, their productivity, so that we might be as Horton the Elephant who reminds us, “after all, a person’s a person, no matter how small.” 

New Wine Uncorked: Epiphany: God is with us! Entering the New Year throu...

The discussion this morning flows from the newness of the year while continuing in the goodness of our Christmas celebrations. Truth is, Christmas lasts forty days – from Christmas eve to the presentation of the Christ child in the temple (Feb 2), according to the traditional liturgical calendar. And the 12 days of Christmas run from the 25th of Dec through Jan 6th which is known as Epiphany. 

Epiphany is the entrance – the presentation of hope, peace, joy to all of humanity– the reality of love with us. After all, God is “with us”—Emmanuel. Jesus manifests the divine presence in his entire incarnate state.

So where do we find ourselves this week? A couple days before the Biblical manifestation/presentation of Jesus for the world’s sake? Is the inn of our heart open for guests, or have we already closed off to all that stands before us? 

You can join the New Wine Uncorked crew every Friday on Facebook… 

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New Wine Uncorked: Christmas Cheer: Truth of Christmas Present or Christ...

#love #trinity #jesus #holyspirit #father #newwine #nwnws 

As Christians, when regarding Christmas, are we honest with ourselves before looking at the words and deeds of our neighbors and their Christmas celebrations? And what then of our engagement of “the world?” How are we, as Christians, today bringing joy to the world; or, is the Christmas song we often sing one of judgment?

In this episode of New Wine Uncorked, Matt, Phil, Kayla, and Jim walk into the winter wonderland of Christmas. Is the Christian church today ushering in celebrations of joy because of the birth of their King or is the 21st century Christian nothing more than the great judger—forgetting the joy that was birthed some 2000 years ago? Are we today bringing judgement to one another as well as the world rather than joy?

Recorded live on Fridays at 10am (pst) New Wine UnCorked seeks to step into culture with a heart bent towards engagement, reconciliation, and relationship. Dialogue is the truth of participation as dia via Latin from Greek dia-logos invokes a participatory conversation. It is interactive. From dia "through" + legein "speak." Going through the Word so to engage through our word, New Wine seeks to uncork the impossible possibility of the human and our pursuit of this Uncommon God so to realize our common good. Where to find New Wine: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newwinenewwineskins 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nwnws 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/newwine_newwineskins 

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/newwinenewwineskins 

Clubhouse: https://www.clubhouse.com/club/new-wine-new-wineskins 

Web: http://www.new-wineskins.org/

New Wine Uncorked: Christmas: Coming of Christ or Arrival of Chaos?

#love #trinity #jesus #holyspirit #father #newwine #nwnws 

Followers of Jesus are called to consume Christ. And yet this world would have it that we consume it and its products. Some go even further in saying that as we consume we become the product. So what then of our celebrations? Do they consume us in the One called the Christ or do our celebrations stir up nothing more than chaos?

In this episode of New Wine Uncorked, Matt, Phil, and Jim walk into the winter wonderland of Christmas. Where is the church today concerning Christmas? Are Christians today bearers of the good news of the coming of Christ the King or is the message bellowing out from the church that of chaos as Christians make every attempt to accommodate both Christ and culture? Recorded live on Fridays at 10am (pst) New Wine UnCorked seeks to step into culture with a heart bent towards engagement, reconciliation, and relationship. Dialogue is the truth of participation as dia via Latin from Greek dia-logos invokes a participatory conversation. It is interactive. From dia "through" + legein "speak." Going through the Word so to engage through our word, New Wine seeks to uncork the impossible possibility of the human and our pursuit of this Uncommon God so to realize our common good.

NWUncorked ConsumeChristorOther

#love #trinity #jesus #newwine #nwnws 

Followers of Jesus are called to consume Christ. And yet this world would have it that we consume it and its products. 

In this episode of New Wine Uncorked, Kayla, and Matt are joined by Matt’s mom and Kayla’s Granny, Beth Farlow and Sarah Gonzales, Kayla’s sister-n-law, and together they step into the lush fields of consumption. What do consumerism and the Church have to do with one another? In a world of consumption, what is the Jesus follower to do? Is all consumption wrong? 

Recorded live on Fridays at 10am (pst) New Wine UnCorked seeks to step into culture with a heart bent towards engagement, reconciliation, and relationship.

Dialogue is the truth of participation as dia via Latin from Greek dia-logos invokes a participatory conversation. It is interactive. From dia "through" + legein "speak." Going through the Word so to engage through our word, New Wine seeks to uncork the impossible possibility of the human and our pursuit of this Uncommon God so to realize our common good.

 

Where to find New Wine: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newwinenewwineskins 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nwnws 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/newwine_newwineskins 

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/newwinenewwineskins 

Clubhouse: https://www.clubhouse.com/club/new-wine-new-wineskins 

Web: http://www.new-wineskins.org/

New Wine Uncorked: Jesus & Thanksgiving - Is anything or anyone worthy o...

The goodness of dialogue is made even sweeter by the company one keeps. In this episode of New Wine Uncorked, Phil, Kayla, and I are joined by the one and only Granny! Yes, my mom and Kayla’s Granny, Lisbeth Farlow joins the New Wine dialogue that takes us into the lush fields of thanks and giving. What does the Jesus follower have to be thankful for? Is it the message? Is it the person?

New Wine Uncorked: Following Jesus: Into the Promise Land or the Polluted Landfill

#love #trinity #jesus #newwine #nwnws 

Following Jesus means that you know Him, or at least have an idea of where He is leading… So what then of the path in front of the Jesus follower? Is it a path of promise or a polluted one drowning in toxic “love.” 

In this episode of New Wine Uncorked, Phil, Kayla, and Matt traverse the wonderful terrain of love… When we follow Jesus on to the path of love, where exactly does this path lead? And am I equipped to walk such a path? 

Recorded live on Fridays at 10am (pst) New Wine UnCorked seeks to step into culture with a heart bent towards engagement, reconciliation, and relationship. 

Dialogue is the truth of participation as dia via Latin from Greek dia-logos invokes a participatory conversation. It is interactive. From dia "through" + legein "speak." Going through the Word so to engage through our word, New Wine seeks to uncork the impossible possibility of the human and our pursuit of this Uncommon God so to realize our common good. 

New Wine Uncorked - Love Beyond Limits: The Impossible Possibility?

#love #trinity #jesus #newwine #nwnws Knowing God’s heart means consistently, radically, and very concretely announcing, through our words and deeds, that God is love. And in this proclamation, we announce that every time fear, isolation, or despair begin to invade our soul we not only know this is not something that comes from God but that in such times our hearts have to cling ferociously to God. In this episode of New Wine Uncorked, Phil, Kayla, Jim, and Matt traverse the wonderful terrain of love… Love of God, Love of self, Love of neighbor. Recorded live on Fridays at 10am (pst) New Wine UnCorked seeks to step into culture with a heart bent towards engagement, reconciliation, and relationship.

New Wine Uncorked- The Truth of Love: You, Me and being the Be-loved

Am I loveable? Are you loveable? According to the Christian Scripture, the answer is a resounding YES! But is it so inside of me? Do I believe that I am the beloved of the Creator of all things? More than this, do I believe you are His beloved? 

In this episode of New Wine UnCorked, Jim, Kayla, and Matt step into the dialogue of faith and life by examining the truth of divine love. What does it mean to be unconditionally loved, and how should this impact my life and the way and the who I love? Does the love of Christ compel me at all? Or have I become numb to heaven’s embrace of love?

New Wine Uncorked - Community and Individuality: The Truth of the One an...

What does it mean to be a player on the world's stage? And what of this idea of being a player in God's drama of salvation? 

In this episode of New Wine UnCorked, Phil, Matt, and Jim enter into the dialogue of faith and life by examining the truth of our created community. That is, if it is true that the human is created in the image of a God who is relational, what then are the implications for life, for church, for our engagement of the world? How does the Christian dialogue with the world without being tainted by the world? How do we recognize and realize our place on the world's stage so to enact our own faithful performances? 

 Dialogue is the truth of participation as dia via Latin from Greek dia-logos invokes a participatory conversation. It is interactive. From dia "through" + legein "speak." Going through the Word so to engage through our word, Phil, Jim, and Matt seek to uncork the impossible possibility of the human and our pursuit of this Uncommon God so to realize our common good. 

 Recorded live on Friday’s at 10am (pst) New Wine UnCorked seeks to step into culture with a heart bent towards engagement, reconciliation, and relationship.

Lovely is...

On the cross Jesus’ final breath was breathed out so that we might breathe in His life.
His last words were meant for us...

“It is finished.” 

No longer is there any chasm, any separation between the Creator and the created, for when Love was nailed to the cross the world witnessed how lovely is death.

And in our witness of death’s beauty, we experience how lovely is life. No longer does death have the sting of victory for in Jesus’ lovely death we are set free to realize how lovely is life.

As we celebrate the glory of Easter contemplate these two truths:

Lovely is death. In Jesus' death perfect love overwhelms the darkness of fear, the darkness of pain, the darkness of anxiety... the darkness of sin. For in His death we meet love, for He is love and “perfect love casts out fear.” Lovely is the death of the One who is love for through His death we are baptized in His glory so that we might “walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:4).

Lovely is death is the truth of all those who “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely” so that we might be consumed by Jesus, “the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:1-2).

Lovely is life. The joy of the cross is rooted in its destruction of our death so that through the death of Christ we might become baptized into the loveliness of life. Through the Spirit our hearts are awakened so that in hearing His voice we might truly live (Jn 5:25).

Lovely is life is the truth of all those who believe in Christ that “though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die” (Jn 11:25-26). For in Christ and through the Spirit, we are more than conquerors because in His death we become “the resurrection and the life.”

Only when we see how lovely is death can we experience how lovely is life. Only when Easter is lived through Christmas and Christmas through Easter can and will the Church become the eruption of hope bursting forth from the empty tomb! Amen Jesus! Tweet

Heaven is here...Do we hear?

Yesterday felt like an earthquake with the murder of God... 

And now... the deafening silence of Saturday...

The sound of Saturday's silence is the rumbling of love. A love bursting from the seams... waiting for Sunday's explosion.

But until then, the silence is powerful. The fear palpable. The angst overwhelming. And yet, in the midst of the silence, the tomb is calling out -- do you hear?

Today - as it always has - humanity is crying out for the hope of the empty tomb. And this year, the church needs to celebrate with bold-faced print, heart-filled streams, and tenacious prayers, heaven's hope.

That is, the Church needs to make clear the Kingdom of heaven is here... Do we hear?

What if today we “trust in the name of the Lord” so that we might “rise and stand upright?” What if today we who love the Lord, “shout for joy” by rising and standing upright by praying for the world today? (Ps20) 

What if the prayers of our heart were filled with the blood drops of Jesus?

What if we filled the silence (isolation) with the sound of our prayers?

As long as we live we should pray and pray unceasingly. Today is a gift from God for in His silence He speaks boldly, asking us, how will we respond to the actions of Christ? 

Will we step into the beautiful paradox that erupts from the cross? Will we step into the silence with the powerful and joyful noise of our prayers? Will we be the prayer song for the world to hear?

TGIF

Have you ever stopped to think what makes something good? Is something good always something to be thankful for?

Today many around the globe are engaging two truths: the cross, the COVID-19. For which can, should, do we exclaim: TGIF!

On this day called Friday, is there a reason to thank God? So many thank God for Friday and yet what is such thanks rooted in?

Might this day be the day when TGIF strikes at the core of the soul? Might this TGIF be a time when we pause to give thanks for the Friday that changed everything?

This Easter is different... As it should be. Truth is, the hope is that over the days past, we have grown closer, stronger, deeper with Jesus. And in our closeness we have found life to be what it is meant to be the closer I am to Him. And yet, how often do I neglect this truth?

Might this Friday be the day when we use the stay-at-home to really go home? To return to the One who is our home? What if today we pause and socially distance ourselves from the darkness, pain, angst of sin by embracing the One who is good? The One who radically altered the course of history thereby giving us the “goodness” of Good Friday.

As we go through the day, let us be mindful of the act taking place on our behalf... Let us ask the Holy Spirit to awaken us to the truth of what our King has done in order to give us the goodness of this life... 

As you enter into prayer this day - and throughout the weekend - be creative in the ways you meditate on God's word and in His presence. You might begin by listening to How Many Kings by Downhere, allowing the melody and lyrics to further awaken your heart to the truth of the One nailed to the rugged tree. 

The timing...

How does one respond to something unseen? What does one do when the world around is getting smaller and smaller... slowly sucking the oxygen from our dreams? Who does one turn to when no one seems to know which way to turn? What is the answer to my struggles, fears, confusion, discontent, anxiety... Is there an answer?

And so it feels as though we can only hope to be carried away from today's current predicament. It seems as though finding peace within and peace outside is nothing more than a fanciful kids tale... and so it seems...

Crazy truth of now is the timing... COVID-19 raining down turmoil, tension, struggle... falling down to the ground from this virus is a brokenness unseen before by so many. And the timing...

Passion Week.

There set before Jesus ... the pain. the suffering. the shame. the torture...

There set before Jesus ... The sin of Humanity...

There set before Jesus ... The Cross.

How did Jesus find comfort, peace, and refreshment in the midst of that hungry, violently salivating, rugged old cross staring him in the face? What did Jesus do as the life He lived for the other was now being ripped away by the other?

Brace yourself... Facing despair, desolation and darkness of the soul like none ever, Jesus fell to His face and prayed.

When Jesus needed to be refreshed, when He needed to be “carried away,” He embraced the Holy Spirit so as to be taken into the arms, into the heart of the Father. And there He found the intensity of peace that not only brought Him to His knees, but made Him sweat blood.

There in the garden, Jesus checked out by checking in to the needs, to the brokenness, to the hurt, to the suffering of the other. There in the garden Jesus took our chaos, our unstableness, our pain, our virus...our sin, and made it His.

“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” 

–Lk 22.42-44

Because of His love for us Jesus went to the Father so to reign down Holy love on His holy land through prayer. Through the Holy Spirit Jesus entered into the intensity of prayer for the sake of the world so that He might present the beauty and power of prayer.

Today, in your struggle to find peace you need not look to the world for your get away. What is needed more than anything right now is time with Jesus. Let the love of Jesus wreck your reality so as to make it real and right again. Today, check into Jesus for there in His embrace you will find rest for your soul.

May the Peace of our God wrap you up in the beautiful paradox of His radical love...

Poured out

Every moment I spend with Jesus is yet another moment I am filled with wonder. Every minute I spend in prayer is time I spend taking in the beauty of eternity. In Christ and through the Spirit, I have come to know this—Love.

This week is known to many as passion week. This week marks the intentional movement of the Light of God into the inferno of God. This week marks the moment when the love that came to town becomes the love that engulfs the town. This week marks the time when love steps into our pain, our silence, our turmoil, our darkness, our depression, our virus...

Truth of this week is that in the death of life's living hope, the hope of our life erupts. When we step into the truth of Christ's passion we are consumed by His presence and from His presence we can become His power. And the greatest eruption of His power and presence poured out is prayer.

Through the Spirit the truth of heaven's love can be multiplied... if we are willing to be poured out. When we come before His throne of grace we find the peace, the hope, the joy of heaven. We find that in Christ we are not alone, and in our unity we find strength.

We are not alone because He is our strength, our defender, our refuge in the storm. When we embrace the Spirit so as to step into the heart of Christ we come to find that through all the trials He has always been faithful, bringing healing to our soul.

Let Jesus be your everything. Today, become engulfed in the prayer of Christ—His prayer to the Father for the protection, the blessing and the glory of His beloved.

“I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours” (John 17:8-9).

For the truth of His love is the truth of our eternal joy. He came to wrap us up in His arms so that we might have peace, so that we might know that we are His own. Jesus’ prayer for us should bring our hearts to such a place of worship that we can do nothing but proclaim:

“You amaze me, Redeem me, You call me as Your own.”

If we say we love Jesus, our lives right now must show we love Jesus and the greatest way to do this is to jump into the “heart of Jesus” by jumping into prayer for the sake of the other.

Take a moment and listen to I am not alone by Kari Jobe and let the truth of this song invigorate the glory of your day as you are poured out in prayer for the sake of the world. Amen Jesus!

for further teaching and thoughts from Dr Farlow visit his YouTube page 

Identity of this moment

Identity... we easily lose sight of who we are as we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Truth is, the holiday season can be something spectacular... if we do not get swallowed up by the rush of society and allow the consumption of stuff to define us. And this only happens when we push pause so that we might recognize the truth of identity...

Who we are is found only in God. Our creation comes from the One who is - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He created us. He sustains us. He is the ground of our life, our relationality, our meaning, our joy, our hope. 

During the times of rampant running to acquire stuff, what we need most is to pause so that we might return to God.

“Return to your God,” Amos tells the Israelites, and he is telling this to us as well. Like the Israelites, we too turn to the idols of this world to fill the voids we have created through our rampant running around. We consume the goods of society in such a frantic manner that who we are is not only lost in the shuffle, but subtly re-defined by this world.

The words of Amos are meant to shake our perspective so much so that we might return back to our King. So that we return back to the cradle in the cave in order to fall down and worship the baby who will eventually hang on a cross for our sake...

Might today be the time to pause and reflect on the truth and identity of this moment... of this season... so as to realize the truth and identity of you?

The truth of your identity is this... You are loved... You are God's beloved and He wants nothing more than to dote on you this day and every day after. Question is, will you allow Him? 

Will you pause this moment so as to be embraced by eternity? Will you pause this moment and look into the loving eyes of that baby in the manger and see the truth of identity... the truth of love... the truth of you?

Room at the inn

Have you ever wondered about the foundation of your beliefs? Have you ever thought about the craziness faith?

Take a moment and think about Christmas...Think about its foundation and what we are asked to believe...

Truth is, this thing called Christianity does not make sense to this world. And why would it? A baby born in a dirty cave because there was no room at the inn, is said to be the Savior of the world. This same baby grows into a man that we are called to follow and emulate even though He does crazy things like walk on water, fraternize with the outcasts, heals the lame and cares for the prostitutes.

This dude that we hail as king was beaten to death - I mean he represents everything that is sooo not American hero - right? No bone crushing did He do - He let them crush Him. No whooping a little a$$ - He allowed them to beat Him to His last breath.

And so at Christmas what is it we celebrate? 

Love... Christmas (like Easter) is the celebration of love... Love incarnate. Yes Christmas is the celebration of the greatest gift given... God Himself...

Immanuel - God with us. At Christmas, God with us is said to us by God Himself, we come under a lordship . . . We come under His Lordship which is bathed in radical love.

In Jesus Christ we understand the Word of God as the epitome of God’s grace. It is a word of radicalness...

Why do Christians do what they do? Why do Christians act in ways deemed crazy and insane by the world?

Because they have been visited by the truth of Christmas... Their hearts have been overwhelmed by the eruption of God's radical love...

And what did they do with this love? They said yes. Radical Christian love happens when there is room at the inn of our hearts... Amen Jesus!

Merry Christmas...

Eruption of Thanksgiving...

To give thanks insinuates something to be thankful for; it points to something beyond ourselves that has impacted our lives in such a way that our response is one of gratitude and praise.

Today many of us will find a multitude of “items” or “people” who fit this bill, and truth be told, many of us do have a plethora of things and/or people for which we are thankful.

But what if we stopped and took a moment... What if in the midst of all the food, football and fellowship we are missing the deeper, underlying foundation of thankfulness?

I wonder for those who bear the mark of Jesus - for those who call themselves followers of The Way, how many will illumine the cross on this day?

It is the cross where thanksgiving is found…it is where thanksgiving erupts.

As soon as we gaze upon the cross our hearts, our eyes are taken to the scene of the manager hidden away in the dusty, dirty, dark crevasse of a mountainside. Yes, thanksgiving is found from the cradle to the cross for it is here that we find the One who is the ultimate giving of thanks…Jesus Christ.

For God so loved the world that He gave… Our giving of thanks is the direct result of being given Love. That is, we must always remember that hanging on the cross is the One born in the manger—not just any baby, but the One who was with God, the One who is God, the One who is with us...The One who is Love...

Might some time today we give pause to the majesty of the cross? Might we stop to thank the One who gave of Himself so that we might receive the truth of ourselves? Might we take a moment and enter the drama of salvation so as to become the faithful performance of love?

Let your celebrations be magnificent this day! Stand, dance, shout for joy! And in your moments of bliss don't forget the One who is thankful for you! Amen Jesus!