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The message of scripture is not just that God created, nor that creation was sullied. The message of scripture is that God figured out a way to newly create what was lost. And to ultimately bring, by renewing creation, back on track to the original dream that He had. Where He would not only be in human life, but He would actually be with us. ….His rescue plan had a name – Jesus!
Advent is the time when we stop and reflect and think about the reality that God found a way to break into a world that was broken – broken by our own devices. Instead of abandoning us, He chose to reconnect with us. The celebration of Advent not only thinks about the fact that Jesus came. It has a view to the fact that He is coming back. We are in some way in-between what He has already done, what He is going to do, what is, and what will be.
In Matthew 16, Jesus is talking to his disciples and He asks “ who do folks say that the son of man is?” Later He asks them, “who do you say that I am?” This question, “who is Jesus,” has been wrestled with for two thousand years During this season of Advent it’s appropriate to ask – who is Jesus Christ? Who do you say that He is?
The reason Christmas was celebrated Church-historical was because it was designed to help us remember the events that took place 2,000 years ago. When we moderns think about “remembering,” we usually think about it in terms of a momentary flash. We think that by reaching back and looking at it and looking ahead – we’ve remembered it. That isn’t how folks in Biblical times looked at it. They were talking about making a plan so that they would make the thing that happened become present. And to bring a past event into the present as though it were happening right now. And to somehow look at it and let it hit them as though they were experiencing it as it unfolded….
One of the principle marks of a Christ-follower is thanksgiving. Paul suggests in 1 Thesselonians 5, that it actually is Gods will for us! Sometimes when we think of God’s will we think of “what.” We think of the specifics of the situation we’re in - God what is your will? Instead of understanding that God’s will is a whole lot more about “how” than than it is about “what.” How you work or live is more important than where you work or live.
You don’t have to look very deep into the scriptures to discover that God loves to lavishly provide for His creation…. On some level we have to get into our minds that God isn’t thinking, “oh my goodness I’m going to run out of stuff.” The world is a place of abundance. It’s obvious though that God never intended abundance to corrupt the human soul. ….it’s ok for us to have money, but not for money to have us.
There’s something very important about breaking through our differences. Whether they’re nationalistic, racial, socio-political, economic… That we actually push through our differences to connect with each other – to set those things as secondary because we believe in something deeper; that we’re part of God’s family. God honors that priority."
The worst thing about the whole concept of community is that other people are involved… It’s been said, “the more I get to know some people – the more I like my dog!” That is precisely the point. I think God wants us to come together because he loves the messiness of community. I think it’s very provocative how that the twelve disciples Jesus called all came from various backgrounds. E.g. Simon – a Zealot, and Matthew – a tax collector assisting the Romans.
" What if God designed faith to be more than an intensely personal experience? It is that. But, what if God designed us to need other people?”
"Believers are called to love everyone. Fellow believers should be treated with extra care. Ed continues his thoughts on how Christians are to live and grow in faith in community with fellow believers. "
The Bible claims that we as believers are all part of the body of Christ—created by God. We as Americans in the west, need to stop and consider—“how am I thinking about other people? Maybe one of the reasons I’m so isolated is because I’m thinking weird.” Faith is more than just a personal expression; it’s also communal.
Ed finishes the three-part series The Secret. In it, he shares some thoughts on the selfish, hedonistic side of this interpretation of the Law of Attraction.
Ed continues his discussion of “The Secret.”
The tremendous success of the book and DVD, “The Secret,” deserves a serious and thoughtful investigation from the perspective of a Christ-follower. Ed begins the first of his three-part series taken from his latest book “There’s More To The Secret.”
" In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,. Theologians are quick to point out that God created this physical dimension on purpose to simply build a home for Himself. His intention from the beginning, as you look at Judeo-Christian thought, is that He intended to move here.""
" We live in a culture that wants to polarize people on one side or another, because we want to figure out who the “haves” and “have nots” are. We want to determine who the good and evil people are very clearly with a line in the sand. If we refuse to be discerning, what ends up happening is this kind of dividing, starts to influence people who are in Christ – believers. And we start to divide the world between “us” and “them.” What if trying to think of the world as the “have” and “have nots,” and the “good” and “evil” people is an oversimplification of things?"
" All sixty-six books of the Bible address an overarching story. If we miss the over-arching story – the metanarrative, we miss the whole point of what God is after. Believe it or not, many people miss what God is saying – what His point is…"
" Do we complicate the simple and simplify the complex? Simple answers to complex issues always lead to someone getting abused, or discounted in the process on some level. The truth is, not everything can be reduced to simplicity. Not everything that we understand in life can be reduced to a slogan, a bumper sticker, or a sound bite… "
I think God wants there to be a little Dudley in all of us. I think He wants us and calls us to do right – to live and to act right.
Living a life in balance doesn’t occur by accident. There is a place for work, rest, and play in our lives.
"When people cry and hurt – God mostly sends people – someone else to get involved. Where is God when people are really hurting? Is He just in prayer? Or when people pray, is He looking for His body to respond? Is God wanting us to lift up our eyes and to not live gated lives, but actually get out beyond where we are? And when we catch wind of someone hurting – that’s really a call to be God to them. "
"In this installment of The Genesis Family, Ed shares some thoughts on… the family. Also, we hear more on the role of the husband and wife in marriage and as parents."
"Ed and guests share about how Stand In The Gap can impact lives. "
"Ed shares some valuable insights into the importance of forgiveness. "
"Billy Graham and Heather Forrest are super cool! "
"Let's start with a controverrsial question. We always call God Father, but could we call Him Mother? It might surprise you, but theologically; the answer is yes. God is not male or female. He is God, and male and female came out of Him. He's the one who created. "
"Falling in love is essy compared to the he work necessary for keeping a marriage strong and healthy"
"Christianity isn't about getting more power. It's about influencing people with a life that's different!"
"Ed continues his series on The Shape of Faith during this season of Lent."
"What do you do when bad stuff happens? Ed shares some thoughts on how we can respond to the bad things that comes our way in life. "
"The final installment of Ed's series on The Shape of Faith"
"In the third part of The Shape of Faith, Ed shares how God has always been moving in the Church "
"Ed continues his series on The Shape of Faith."
"Ed shares some thoughts on the direction he thinks to God is moving today."
Ed continues his discussion on the season of Epiphany. “I don't think we should think we "get" Jesus that simply. He may have made Himself completely accessible to us, but He is still full of mystery!"
"Ed continues his discussion of Epiphany in our lives. "
