matt ames blogs

(I saw this on a blog by Lindsay Wasik recommended on Google Reader.)

My answer:  I want to be more in love with God than when today started.

What is yours?

I noticed that because of a recent Twitter update that appeared on the side of my blog showing my newfound love for “Big Ed” on Scrubs, when WordPress users searched for “zwaa scrubs” and “scrubs zwaa,” they came across this little chunk of space.

Thanks for stopping by, and other than that… ZWAA!!!

Note: If you are completely lost on “zwaa,”  you are not getting enough Scrubs on ABC in your diet.

There are various feelings about weekly large group church gatherings out there.  Should we always be about building community and studying the Word of God together?  Right on!  However, don’t miss the chance to see how He moves in “big church.”

Here’s the start of an update sent out via email and the TrueNorth blog:

Wow! Is all I can say after this past Sunday! It’s Wednesday and I’m still hearing the ripples from Sunday’s services at TNC! As most of you know, we kicked off the new series, ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE… and God worked in hearts as people were challenged to fill the LOVE TANKS of those closest to them.  Here’s a quote from a letter I received from a TNC couple today, ‘This past Sunday’s message has already made a positive impact on our marriage.  We will be married 32 years this September (after dating for 3 years) and I think after that period of time, you lull yourself in to thinking there is nothing new to be learned.  I now know there is still much to be learned.  My husband’s “love tank” becomes fuller when he hears words of affirmation.  I never understood that about him.  I now know I’m not “filled” by words of affirmation and couldn’t understand his need to hear those affirming words.  I am going to make an effort, however, to be sure he hears those words more often.’

So “big church” may not always be your jar of mayonnaise–and it’s a good thing to look for new and creative ways to reach people–but it definitely has its place in sharing God’s love with others.

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. “ (John 3:17)

Based on this verse, we can conclude that salvation and condemnation are opposites. 

Why, then, with salvation being the desired result, do we spend so much time condemning?  It’s clearly nothing but gunk clogging up our mission.

I’m currently chewing over condemnation as our sinful nature and a diversion from the enemy.

What are your thoughts?

Pray.

That was the first thing requested in the letter that prefaced my record of contributions for last year at my church.

Want to take a minute and soak that in?

The bad economy was spoken of.  Cutbacks were mentioned.  The personal tolls this time is taking on people were addressed.  And the thing that prioritized the list of how we can help?  Pray.

That was the main message… of a statement sent to the regular monetary supporters of the church.  Not a drive for more money, but a message containing an action we can all do. 

Pray.

Last night, I got a call from someone I’ve known for a long time, and one of the first people to know about my decision to pursue a more passionate relationship with Christ almost four years ago.  He and I had a long talk one night that led me to opening up about some of my struggles with sin.  In fact, he was the first person I ever drop the s-bomb in the middle of giving examples of God’s love for him.  That’s beside the point, but just wanted to throw that out there. 

Since then, our everyday lives led us to different, separate obligations, and I haven’t seen him on as much of a regular basis.  He does continue to check on me from time to time though to see how I’m doing.  When we talked last night, we got on the subject of church, and he asked me where I was going.  I told him TrueNorth.  He didn’t seem like he’d heard of it, and since the conversation was winding down, I searched for a quick way to sum it up to a church-goer.

This is a paraphrase of what popped out: 
It’s a modern church in style, but they tell the truth.

Sad, huh?  Or do you not see the opposite of happy part about that?  Because there is so much junk out there being disguised as the truth–even labeled “Christian”–I felt the need to end my statement about where I go with a conjunction and validation of my church’s beliefs. 

It really is the bad growing with the good to be weeded out at a later time, but it gets to me how careful we have to be about our pursuits sometimes.  No church has it exactly right, but in some congregations it can be a holy swap shop of truth for compromise and interpretation.  We are called to be in the world and not of it, and what satan does with some churches makes their beliefs the first half of that, which makes me take the extra step in explaining myself in some contexts.

If anything is reaching out to the culture at large, it is being relevant.  In a Christian church, I need more than relevance; I need accuracy.  I thank God that where I go, I get both.  You will never find the perfect church, but pleasse don’t settle for anything less than one that is based out of the very Scripture that God breathed, his followers recorded and we have with us as the truth.

Did you ever hear about how people want teachers to stop using red pens for grading because they come off harsh to students?

Well…

What’s the deal with the blinking cursor that lures you into blogging and haunts you when you can’t think of anything to write?

Someone needs to lock it up, as I’m pretty sure it had something to do with why you don’t hear much out of the Microsoft Office paper clip these days.  No, I do not have evidence… just a hunch.

This morning, I was clearing out my email and came across several messages that have accumulated in the past couple of weeks from the leaders of a Crown class I am in.  From reminders to feedback requests to resources, they kept my classmates and I up to speed.  Because of their leadership, I know who to turn to with my inquiries or for guidance.

We were designed to be led, and whether we know it or not, we are are all leaders in some fashion.  A lot of people will say they are followers and not leaders, but that is only half-true.  We are both.  People are always looking to us for an example or a word of advice or a prayer request, or anything else they may need.  Even when we are not in some designated role of leadership, we are still leading.

Take some time throughout your day to evaluate where you are leading.  If there is an obvious answer, such as being the head of something, then look deeper.  Go further than “where” you are leading and see “who” you are leading–be it temporarily or regularly.  See who is coming to you for advice or voicing their concerns to you.  Who wants you to hear their prayer requests?  Whose life are you being invited to make an impact in?

Leadership is a major responsibility, and it is one we all share.

I came across this CD case at work the other night.

The copyright date on the back is 1999.

Time goes by fast…

Britney
by Bebo Norman

Britney, I’m sorry for the lies we told
We took you into our arms, then left you cold
Britney, I’m sorry for this cruel, cruel world
We sell the beauty but destroy the girl

Britney, I’m sorry for your broken heart
We stood aside and watched you fall apart
I’m sorry we told you fame would fill you up
And money moves the man, so drink the cup

I know loves goes around the world, we know
And you never see it coming back
But I can see it coming back for you
It’s coming back for you

Britney, I’m sorry for the stones we throw
We tear you down just so we can watch the show
Britney, I’m sorry for the words we say
We point the finger as you fall from grace

Britney, I do believe that love has come
Here for the broken, here for the ones like us

 

Lyrics courtesy of allthelyrics.com