what really matters

Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter. - Tim Kizziar (quoted in Crazy Love by Francis Chan )

Our LOVE MORE ... EXPECT LESS. series is getting better each week, and this is coming Sunday is our 3rd week and just maybe the biggest of them all. We celebrate the birth of Jesus as well as seek to understand what God was doing in sending His son. For over 2000 years Jesus has shown us what really matters and how to impact the lives of people we meet.

I think somethings will change in us if we really understand and see and seek to grasp how much God loves us. Then we will love others differently and love them more.

John 15:12 (nlt) --- This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.

Not an option. It is a choice, but it is also our responsibility. Now for the questions: what does it mean to love? what really matters? Loving is an action that comes from deep in a person's heart that is selfless and giving. That loves leaves marks and makes a difference like nothing else can. That love really matters.

Romans 13:8 (nasb) --- Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another...

I am trying to understand this truth not just for Christmas but also for leading our church to greater days and more ministry. I pray that God will get more of us and that we will give more of Him away through our lives. What is it to live a life that matters and to love like Jesus loves?

It's not that this lifestyle should be crazy to us. It should be the only thing that makes sense. Giving up everything and sacrificing everything we can for the afterlife is logical. Crazy is living a safe life and storing up things while trying to enjoy our time on earth, knowing that any millisecond God could take your life. To me that is crazy, and that is radical. The crazy ones are the ones that live life like there is no God. To me that is insanity. - quoting from an interview with Francis Chan

You have some things to think on. So do I. Do my successes and the things I care about really matter?

Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" (brand new book)

One of the most powerful preachers, writers and leaders of our time, in my opinion, is Francis Chan. His first book, Crazy Love , revolutionized my thoughts about God's love as well as my interacting with God. Now it is time for a brand new book from Chan being released tomorrow, September 1st. The book is Forgotten God . This is a phenomenal book about the power that Christians and the church can and must tap into. All of it is within the Holy Spirit. Francis talks about the power that was seen in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit began to move among people. It is true that many have avoided or maybe forgotten what the Holy Spirit is all about. And like the Savior who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and ac...

inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Search This Blog