connecting to Christ and the church

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

When we choose to follow Jesus, there are things that happen that cannot happen without Him. Yet God opens up even more for us when we connect to others. That is where is church comes in to play. Church is important, but maybe you know that already.

We need to interact with other people who have chosen to follow Jesus. Such interaction makes us stronger, stretches us and our thinking and brings us to places we cannot go on our own. When I connect to others, we learn from the experiences of others as well as the experiences we have with God.

We need each other. We need the church. Below is a portion of a letter written by Henri Nouwen who has encouraged me with his writing.

One thing I would like to ask you is to keep faithful to a life of prayer. Without prayer, confession, anger and frustrations may become unbearable for you, but, when in prayer you connect then with the struggle of Jesus Himself, I trust that your vocation will deepen. It is so important to be in the world and really in it, but without being of it, and that is only possible when you live a life of prayer. I also would like you to stay faithful to the church, even when you see its tendency to be self-indulgent. In the long run, living in Christ without being connected with the church is impossible. I have seen this over and over again. The church continues to be the place where Christ calls us to His faithfulness and from where Christ sends us into the world.

(taken from a letter written in November of 1987)

Take some time to read that again. I hear echoes of things that God has been teaching me for sometime, and what I confess is that it will take me forever to learn many of these. I know prayer is vital, and prayer is part of my life. Yet I want to go deeper in this area of my life.

Nouwen says that our struggle to get to know Jesus is even deeper when the church is part of our lives. He is right. The church is the place where we listen and meet God because of the challenge we get from others.

We need God. We need the church. May God open us to see Him and to know Him even more!

Hebrews 10:25 NASB

not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Catalyst ticket arrived

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

wash feet, sharing hope

John 13:4-5,14 NLT So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow. He served. He valued and gave value to others. That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet. It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives. Jesus said we should do this. See the verse above. Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you ...

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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