Thanks to one and all!!

I have had the privilege to take 2 weeks off from Sunday morning responsibilities during the first couple of week of our newborns life.  It has been nice to step back a bit and see the church not skip a beat.  We've got a great crews of servant at Crossings.  Many people stepped up and rose to the challenge.  Thanks you.

A big thanks goes to Bryan.  He and his family were our very first attenders back in the day.  He has a heart for Haiti and goes down there often.  Bryan shared the message on Sunday and did a fabulous job.   I love how he started the message saying that he hasn't shared the Word in english for more than 6+ years.  God has used Him in some amazing ways and it was great to hear some of those 'missionary stories'.   

I could go on and on of thanks to people who have stepped up to the plate.  Let me just say, "Thanks team.  You are awesome.  We we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you".

Sunday Recap

What a Sunday!!!

I am taking two weeks of paternity.  Because we didn't know when the baby was going to come we decided to have the first Sunday I'm gone be a video message.  With a 1/2 hour before church I realized the video message wasn't going to work.  It was time to throw technology out the window and rely upon what God was saying to me.  I have never winged a message that extensively before.  But I think it went very well in all respect.

What made the morning crazier was that we had one of our highest attendance's.  A full house. 

Those are the mornings you want back.  But God seems to use us in our weakness when all we can do is rely upon him.

Caleb Andrew Karrer

On Monday Caleb Andrew made his arrival known to everyone weighing in at 8 lbs. 1 oz.  It has been a busy week but Caleb and Beth are doing great.  Thanks for your prayers, congrats, email, and encouragement.

Caleb and Jesus

My wife's due date is this Friday.  Secretly, I was hoping to have our little Caleb in the world by now.  But, I am left to keep waiting.  And waiting.  And waiting.  

I was talking to Beth the other day about the similarities between waiting for the contractions to start and waiting for Jesus to come back.  We don't know when Caleb will make his appearing.  We hope soon, but we don't know when.  It could come when we least expect it.  And because we don't know when Caleb will come we are constantly cleaning the house.  We have never had the house so spotless for so many continues days in a row.  The dishes done, carpet cleaned, toys picked up.  

Shouldn't this be how we live under normal circumstances.  Not just when delivery is due to come.  Should we live with our lives/heart clean, swept, picked up because we don't know when Jesus will come back to take home his bride.  

Caleb and Jesus are coming at an unknown day and time.  Live with anticipation and readiness.

They both carried unexpected arrival

They both the need to be 

Beds for Kids

Let me make a plug.  I met her while working at Starbucks this morning.  She's one of our regulars but I didn't know what she did until I noticed a couple of mattresses in here vehicle.  It looked kinda weird so I asked about her back seat.  Jenny is the CEO of the Non-Profit, Beds For Kids.  A ministry that provides beds to children.  She told me that just last week they gave a bed to a 16 year old who had never had a bed in his lifetime.  Hard to imagine.  

If you've got an extra bed maybe you should consider donating it to "Beds for Kids".  

The Least of These

Tucked into the middle of our "Messy Questions" series, last week we partnered with InterVarsity in showing the documentary film called, "Lord Save us From Your Followers".  It was a great film and fit nicely into the theme's we have been looking at, like: religion, politics, and Christianity.  

The film spent a little time talking about what people and churches are doing to "Show" the love of Christ by serving the "least of these".  Projects like: food giveaways, and homeless foot-washings.  I felt moved and challenge while watching the film.

On Sunday I talked about Politics and how Jesus would vote on those things that matter most to him.  The poor, the suffering, the disenfranchised, and the defenseless.  God really  spoke to me through the message...and I was the one giving it.

God was saying something this weekend to me.  To be more involved in the "least of these".

Uniqueness of Christianity in a pluralist world

We have been exploring many tough question during our "Messy Questions" series. But out of all of the topics so far this past Sunday I really felt like we touched on some encouraging themes. If you weren't there, let me just recap the last half of the message.

Two unique facets of Christianity. There are probably more, but these two hold incredible hope for humanity.

1) Reconciliation
There is a difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. Forgiveness can be one way. I can forgive you and you may not have even known you did anything wrong. But reconciliation is a restoration of a relationships on both sides. We are coming to God to restore a relationship and God is coming to us to restore a relationship.  No other religion allows the relationship between God and Humanity to change like this.

2 Corinthians 5:18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

Colossians 1:22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation —

But Jesus reconciled us to himself by dyng on the cross. He moved to reconcile the relationships by coming 99% of the way. We just have to come 1% and ask for forgiveness to reconcile the relationship. 

It’s this two way, mutual relationship. It's this relationship where God pursue mankind. It’s this relationship where transcendence moves toward imminence. Where a powerful God moves towards relationship.

You don’t find this anywhere else. Allah is transcendent but he’s not immanent; you can’t know him. Buddhism is immanent; God is everywhere. But not transcendent, not powerful. 

But the God of the Bible. The one who created all things, this transcendent God also became immanent by reconciling the world to himself.  He is a God pursuing you and me

2) Regeneration

John 3:3  In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

Jesus is talking about this thing called “Regeneration”. When you put your faith in Christ you experience a “re-birth”.  You look the same on the outside but your different on the inside.

Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

When you put your faith in other religions and Gods there is no transformation that takes place in your life. Life stays the same. You may have a new found purpose in life because most religions create a since of purpose. But there is no transformation. Your past still haunts you.  You have experienced a change in your head and thinking but not a change in your heart and spirit.

It’s this regeneration process that makes Christianity different from any other faith. And this process can only happen if you have a God who is both transcendent and immanent. The only way for a God to be both transcendent and immanent is to exist as the God of the Bible does. In the form of the trinity. God, three forms, one God. And its the Holy Spirit that produces this new-creation (Regeneration) in you.