faithrunner

...but he changed how I follow Jesus. Dallas Willard went Home last week at age 77 . He touched many lives ( including Richard Foster , who influenced me too) through his teaching and writing. Here are a some ways he breathed life into my stale practices as a disciple of Jesus. Willard taught me that you have to practice the disciplines in order for them to change you . I liked his analogy of thinking I could hit like a big league baseball player if I behaved exactly as my favorite baseball star does in the game . ( Spirit of the Disciplines ) No, my favorite big league hitter is good because he has been swinging a bat since childhood, and he practices, practices, practices. We who follow Jesus fail in temptation and big-league problems because we think we can just step up and look like Jesus and knock the spiritual ball out of the park while in the game . No, we too must practice the disciplines Jesus taught us daily in order to live like Jesus. We can respond as Jesus would i...

Hunger and thirst are two natural desires that keep us alive. Both drive us to food and water that sustain us physically.  When Jesus looked across the crowd that had gathered to hear him introduce "the kingdom of God" that was near, he blessed those who hungered and thirsted for righteousness . ( Matthew 5:6 ) And, he promised those folks would be satisfied . In my analogy of spiritual growth in my book, A New Way of Living , this Beatitude is the summit of our spiritual climb to be like Jesus. Climbing the summit of God's mighty presence is a journey that begins by exposing our tremendous lack of personal resources. And like on a physical climb, when our resources run out, we begin to hunger and thirst. The difference is that in tackling a mountain of spiritual growth, what we hunger and thirst for is refreshment only God can give our craving souls. (130) Righteousness is a characteristic of God ( Psalm 48:10 ). It describes our standing before God in Christ J...

This month I have been lifting weights with a couple of NFL Alumni . Well, mostly with one of them...a 6'5" 300-lb lineman. I look like his scrawny dad when we are walking around the gym from station to station. He has been kind enough to show me the ins and outs of his lifting regimen, which I have not done since High School football days. (I graduated in 1971.) I joined them at the start of this year because I need the extra strength for my one big goal of summitting Mt. Rainier in August.  I have learned you grow stronger through lifting by literally tearing the muscle as you lift . As the muscle heals over the next 24-48 hours, it becomes stronger. Learning not to tear the muscle too much while increasing the weight is part of the practice. You also become stronger by covering all the muscle groups with a variety of motions. Soreness is also part of the strengthening process. If you are not sore, you are not lifting enough to improve. (There's a spiritual p...

ESPN.go.Dallas  I had breakfast the other day with a friend, and we shared our stuff and prayed for each other. Part of my encouragement to him was to read and get to know Ephesians 6:10-17 to help him with the spiritual warfare he faced in stepping out to trust God in every area of his life . As we left, we got on the topic of him playing ice hockey when he was growing up in Michigan, and I just popped off and suggested he translate the Ephesians passage with hockey gear since we knew nothing about armor in Paul's day . So, he did, and here is how Ephesians 6:10-17 reads to a hockey player : 10- A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power to score . 11- Put on all of God’s shoulder, thigh, knee and shin pads , so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the opposing team .12- For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this da...

In our new book, Norman Blackaby and I state the importance of the topic of character in our society today: We do not have to look far to see that character is no longer a prerequisite for success in our culture. Politicians, religious and community leaders, business leaders, and individuals have demonstrated that we live in a culture that values results above character . We have segregated our private lives from our public ones, and our faith is a matter of personal conviction and no longer a player in the public square...Character and integrity are optional to the bottom line...We depend on spin, not truth, to clear our soiled character, and we count on sound bites and news clips to be authentic portraits of those we elect to office. Companies hide unfair and unethical practices behind carefully produced advertising campaigns and, sadly, churches sometimes cover up the unseemly messes of their leaders and their spending habits in order to portray a benevolent image to the commu...

Description and Orders Character matters. We mostly hear about the topic when a leader or someone we know fails morally in some way. We know people should have it, and we are disappointed and confused when someone we respect proves they don't have it, but that leaves us with the question, "What is it, and how do you get it?" From the book, we write, What determines if a person will live out God’s full potential for his or her life? We believe it is the issue of character. Character is the single most distinguishing aspect of a person’s life . . . . God cares more about character than our skills, personality, or intelligence because, biblically, character is a matter of the ‘heart.’ Character: The Pulse of a Disciple's Heart is a collection of biblical case studies of people God chose for his purposes which can be used for personal, small group, or church-wide study. Dr. Norman Blackaby and I got the idea for this book from our shared teaching of ...

Our reading for Ash Wednesday, February 22, is Luke 5:1-11 . Read the passage of Jesus' calling of the first disciples. Morning Meditation Jesus , a carpenter, told Simon Peter , a fisherman, where and how to fish! (v. 4) Peter's response was one of trust. (v. 5) What has Jesus asked you through his Word and/or Spirit that could make you answer, "I'm the expert here, how could what you tell me be true?" What has Jesus asked you to do that did not make sense to you, but like Peter you were willing to be obedient to what he called you to do?   Meditate on the events of the passage and fast completely or partially from your morning meal.   Noon Meditation The carpenter's advice to the seasoned fisherman worked! They amount of fish caught almost sank two boats. (v. 6-7) Peter confessed after the huge catch, “ Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man! ” (v. 8) He realized Jesus was more than a carpenter, more than a man he had met before and ...

I have to jump into the Tim Tebow debate of whether or not the NFL is the place for the Denver QB's PDA (public display of adoration) . You can find opinions that believe faith should stay in the church (from the Jerusalem Post) to those who think he's doing is what we all should be doing. Whatever your opinion, USA TODAY sums it up , " Denver QB inspires nation ." (Check out the search hits and Twitter post numbers. Astonishing!) I'm on the Tebow bandwagon. Part of the greatness of his witness is that it is who he is! He's Tim Tebow, an over-the-top, extravert football player who inspires teammates and is a Christ-follower. He's not trying to be someone else or build a platform for his witness. He's who he is, where he is, displaying his love for the Lord. He'll be Tim Tebow the Christian if he has a career-ending injury this Sunday against the Patriots. I respect him and wish I had a little more of his expressive flair in my witness. L...

Baptism is the ancient, Christ-modeled act of associating with the person and movement of Jesus, who is the Christ. For centuries follower-apprentices of Jesus have been baptized before friends and family to witness their allegiance to Jesus as their Rescuer and Leader . From the Ethiopian eunuch to the Philippian jailer, God's people have baptized those who trusted Jesus wherever there was water and witnesses . Over time, that practice was brought inside buildings with baptismal fonts and pools built into the architecture and leadership limited to credentialed, professional clergy . We know, however, that in oppressed countries Christ followers have found bathtubs, streams, and drinking troughs for animals suitable for the rite. I still witness this act in streams, homes, and lakes around the world today. But, here we usually stick to the indoor, ordained clergy rendition of the act. I love Legacy Church because several years ago we released followers of Jesus to baptize...