faithrunner

Reactions to Newtown Shootings I'm afraid lifelong, American Christians treat Christmas with at least two false assumptions : The first false assumption is that (maybe due to carols like Silent Night, O Little Town of Bethlehem, and Angels We Have Heard on High) we assume nothing bad was going on when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Somehow it must have been more tranquil and God chose that time in history because life was simpler and less violent. Nothing like what happened in Newtown was anything like reality to those who lived at the time of Jesus' birth. The second false assumption is that God worked differently then than now . We assume that when Jesus was born everything immediately changed, Jesus grew up blissfully, and the Kingdom of Heaven eventually came on earth until we are in Heaven. God protected the just and the ways of God became embedded in the hearts of humans forever more. These assumptions about the Christmas story are false , and they cause...

How do you make an impact at Advent this year? Win the battle of Get vs. Give .  Advent Impact at Legacy Church this year is about helping people have a "counter cultural Christmas." We are committed to families helping families, and have begun to bless families with what they need this time of year. I have been blown away by how God's people have stepped up to provide the necessities and extras for those the church has brought forward as families who needed help this Christmas.  How does this happen? Are some people naturally more generous than others? Do some have more money and are able to share more than those with less?  We explored how to win the personal battle of Get vs. Give. last Sunday by reviewing the story of Mary anointing Jesus' feet with an expensive perfume. (You can hear the entire message here .)  Read the story captured in John 12:1-8 . We observed that: Giving is an act of worship and reflects the heart of God. ...

Legacy Church This Advent as Legacy Church , we want to help each other have "a counter-cultural Christmas."   We are challenging each other to win some key battles in our hearts so we can impact the lives of others this Advent season. To read more about Legacy's Advent Impact , you can go here . The first battle we spoke of Sunday was the battle of Mine vs. God's . We are hardwired from birth to have things our way and claim ownership of those things we think are ours.  But, the more mature we become and the more honest we are, we realize we don't own anything and we ultimately have no control over our lives . This reality should not breed cynicism but trust-- trust in God who owns all things. ( Ps. 24:1 )  Absolute ownership of things is a myth . Yes, under the laws of the land, we can claim ownership and defend what we hold title to, but although we "own" a house or car outright, for example, fire, crash, or storm can take them fr...

Occasionally, as Legacy Church , we set aside days of prayer for different reasons. As we enter the season of Advent and complete our series SENT , we invite you to join us to take today t o prepare your heart for the Coming of the Christ Child at Christmas . May the Holy Spirit speak clearly to you today through these meditations. Morning Devotional: Worship To worship something is to give it a place of honor or importance. Worship = worth (of value, importance) + -ship (position). Human beings are geared to worship: the star athlete, the talented musician, the charismatic personality, the successful business leader, the creative author, the generous philanthropist, the intelligent theorist. When humans fail to impress us, we can always turn to money, power, lust, success, acceptance, love, adoration. Sometimes we even worship the reflection in the mirror. The question, then, is not “Will you worship?” but rather, “Who or what will be the object of your worship...

Hanukkah Menorah Jesus was a Jew, and he most likely observed Hanukkah. Shocked? From what we know about Jesus' parents from the stories about his birth and infancy, they were pious, practicing members of Israel. And, as their earthly son, Jesus was raised a pious Son of Israel . Here are some examples. Eight days into his life his parents had him circumcised and named according to the Jewish Law. ( Luke 2:21 ; Leviticus 12:3 ) Forty days after his birth, his mother and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem to complete God's instructions for purification and presentation of a male son to God . ( Luke 2:22-24 ; Leviticus 12 ) Luke also tells us that the family made the annual trip to Jerusalem for the Festival of Passover . ( Luke 2:41 ; Exodus 12 ; which we know mostly by the Seder .) What was unique about Jesus' early life were the people's unsolicited confession as to who he was. (Read Luke 2:22-52 to read some of those.) In the middle of his parent's faithful...

RG III My wife and I are Baylor Bears . ('75) My youngest daughter, her husband, and my oldest daughter's husband are Bears. (My oldest daughter is an Aggie, of whom we are equally proud.) The buzz in Baylor world -- as you know unless you have been hiking in the Himalayas the last three months -- is that the Baylor quarterback, Robert Griffin III was chosen as the 77th Heisman Trophy winner . You can only imagine how excited we are as a family and alumni of BU. A small, private Baptist school in Central Texas usually lives under the shadow of schools like the University of Texas and seldom gets any national recognition. Waco is mostly known nationally for the Branch Davidian debacle , and most sports commentators can't pronounce the school's name like we do. Oh well, they are learning now. I am pleased RG III received the most votes for the coveted trophy , not because I want to be associated with it and him, but because he and his family clearly give God credi...

This Wednesday, I have invited Legacy to practice a day of prayer and fasting as we enter the Christmas season. I do this because I need to have my head and heart on straight as the "Buy me! Buy me!" Sirens of consumerism begin to call my name. I am also asking the church to join me in this day of focused worship because we begin our Christmas series this Sunday, called, "Enter The Prince of Peace." When Jesus came as God incarnate, he came into a world of poverty and hunger, war and injustice, religious insiders and outcasts, prejudice and hatred. We will invite that same Prince of Peace into our world, which struggles with the same issues some 2,000 years later. We begin this Sunday with "Enter the Prince of Peace: poverty and hunger." We will conclude Wednesday with a prayer service at the church in the Discovery Room (east hallway of the Legacy Center). The purpose of a day like this is to substitute physical appetites and distractions in order to ...