faithrunner

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...

  When Matt and Lisa first suggested we host a Walk Through the Bible event as we begin The Story at Legacy Church , I admit I was a bit skeptical . "That's 'old school' stuff," I thought, and we are all up on the latest methods of doing church at Legacy. We had hosted that same event back in the 90's, and I wondered how it could be relevant to our folks a decade later. Well, I was wrong . WTB was just what we needed to refresh our knowledge of the "mega-narrative" of the Old Testament and introduce The Story to those who had no clue about what it was about. Bruce Wilkinson's DTS Master's project still works! The combination of key words, signs, repetition, and group participation in an atmosphere of fun work together to give those who participate a way to remember the entire story of the Old Testament. Yes, the sometimes tedious, obscure stories from creation to the return of the Jewish people from exile come to life through the child...

We continued our investigation of the spiritual practice s last Sunday by actually reflecting on a passage of Scripture during our worship time. If you want to hear how we did that, you can listen here . I used the common rubric of asking these three questions: What? So What? Now What? ( Google those questions and you can see other applications of the questions.) The passage we reflected upon was John 14:22-27 . Why don't you give it a try? Read the passage, then ask, What? about what you read. Who's speaking? What's going on around the conversation? Where are they? This involves the spiritual discipline of study . Read the passage again, and then ask, So What? This is the spiritual discipline of meditation . This is listening to the Word of God through the Holy Spirit as God speaks to you about God, the world around you, and you. Again, read the passage, and ask, Now What? This is the spiritual practice of simple obedience. What did you hear God say for you to do in the...

Why would I tell you to "read the Bible" in such a complex, information-saturated, diverse world? That sounds like a step backwards or too narrow a call for someone who is educated and sensitive to the convictions of others. However, of all the things I can encourage you to do in the chaotic world in which we live that will feed your soul and introduce you to the God of the Universe , I can tell you with all confidence: Read the Bible . Why the Bible? Whether you embrace it or not, the Bible makes some unique claims about itself that intrigue me enough to want to read it. (Not to mention a life-time of life-changing encounters with God in its pages.) Here are some claims the Bible makes about itself: It is a light and a lamp for living. ( Psalm 119:105-106 ) It is living and active and can cut to your soul. It's more than ancient literature. ( Hebrews 4:12 ) It is " God-breathed ." Not many books make that claim. ( 2 Timothy 3:16 ) The prophets o...