faithrunner

When I got home last night from teaching a class for BH Carroll at Legacy Church , I waited up until President-elect Obama walked out on stage with his wife and two daughters to the roaring crowd in Chicago. Before the Obama family made their appearance, a reporter asked Oprah Winfrey her feelings about the events of the day. She said like a giddy girl who just got asked to the prom, "Hope wins!" I think she summed it up for all America last night. No matter how you voted yesterday, today "Hope wins!" for those who had lost hope in their country and who thought they'd never find their place in the highest office of the land. I am humbled to live in a country where stories like this still happen . Tomorrow we begin the work of turning hope into action...but today, "Hope wins!"

No one in Texas or a US border state has to tell you securing the borders and illegal immigration are topics that stir up emotions in this election. Undocumented workers and seemingly open borders cause local businesses and governments to wrestle with what to do with the influx of those seeking work and a home in the US without following the law. This past Sunday, I interviewed Kenny Zheng , who became a naturalized citizen of the United States last year . He is a native-born Chinese. If you want to hear his story go here . He told of his decision to take the Oath of Allegiance for Naturalized Citizens and what that meant to him as he gave up all loyalty to his country of origin. He became a living metaphor for my message that portrayed w who are Christ followers as "resident aliens and strangers" in this world because we are ultimately "citizens of heaven." ( Phil. 3:20 ) Since we have become "fellow citizens with the people of God and members of ...

This past Sunday I ventured into the topic of war as a follower of Jesus . If you want to hear the message, which includes a FaithStory from a couple whose son is serving in Iraqa and a reading from a letter of a s oldier who fought in WWII explaining his view on the war, go here . My premise was that Jesus introduced the "reign of God," in an occupied country who tried to liberate itself several times from its oppressor. From Judas ben Mattathias in 167 BCE to Judas of Galilee in 6 CE, efforts to liberate Israel were part of Israel's fabric of life. Jesus led in this context of war and conflict. Jesus led the movement of God with various options to establish an earthly kingdom: the Zealots , who wanted to overthrow the occupying Romans and were in the infant stages of the movement; the Herodians , who sympathized with the Romans and who feared Jesus' movement ( Mark 3:6 ); and the religious leaders , who had developed a symbiotic relationship with their oppres...

Saturday morning Legacy hosted teams from the Miniature Football League or Electronic Football League . I'm just getting to understand the sport and am not sure of all the rules, but here are some pics from the day. Eight teams played from 10:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. And that was after Friday evening games that went into the early morning hours. Made me want to pull my old electronic game down from the attic! We then went down to Waco for Cambell's Dedication of Home and Family at her church . Here's a picture of my family and a scene from the service. It was so meaningful to be grandfather and stand in the stream of generations that seek to honor God. I'm a blessed man. After a wonderful Sunday afternoon with Graham and my families, I jumped in the Element and headed to a home outside Kerrville to meet up with LynnAnderson of Hope Network Ministries and a group of fellow mentors. I met Lynn over 20 years ago at a Leadership Network meeting in CO, and we have been fr...

Pro-life and pro-choice issues divide us politically in this as in many previous elections . If you are a one-issue voter , this may be the one that decides your vote. However, both positions have their inconsistencies. Pro-lifers protect the unborn but are mostly pro-death penalty and pro-war. They take life under the auspices of God-ordained governments. Pro-choicers , on the other hand, give the woman the right to take the life of the innocent unborn but on the whole stand against capital punishment and taking life by force of arms. We are all "walking contradictions," but t o try and settle the issue of the sanctity of life by voting on one platform item will not establish the kingdom value in our country . (Yes, it will establish the value through law but cannot change the hearts of people.) So however you vote on this issue, if you follow Jesus you need to ask, "What did Jesus do to demonstrate the value of life as its Creator and Sustainer ?" Walk with Jesu...

This past Sunday I tackled one of the most difficult topics a pastor in my faith tradition can tackle: homosexuality . It was a long journey personally for me to share my heart about such a sensitive subject in the church. God did a number on my heart along the way , humbling me to my own sinfulness and the expanse of His grace to all of us. The gist of my message was that we extend grace and acceptance to all others on the lists of sinful behaviors, but find it most difficult to extend that same grace to homosexuals . I did not go into the reasons why, but I did challenge us to stop weighing sins as if one is more serious than another . As Paul reminded us, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." To judge and to exclude is the opposite of God's grace shown all of us in Christ Jesus. You can hear the entire message from the Legacy website . I used a couple of references from Paul's letters generally used to condemn homosexuality , but I made sure we r...

This past Sunday we followed Jesus into the issue of racism . Whether you admit it or not, you have a response to the presidential candidates based on how you were raised to respond to another person's race or color. Some people call it your "culture," others call it "prejudice." Whatever name you give it, it is the sum total of our values and meanings that guide our behavior and emotions toward others. I started by interviewing a friend and member of Legacy, Stephen , about his perspective on the election through the lens of an African American male whose great grandparents were slaves . You can hear him here . He shared honestly and provided a perspective I would never have from my experiences. Jesus busted through every religious, class, gender and racial barrier of his culture when he sat down at Jacob's Well and asked the Samaritan woman for a drink of water. Read John's account and note each boundary Jesus crossed by his intentional actions to he...