faithrunner

Sunday we began our 20-week series on the life of Christ . Here's a picture of the stage at Legacy. It is an awesome backdrop that will remind us why we are and who we serve. We shared communion and baptized a mother and her son. The experience reminded me of Paul's words to Timothy and his mother, Eunice . If you want to hear the message, you can go here . Thanksgiving on the farm was wonderful as always. We did the usual overeating and football and found time to ride in Dad's pickup to see the cows and just hang out. Not everyone was there, but my entire family was, so, that was enough for me. The land is beautiful this time of year , and I was rejuvenated by the changing leaves and walking on the earth. Something about being in creation that makes you appreciate the Creator and your place in it --somehow the concrete reality I live in just does not do the same for me. Cambell saw her first cow! Here she is safely in the pick up while the cow waits for us to feed her. W...

Sunday evening, we hosted our annual English Language Program Thanksgiving Feast for students and families in the program. Over 350 internationals and over 100 Legacy servants participated in the celebration. The highlight of the evening for me were the 11 students who read Psalm 100 in their native language . It was read in Bengali, Korean, Spanish, Armenian, Farsi, Hindi, Thai, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Mandarin, and English . Each time my heart was stirred to know people heard the words of praise in his or her heart language . Someone who observed all that was going on that evening, said to June Zheng , our ELP Director, "This is the church being the church." I agree, and I am proud of Legacy and its service to the international community in our city. Sunday morning I continued to vision cast that the church be "salt and light servants," which is the core message of my new book, Evangelism Where You Live . The good news is I do not need to instill a value t...

Sunday, I capitalized on our annual church conference in the afternoon to do some vision casting for Legacy Church . We showed the full video Fast Forward from Willow Creek's Leadership Summit 2007 to set up my message. I recommend you show it to your group if you have not already. My message was basically pages 13-18 from my new book Evangelism Where You Live: Engaging your community . (I wrote it with Steve Pate for the Columbia Partnership Leadership Series .) We call for the church to "tell the Good News" through "community based servant evangelism." Members of the the church are to be "salt and light servants" who share the message of Jesus through acts of service in the name of Jesus . Jesus' instructions recorded in Matthew 5:13-16 are the basis of the concept. Hear the full message here . Buy the book here . I will continue to cast this vision in the weeks and months ahead. Saturday, Kim and I traveled to Jacksonville, TX , for the...

I finished our series "Jesus For President" this past Sunday. I interviewed myself as someone whose candidate did not win the presidential election . If you want to hear my thoughts on the events of the week, go to the Legacy Church website . The irony to me about a biblical worldview on ruling governments is that our Leader, Jesus , and his two most prominent followers, Peter and Paul , all insisted we submit to, honor and pray for "all those in authority," and those very same authorities turned around and executed each of them . I'm not suggesting in ANY WAY our new President will lead us all to prison--although some crazy evangelicals told me he would on their blogs and emails. What I AM SAYING is that no matter who rules--your candidate or a ruler you had no say in his ruling--as Christ followers we are to follow Jesus and his teachings first , then follow the dictates of our hearts and party platforms. I'm not completely clear why or how God puts i...

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...