Eat Up!

People everywhere are watching what they eat. It’s part of a growing awareness that what we eat impacts our bodies and our health. Even fast-food giant McDonald’s is in the game offering a wider variety of wholesome choices and providing nutritional information next to menu items.

What’s true of our bodies is true of our souls.

When God calls Ezekiel, he tells the prophet to “eat this book” (Ezekiel 3:1 The Message translation). Ezekiel ate, and it was “as sweet as honey” (Ezekiel 3:1). The book of Ezekiel is full of wild visions which convey important truths. I doubt Ezekiel actually took a knife and fork to the Torah Scroll. However, the description underscores an important truth: We need the Scripture to feed a healthy soul. In her message this weekend, Pastor Katrina cited Eugene Peterson’s cereal box analogy. Peterson says, we can read all the nutritional information on a cereal box but until we’ve digested what’s inside, the box of cereal does us no good.

What is your soul munching on this Monday? Take a time-out now to reflect on some Scripture (try Psalm 23). Ask God to help you savor its truth and feed your inner self.

Our post-Easter series, “When God Calls,” continues this Mother’s Day weekend with the call of Gideon. Have you ever doubted God’s favor or presence in your life? Do you feel like life is just a daily game of survival? If so, God’s message to Gideon is a message for you! I look forward to worshipping and learning with you this weekend.

Starting the Pornography Conversation

Two weeks ago two others from our church and I attended the Set Free Global Summit in Greensboro, North Carolina. The event, hosted by Josh McDowell and Covenant Eyes, was billed as "the most comprehensive conference for Christian leaders about Internet pornography." We were among 800 lay persons, pastors, youth pastors, and counselors who spent three days listening to experts from a variety of disciplines talk about the impact pornography is having on our brains, our marriages, our children and our churches.

At the conference the Barna Group unveiled its new study, The Porn Phenomenon. David Kinneman, president of Barna Group, presented highlights from the project Monday evening:

• ​Nearly half of young people actively seek out porn monthly or more often
• Young adults consider “not recycling” more immoral than viewing pornography
• 66% of teens and young adults have received a sexually explicit image and 41% have sent one
• More than half of Christian youth pastors have had at least one teen come to them for help in dealing with porn in the past 12 months
• 21% of youth pastors and 14% of pastors admit they currently struggle with using porn.

Those at the Set Free Summit aren't the only ones raising concern. A recent cover article of Time Magazine (April 11, 2016) addressed the issue. Porn and the Threat to Virility reports an increasing number of young adult men contend their "sexual responses have been sabotaged because their brains were virtually marinated in porn when they were adolescents."

It's not just our kids and young adults being impacted. The ramifications of pornography are multi-dimensional. It is eroding the way our culture views healthy intimacy. The production of pornography exploits men and women and drives human trafficking. For some the lure of viewing pornography is addictive and the church's silent refusal to talk about the problem only drives their habit and their shame further into secrecy. (For more information check out www.fightthenewdrug.org)

I want our church to be a safe place to talk about this important topic. Do you know someone who struggles with pornography or who has been impacted by it? Would you be willing to join me, and perhaps others, in conversation? If so, send me an email and let's start talking.

steve@clpc.org

God in the Bush

Are you listening for God’s voice today? 

Moses heard God’s call in the course of an ordinary day tending sheep (Exodus 3:1-6). He noticed a bush, took time to turn aside, and that’s when God began to speak. Richard Rohr, Franciscan priest and author, is fond of Paula D’Arcy’s renown quote: “God comes to us disguised as our life.” Moses’ response to God’s voice in the bush, was “Here I am.” 

As you dive into another Monday, are you here?

(listen to the full message at our website www.clpc.org)

What does it mean that Jesus died for us?

"Do you not fear God, since you [and I] are under the same sentence of condemnation?" said the criminal hanging on one side of Jesus to the other.  "And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." (Luke 23:40-41) This is the essence of the Gospel. Jesus suffered a death he did not deserve so that we can live a life we did not earn. Unless we face the reality of sin and our need for forgiveness, the story of Jesus' death and resurrection is only lukewarm inspiration at best. But sin is real. And so is God's forgiveness in Jesus Christ. By placing our faith in Christ, we can receive salvation today. (Luke 23:43) 

If you missed last weekend's message, you can listen to it here.

Reconciled

Are you at odds with someone today? A co-worker, friend, family member, or neighbor? Esau and Jacob were estranged from each other for at least twenty years. After decades of cold silence these twin brothers reconcile (Genesis 32-33). Before Jacob could reconcile with Esau he needed to pray, wrestling with God, and become willing to make the first move. If you missed this weekend's message entitled "Wrestling with Forgiveness" you can listen to it here.

This Palm Sunday weekend (March 19-20) marks the beginning of Holy Week. Read the story of Jesus' crucifixion in Luke 23:32-43 in preparation. Rulers scoff, soldiers mock, and passersby gawk. One criminal joins the crowd's derision while another asks for mercy. Where are you in this story?

Empty Buckets

Last weekend we began the 2016 Year of Story. In John 4 we met a woman who came to the well with an empty bucket and an unquenchable thirst. We’re all thirsty for something. Thirsty for love. Thirsty for success. Thirsty for recognition. Thirsty for revenge. Thirsty for peace. With empty buckets we try and quench our thirst in different ways. Jesus met the woman’s thirst with a promise of living water. (If you missed last weekend’s message, you can listen to it here [hyperlink].)

When Jesus gets involved, the story always changes.

Join us this weekend as we see what happens next. Read John 4:16-26 in preparation. It’s going to be a great weekend at CLPC. I look forward to worshipping with you.

For Christ,

Steve

Not "when" but "how" to leave a church

In Acts 15:36-41 Paul and Barnabas have a “sharp disagreement” (vs. 39) and separate. (If you missed last weekend’s message, you can listen to it here.) Doctrinal heresy, mission strategy, or ethical behavior may be reasons to separate from a church or denomination. However, “how” Christians go about moving from one fellowship to another may be just as important as knowing "when" it is okay. 

First, disaffiliating from one Christian fellowship to join another needs rigorous self-examination. It’s easier to point out something lacking in our church or denomination than it is to face what is lacking in ourselves. As I said this weekend, let us first “take our motives, our doctrinal convictions, our moral precepts, our heartaches, disappointments, and disagreements to the cross and earnestly ask Jesus, what of this is really about me?” 

Second, leaving a church fellowship must be done in reverent humility. No matter the failings or shortcomings of a particular fellowship, there is no room in the Christian’s vocabulary for church or denominational name-calling. We will keep in mind that the church (even in its broken and imperfect expressions) is the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-27). 

Lastly, let’s make communal conversation part of our discerning process. For the most part, we assume that leaving a particular church is ultimately a personal decision. The contemporary view is that individual identity trumps communal belonging in the body of Christ. And so for instance, when we receive a job promotion in another city, or plan for retirement near the grandchildren, we assume our Christian fellowship has no say in the matter. Rather than discerning in community whether or not God is sending us to a new place, we simply assume we will leave our current church and find another one. We wouldn’t think of sacrificing career advancement for the sake of Christian fellowship. The New Testament, however, presents a picture of the church where joy-filled communal belonging trumps individual rights. The world may see the church differently if they witnessed more of us sacrificing personal comfort and career advancement for the sake of belonging to Christian community.