What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church?
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As a big St. Arbucks fan, I particularly enjoyed this. So, here’s something to add a little laughter to your day and get you thinking at the same time.
The video was created by Beyond Relevance.
Archive for 'Faith'
Astonishing Faith
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photo by: Pieter Musterd via Flickr
When people came into contact with Jesus they were simply astonished. They marveled at his ability to heal their sicknesses. They were taken aback when he prayed and especially amazed when he showed compassion and forgave those they had determined didn’t deserve his compassion.
But what amazes Jesus?
Two occurrences in Scripture mention that Jesus was amazed. The first incident is in Mark 6:4-6.
4Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” 5He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
He was amazed at their lack of faith. Another passage presents a quite different picture, one where Jesus is astonished at a person’s faith.
Matthew 8:5-10
5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6“Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.”
7Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.”
8The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.
Jesus says that he has not found a single person in all of Israel with the faith of this pagan, despised, Roman heathen. Those in the religious establishment are found lacking in the faith department.
Amazing.
If Jesus is astonished with me, is it for my great faith, or the lack of it? Too often, I fear, it is for the latter. May God give us the kind of faith that the centurion demonstrated.
YODA Endorses CARE Groups
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At Tab Church we know the value of small groups. In this video, YODA shares his first small group experience.
PS: The video is a promo by Fusion Church.
One Month to Live
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photo by: José Encarnação via Flickr
No, I haven’t contracted a fatal disease! And perhaps I am still suffering from the effects of my recent birthday. However, I have been reflecting a lot on what it means to live an intentional life. Interestingly, I recently heard a message by Kerry Shook who wrote the book, One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life
The key question question he raises is an interesting one: What if I only had one month to live? How would:
- My schedule change?
- My relationship with my spouse?
- My relationship with my children?
- My relationship with God?
How would our lives change if we knew we only had thirty more days? Not because we’re going to die in a month; hopefully we’ll live many more great years. But living as though you have just thirty days left in your life can help you break out of the “some day syndrome” You know that one, “Someday, when things settle down I’ll…”
Here are four principles that I picked up from his talk:
- Live passionately – as opposed to a safe, comfortable life. Jesus said “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 (NLT)
- Love completely – say it now, show it now, share it now, forgive now, and ask for forgiveness now. Jesus knew he was going to die “…and now he loved them to the very end.” John 13:1 (NLT)
- Learn humbly – through problems and pain. When we realize just how weak and clueless to face the problems of life we learn that we must rely on the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Lead Boldly – When Jesus knew that he was in the last thirty days of his life he demonstrated intentionality of purpose. “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” Luke 9:51 (NLT)
Kerry got me thinking, how about your? Got any great strategies for living an intentional life?
The Brevity of Life
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I’m surprised how many people make comments to the effect that I wouldn’t want to tell my age. Hey, no secret here, today is my birthday and I don’t mind telling that I am 13… celsius!
Age is just a number; however, George Carlin provided his own special insight on the topic:
Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids? If you’re less than 10 years old, you’re so excited
about aging that you think in fractions. “How old are you?” “I’m four and a half!”You’re never thirty-six and a half. You’re four and a half, going on
five! That’s the key. You get into your teens, now they can’t hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. “How old are you?” “I’m gonna be 16!” You could be 13, but hey, you’re gonna be 16!And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21. Even the
words sound like a ceremony . . . YOU BECOME 21. . . YES!!!But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk. He TURNED, we had to throw him out. There’s no fun now, you’re just a sour-dumpling. What’s wrong? What’s changed?
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you’re PUSHING 40.
Whoa! Put on the brakes, it’s all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 … and your dreams are gone.
But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn’t think you would!
So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.
Today I have been reflecting on Psalm 90:12 – Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. It seems that somehow, realizing the brevity of life enables us to gain a heart of wisdom.
