Apparently, you could've discounted Paul's presentation. But you couldn't deny the power he preached. By his own admission, the apostle didn't go to Corinth to wow anyone with his words. He didn't prop himself up as the prominent teacher and Christian so many of us regard him as. Instead, he kept making tents, and relied on the "demonstration of the Spirit and of power" God gave him.

And what was the result? There's no denying that a church grew. Yes, that church would grow to have issues. Big ones, too. After all, it wasn't a perfect church like yours. But the church was growing.

The church would keep growing if it kept its focus--or refocused--on the proclamation Paul gave them: Jesus Christ and him crucified. Now that's a presentation. No matter what the world thinks of Jesus, the world thinks of Jesus when they see a cross.

That's God's wisdom on display. Yes, Jesus came to teach us the marks of God's kingdom. But his life is also the outpouring of that kingdom. Through him, we see God's "hidden mystery" revealed. Human wisdom, as Paul called it, wouldn't rely on crucifixion. Human wisdom often relies on dominance and self-centeredness. We'll make a way our way.

But Christ crucified showed God's way of self sacrifice, devoted loved and obedience to God.

I imagine Paul would wonder about our presentations. To say nothing of the issues that still linger in today's church that did in the Corinthian church, he'd wonder what we're doing. He'd have something to say about our large screens, lighting effects and comfortable pews. There'd probably be a separate meeting for us preachers. He'd gripe about our over-the-top illustrations. I suspect he'd tell us what many of us already see. We're losing the message in the presentation. We're focusing a lot on human wisdom, and losing sight of God's great wisdom in Jesus.

Look for the presentations around you. They're everywhere: on the radio; apps; billboards; books; Facebook; even Sunday morning. Let's not allow God's wisdom to take second place to our wisdom, our way of doing things or our presentations.

Stay blessed...john

I've always enjoyed a good movie. Well, not always. At one point, I learned something that disillusioned me for a bit. Apparently, there are six, maybe seven, basic story plots. Consider any movie or novel genre you want. No matter how different the characters seem or what's unique about the setting, we've already seen it. The story itself is not new. It's following a basic, human story telling trajectory we've heard in every story.

That made watching movies a little boring for me. You already knew what was going to happen once you figured out which plot it was.

Well, whatever plot structure it falls into, I started watching movies again. I learned to love hearing new takes on the old stories. We all do. That's why we keep watching and reading. Now, that's part of the joy of watching--seeing what a creative mind can do with something we already know.

I've met a bunch of Christians who aren't quite fond of the book of Ecclesiastes. It's too dark or joyless. Almost depressing. I suppose we have expectations of how the Bible should sound. The book's repeated theme of vanity doesn't sound happy-clappy enough for us. Everything is vanity, vapor or meaningless because you'll never see anything new. We feel like we're doing something different with our lives, but, in reality, it's the same story every generation.

But I love Ecclesiastes. Instead of being off put by the idea, the vanity of everything puts a lot into perspective. About our life experiences, I like to say, "It's our turn." It's our turn to do what's been done so many times before by other people. It's our turn to rejoice. To mourn. It's our turn to do something with what's all around us.

We may be telling and living the same life stories. But it's our turn to do so. That's exciting enough to be inspired by the meaningless of it all.

Stay blessed...john

Jonathan Edwards, the 18th century revivalist preacher said: "In all your course, walk with God and follow Christ as a little, poor, helpless child, taking hold of Christ's hand, keeping your eye on the mark of the wounds on his hands and side, whence came the blood that cleanses you from sin and hiding your nakedness under the skirt of the white shining robe of his righteousness."

I suspect most of us don't like to consider ourselves children. We'd like to think we've grown up and have become competent women and men. In many ways, we have. Somehow, we hold down jobs, build careers, raise kids or make it through year after year.

But the child metaphor reminds us of our place before God. We pray to "our Father," after all. Yes, children grow up and mature and our faith should do the same. But we are still children. Children of God, of course, but still children.

Ephesians 5 opens with the admonishment to "be imitators of God, as beloved children" (5:1). The epistle's encouragement is to not let go of the child metaphor. It keeps us grounded and points us to the One who is always greater than ourselves.

You may feel confident and strong in your workplace or among your friends and family. But what are we compared to God? So, we do well to keep in mind Jonathan Edwards' word. As beloved children, we aren't wandering through life. Instead, we are walking with God, holding the hand of Christ. And as we hold his hand we can't help but notice his scars. They remind us of the work we could never do. The gift we could never achieve.

I joke with my adult children all the time about the warnings I gave them about growing up too fast. All the times they desperately wanted to rush to adulthood seem foolish now. Adult bills and responsibilities will do that.

Ah, now, aren't we grateful to be children of God?

We are in God's care. And it's foolish to want to grow beyond our need for the Lord.

Stay blessed...john

How do you respond to your pressing situations?

Some of us seem more prepared to handle our hardships with greater ease or levelheadedness. We're able to get a grip on our emotions. Others of us aren't so lucky. Is that something hardwired into our psyche or do we learn our responses? I suppose that's a nature vs. nurture conversation.

I'd like to think we can learn how to better respond to life's afflictions. That even if it is more difficult for some of us, we have a choice to learn or retrain our minds to respond in more helpful ways. Even God-honoring ways.

In Daniel 2, everyone was in trouble. The king and all his wise men.

King Nebuchadnezzar's dreams tormented him. He lost sleep and agonized over his dreams. He could not determine what they meant. That should be a personal issue. But angry tyrants do not have personal problems. They have problems they project on other people.

What was Nebuchadnezzar's response to his troubling visions? He gave his magicians, enchanters and sorcerers half a chance to figure things out for him. He set up an impossible set of circumstances for them. After that, he decreed their death. Now, they are in certain trouble.

Daniel wasn't among the people brought in before the king to hear his trouble. But he was now among those whose life was now in danger.

How did Daniel respond?

The text says with "prudence and discretion" (Daniel 2:14). Or with counsel and wisdom. That led him to have a personal meeting with the king, who then gave him time to address the king's dreams.

We don't get to choose whether we face troubling times. They come to us all. With God's help, we can learn how to take on those moments and seasons with Daniel's kind of wisdom and assurance. We can do so with faith and hope, patience and power. And we don't have to let what we're going through add to the misery of what others are enduring.

Lord, help us.

Stay blessed...john

Grace is a gift and a mission.

In the opening half of Ephesians 3, Paul the apostle mentions grace as such. First, he recalls the commission of God's grace the Lord gave him. He then says he became a servant of the gospel according to "the gift of God's grace." Finally, as "the very least of all saints," Paul says grace was given to him to bring the message of Christ to the gentiles.

What we know of Paul's life, he experienced God's grace himself. The Lord reached out to him and changed the course of his life. But Paul also came to a more fuller understanding of this grace. That God wanted to reach all people as much as God wanted to reach him. Make no mistake, if the Lord wants to be in communion with any of us, that's God's grace at work. Part of our receiving God's favor is then extended that grace outward to others.

For Paul, it was to the gentiles. Don't loose sight of how staggering that was for Paul and many others like him. As the apostle understood it, God had been preparing the world to hear this message for some time. God had always wanted to expand the family of God. But that "mystery was not made known to humankind." Until it was.

And when it was, God instituted the church. Not church buildings and church services or church committees. The church, the redeemed family of God.

That family comes with a built-in mission. A grace-filled mission. It is to make disciples of Jesus Christ that have come to know God's grace for themselves and that are learning to be prepared to extend that grace. Grace has to remain at the center of all we do because it will always be at the center of our life with God. We don't experience God's presence or power without God's grace. And we are fully the church as we live out our mission of grace. 

Stay blessed...john

There's a question I heard one pastor ask. Since I heard it several months ago, I've probably thought about it every day. The question centered on a hypothetical situation. If Jesus came and pastored your church, what would his ministry look like?

Think about every aspect of your church's ministry. What would Jesus change about your order of worship? The place and time you worship? How would evangelism happen? What would the focus be for your church? Essentially, what would Jesus change about your church?

Many pastors, apparently, affirmed Jesus would change everything. So, the question is, Then why won't you change even one thing?

It'd be easy to use that example to embolden our leadership. But that's another example, perhaps, of what Jesus would change. He'd take our minds off the leadership industry so we can refocus on discipleship.

I was reading a that included results of a small poll. The study was something about finances. It asked participants what added to their economic hardships. Unsurprisingly, some mentioned government policies and rising costs. There was a decent sized list of other reasons. The author's point, though, wasn't finances. He recognized something.

No one put themselves on the list.

No one thought to mention their impulsive spending habits as a problem. They didn't blame themselves for taking out too much credit. Those unused gym and club memberships are just a part of being alive, apparently. As are overpriced coffees. And ruinous car payments.

For the people in this poll, their problems had to be someone else's fault.

It's thought that teachers used the collection of Proverbs to teach young boys how to grow into adulthood. Consider that as you read the opening. The book begins with a defining purpose statement. What you'll read in the thirty one chapters has a point. To help you find God's wisdom. As a listener, both ancient and modern, you'll learn understanding and instruction. You'll find guidance for your life and you'll find wisdom added to your learning.

The opening of Proverbs doesn't explicitly speak to the poll results we just shared. And I don't recall it says it anywhere else. But there is a strikingly similar theme repeated throughout. Look at Proverbs 1:7: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

According to Proverbs, fools don't have God's wisdom. It's not because they can't have it. Wisdom is a gift of God. Fools, though, don't blame themselves. They've been given the power and resource to gain wisdom. But why would they look to their own rejection and inner desires? It's easier to blame God or anyone else.

Stay blessed...john

I met someone this week with questions about faith and prayer. This person had never prayed before, and certainly didn't consider themselves religious. So much so, that, being in a particular struggle, the thought of reaching out in prayer now seemed hypocritical. There was a lot of conversation about concepts of God and belief in the Lord. But the main question was, "Who am I praying to?"

In your praying, are you sure who or even what you're praying to? The next time you're in worship, pay attention to how we address God. Typically, there are reminders of who God is. Even when we call to mind things God has done, we're still connecting to God's identity. So, if we're praying to the God who created all things, for example, we're recognizing the Lord as our Creator.

This recent conversation reminded me of something important. We do well to maintain our sense of wonder at our personal communion with God. Personal and communal communion, of course. That is, God has been made known to us. And we are known to God.

Isn't that what we're celebrating at Christmas? Isn't that what John Wesley said was the best of all? God with us!

My prayer to start a new year is to ask God to stir in me a desire to seek God with all that I have. To know more the God I pray to. I'll do so with this promise: When we seek God, we see God.

And this God isn't some random, unknown being beyond our grasp.

When the shepherds came to the manger, the left glorifying God. Their eyes had seen God's promise in the flesh. A few days later, his parents gave the promise a name: Jesus.

Jesus taught us to pray. Whether we feel like we're using the right words or not, God hears us. So, start praying where you are, with whatever understanding you have. That's where God meets you. And the Lord will take you from there.

Considering all that, as we start a new year, let me leave you with this blessing. May it guide you as you seek to know more the God you pray to: 

The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you
and give you peace.

Happy New Year!

Stay blessed...john