My heart is drawn to a loving family.  Growing up my family had strengths and weaknesses just like yours.  In my case, my family of origin was not very close.  From that experience I have lived more independently and self-sufficiently.  This has helped me grow in some ways but also kept me from risking the vulnerability of close relationships.  This means I have missed out on God’s best as He invites me to share deeply with my spiritual family.  Close relationships are God-ordained and encourage me to love and risk and grow.  I am thinking of New Harvest as family more so these days and it is giving me hope and anticipated depth as we share our lives with each other more closely.  How does that sound to you?  Do you agree that family is the right description for a church body?  What draws you to the idea and what keeps you away?  I would love to hear from the family of God on this one!

There is another word that is used several times by the Apostle Paul in writing to the Philippians.  It is the word “thinking,” but it might be translated attitude, same-mind, dwell on or think about.  This word is mentioned 10 times and it sets everything in motion.  The strongest reference for me is Philippians 2:5, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”  Literally, the word could be translated “think like Jesus.”  That is obviously a mind-full of truth.

Since a blog is more about interaction I want to invite you to share about the importance of mind-set, which pertains to your thinking throughout the day.  There is nothing more active than your brain.  How you think will dictate your life!  Is that what you think?  Romans 8:5 says, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”   With thousands of thoughts circulating through your mind, how you think has a huge impact on your life.  How has this been true for you?  If you would take a minute to respond, I would like to share your thoughts with New Harvest next Sunday.  In meantime, may the Spirit direct your thoughts.  I read it leads to JOY!

This may not seem like something I have to prove; emotions are necessary.   But what if I were to say, “Emotions are a gift!”  I think emotions help me understand how I am responding; what is going on inside my soul.  They are like indicators on the dashboard of my heart.  That makes them especially necessary, even valuable.  But not all emotions are helpful.  Some emotions reveal the shrinking of my soul.  They expose my weakness; they show me my need.  But that is also valuable.  I have learned that even the heavy emotions I feel prepare me to want and need the emotions that fill and sustain me.  Emotions like love, joy, peace and hope.

Proverbs 17:22 reads, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”  Maybe I need to feel the crushed emotions so I long for the blessing of joy and the fullness of hope.  This Sunday I have the privilege of pointing to joy as it says in Nehemiah 8:10, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”  I want what the Lord has to offer – JOY.  That is sure to fill my envelop of emotion!

How do you understand emotions?  I would love to hear your reply!

9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

What do you think? Do these words apply to marriage? Obviously, I think so. In fact the 3 C’s that have proven to lead to satisfaction and longevity in marriage are found in this passage. I will list them in the opposite order of importance but still these three represent the most important ingredients to marriage.

1) Closeness – “If two lie down TOGETHER, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?”

2) Communication – “If one falls down, his FRIEND can help him up!”

3) Christ – “A cord of THREE strands is not quickly broken.”

You might question whether the passage is clearly teaching the 3 C’s but I am sure you can see how they fit. The partnership of marriage will be meaningful and satisfying if it is a partnership of closeness, communication and Christ-centered. What are your ideas? Why is marriage so crucial and yet so weak?

Thanks for letting me work out my wedding message for tonight! May God bless you marriage!

This leads me to my definition of “speaking the truth in love” with the most important characteristics. I will give you a list and ask you to add you thoughts as well as add other characteristics that make sense to you: 1) have their best in mind; 2) be led by the Spirit (follow God’s whispers); 3) plan your words beforehand; 4) express the truth graciously; 5) be quick to listen; 6) maintain humility; 7) use Scripture in a helpful manner; 8 ) give wise counsel; 9) leave the results to God; 10) ____________. Number 10 is for your answer. Communication is at the heart and soul of relational health. The wiser you communicate the better your relationships. Here’s to applying one of the wisest principles I know – SPEAK THE TRUTH IN LOVE.

What distinguishes a Christian the most? There are several answers that come to mind: love, peace within the storms of life, morality, assurance of heaven, kindness…but the answer I thought of would be “dependence on God.” Maybe that is why prayer in the most prevalent topic in the Word of God. Why prayer? My thoughts are about how prayer delights the heart of God. He promises strength, protection, hope and all things working out for the good of those who depend on Him, who love Him. Prayer is the connection that our Father God desires from us and with us. We can error in many ways but the person who depends upon the Lord will be blessed.

Then, the question I have for us, “Why so little prayer?” There might be several answers like busyness, spiritual apathy, “been there, done that,” etc. But, for me, the main reason is a lack of dependency on God. Do I really need the Lord’s help? A response of “yes” may just be wanting to answer the question with the right answer rather than the heartfelt sincerity of actually needing God. Think about your own prayer life: What motivates you to pray? Ask yourself some honest questions about prayer and give some honest answers as well. I appreciate any input you might have on the weakening emphasis of prayer in American Christianity.

My premise is that God does whisper because it’s in the Bible. I think of it like 1 Samuel 3 when God whispers to Samuel. In verse 1 the Bible says, “The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.” That sets up Samuel’s encounter with the whisper of God. The Lord whispers his name. Since the word of the Lord was rare, no one had explained to Samuel the reality of God’s heart to communicate with his children. But that didn’t change the ability of God to speak.

God’s whispers may be rare in our day as well. But that does not change the truth about God’s desire to communicate with us. How are we to understand God’s ability and willingness to lead us and teach us? That is my pursuit these days and that is why I’m jazzed. How have you experienced our communicating God? What do you think about the “whispers of God?” Do you have any experiences or ideas that you would share with me?

I experienced God’s nudge in my life recently. It was this impression, “tough love.” I am a soft-hearted man and tough love is not my favorite approach. But that’s why it seemed even more like God’s whisper; I needed to hear it. With His inspiration and courage, I followed through with the leading from Him. You know the result already, the person responded in a totally receptive way to my tough love. Thank God that he cared about a relationship in my life enough to nudge me in a direction I might avoid.

But what about proof of the resurrection? There are always attempts to find the bones of Jesus. Archeologists occasionally unearth remains that they say belong to Jesus. They can’t be. Our Lord left no bones and no body. In fact, many theologians have given significant proof that Jesus is resurrected. The disciples went to their martyred graves proclaiming that truth. The authorities had no body to march around to prove that their alibi was correct that the disciples stole the body. A small and remote idea called The Swoon Theory says that Jesus wasn’t actually dead that he was revived in the tomb, which some have suggested takes greater faith to believe than even the resurrection itself.

Obviously I am convinced of the proof. But is that the strongest message of the Christian faith the proof of the resurrection? Do you agree with that? Or is there something else that has even greater impact for the Gospel of Jesus Christ? I would be interested in your comments.