Today marks the beginning of a new series that I hope will give shape to the concept of “discipleship,” one of the two primary thrusts of the Christian life. I call the other primary thrust “outreach,” and I am convinced that anyone who desires to follow Jesus should be actively involved in each of these modes of spiritual growth. What that involvement looks like will, naturally, change over time and from person to person. My hope is that this series of articles will prompt you to think about how the practices of discipleship and outreach can take shape and grow in your own life.
Why I Love Baseball
March is well-known in the sports world for being the time of “March Madness,” when over sixty college basketball games are packed into three weekends. Over the years, I have enjoyed filling out a bracket for fun and watching how most of my predictions turn out to be completely wrong. And I’ve grown an appreciation for the pace, tempo, and energy of that kind of game.
But nothing in the sports world compares to my love of baseball.
The Bible and Cosmos
Last year, many Christians – including me – were very excited by a new TV miniseries entitled “The Bible.” That miniseries retold the great stories of our faith through modern eyes. Another retelling of some fantastic stories is taking place in another new TV miniseries entitled “Cosmos.” And I am equally as excited about this series as I was about “The Bible” last year.
Let Them Come Up Here
Today, Tara and I sang in a choral concert at Memorial Presbyterian Church in Midland. The concert featured a 45-minute piece of music entitled “Requiem,” written by the 20th Century French composer Maurice Durufle. It’s a beautiful piece that is very familiar to me, since I sang it with a different choir a decade ago. Singing along with a hundred other singers, a small orchestra, and a recently installed pipe organ was a tremendous experience. There’s something about religious choral music that speaks to my heart in powerful ways.
Why I Can’t Read Matthew Henry Anymore
Matthew Henry, an English Presbyterian minister who died 300 years ago, is well-known for writing lengthy commentaries on every chapter of the Old and New Testaments. His thoughts are often very helpful to Bible students; he provides background information and insights on any passage of scripture you might choose. His commentaries are in the public domain and are free to read electronically; I have downloaded them as part of the Bible study software that I use on a regular basis. Occasionally, but not often, I have read Henry’s thoughts while studying a particular passage.
I’m going to have a much harder time doing that now.
The Belong Blog
Today I would like to let you in on a little project that is growing among some friends of mine. Several of us went to seminary together and have remained in contact even though we are serving in different parts of the country (and world). You may recall that two of these friends pastor the churches with whom we sponsored Sudipta Nanda to attend last year’s Global Gathering in Anderson. We all care deeply about the Church of God, and we believe in what it stands for. And this year, we are starting with a new series of blog posts: each of us will take a turn explaining how we came to the Church of God and why we are committed to its future.
This blog is found online at www.mthaley.org/belong – it is hosted on our church’s website but is completely separate from our church’s online presence. Please take a few minutes to read the initial post of this series (written by my friend Gwynne Watkins from Dayton, Ohio) and my contribution to the series. And check back in regularly, because more stories will be posted in the coming weeks! Please do leave comments to let us know what you think, as well. We believe this conversation is important!
Pastor David
The Year in (P)Review
Today is the last day of 2013, and a new year is soon to dawn. In fact, I have a friend who lives in New Zealand, and at this moment she is already several hours into 2014! The future is always very nearly upon us.
At this time of year, we often look back on the year that has passed, and we consider what the upcoming year may hold. I invite you to take a few moments to reflect on the life of Mt. Haley Church of God with me.
Sing Lullaby
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19 NIV)
What if Mary, the mother of Jesus, had known the entire course of her son’s life at the moment of his birth? What if she knew that his life and ministry would spark a religious conflict in Jerusalem resulting in his execution? What if she could grasp the prophetess Anna’s words, “and a sword will pierce your own soul too” (Luke 2:35b NIV)? What if she could see the glory of Jesus’s resurrection, the promise of eternal life, even as he lay in her arms as a newborn?
Successful Worship
Today, I read an article posted on the Church of God Ministries news website. This article is entitled “Turning Hearts and Minds Toward God in Worship,” and it explains the approach to worship taken by one large Church of God congregation in Scottsdale, Arizona. There are some incredible stories coming from that congregation: many people being baptized as believers, many people engaging in mission projects in that community, worship attendance doubling over the past four years.
But what I find fascinating in this article is how they describe their approach to worship.
Church of God Convention Moves to OKC
This past June, I wrote about the new movement in our identity as Church of God people: our new General Director, Rev. Jim Lyon, is using the phrase “Jesus is the subject” as the primary rallying cry for the Church of God in this present time. In that article, I called this phrase a “wonderful starting point.” I still believe that to be true: that “Jesus is the subject” is a wonderful theological truth, and that it is just the beginning of the reflections we can make on our identity as the Church of God.
In the past few weeks, many important changes have been unveiled by Church of God Ministries, our movement’s central offices in Anderson, Indiana. I would like to discuss one of them in particular with you, the Mt. Haley Church of God family, in this article.