Reflections: May 24, 2009

This week's "Reflection" by Gary Keith, Executive & Teaching Pastor

This week we picked up our According to Jim series in James chapter 3. This is a very familiar passage for anyone who has read James more than once - the bit in the horse's mouth, the rudder of the ship, the spark that sets a forest on fire. All of these are great illustrations that James uses to help us understand the need for each of us to tame our tongue.

 

But I think the most impacting part of this weekend's message for me comes in verses 11 and 12. Here we learn that our tongue reveals who we really are. Oh, we can pretend for awhile, but sooner or later our tongue will portray what is really in our hearts. So may we be about submitting our hearts daily to the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to transform us and transform our tongues. My prayer this week will be focused on asking God to reveal my heart to me so I might grow into a more accurate picture of Jesus.

 

How did this weekend's message affect you? What are you reflecting on? Feel free to share it with me in the blog below.

 

God Bless! Have a great "taming of the tongue" week!

Reflections: May 17, 2009

This week's "Reflection" by Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Teaching & Worship

As I continue to read through James 2:14-26, I am both discouraged and invigorated by the call that I have as a believer. There is a bit of discouragement simply because I see what a high calling to live as Christ is, and how short I fall on a pretty consistent basis. But there is also a real motivating aspect as I look at the challenge put before me as someone who has the opportunity to communicate God’s truth and love to those around me. As you re-read this passage and reflect on what is expected from those who call themselves Christ-followers, what are some opportunities in the past where you have responded to the call to live out your faith? Has God revealed anything to your heart in regards to ways that you can step out more faithfully in the future? Your story could be a real testimony to speak to others as an encouragement to live in a way that honors God and speaks of the faith we claim to have, so please feel free to share. Have a great week of living for God!

Reflections: May 10, 2009

This week's "Reflection" by Gary Keith, Executive & Teaching Pastor

This week's message was another direct and practical message from James. It feels like each week James addresses issues that are just as relevant to us today as to the people he wrote to in the first century. Yes, prejudice is still alive in the 21st century and the equally difficult truth to swallow is that prejudice is alive in the Christian church. May God help us to change this!

 

As I reflect on today's passage I think about the difficulty we all have when it comes to loving others unconditionally. I think this is hard because in the human experience we have very few (if any) examples to follow. So let me ask you a question: How do you grow when it comes to loving others unconditionally? How do you know when you are doing well in this area? How has the Bible been helpful to you in this growth area? After being in church today what plans do you have to grow in this area? Let's be a community and learn from each other.

 

By the way, thanks for those of who who said encouraging words about today's message. Way to live the truth I mentioned as part of the passage!

Reflections: May 3, 2009

This week's "Reflection" by Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Teaching & Worship

Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. (James 1:19)

Those are three very difficult things for me to live out in my life, but I have also seen that when these things are put into practice, relationships flourish!

This week I want to challenge each of you to think of a situation or relationship where you can implement silence for the purpose of being a better listener and hearing others out. Consider a relationship where maybe you have done most of the talking and have forgotten to try and understand what the other person may be trying to say. Maybe some of these situation or relationships have produced anger and need to be mended through prayer and good communication.

James tells us that if our “religion” is only theoretical and not being lived out, that it is worthless. This means that true religion is not about going to church or reading the Bible, but what you do with what you hear and read. Take some time this week and examine your “religion” and see if it stands up to the test of real life application. Have a great week!