Through His Eyes

Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.Rom.12:2 (MSG) Then you can see things through His eyes.

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Location: Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas, United States

I have the best job in the world. I am the Pastor and Church planter of Life Connection Church. I am married to Lisa for 27 years and have two adult children, Brooke 23, Nick 21 that have been and still are an incredible blessing to my life. Brooke is a graduate of UTA and is in the corporate world and Nick is a business major at Texas Christian University.

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

New Narnia Movie 'Powerful' by Cal Thomas


The Movie based on the C. S. Lewis classic “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, Narnia will be released on December 9. I believe all Christians should put this on their family movie list for the season and take family, friends, unchurched, non-believer friends.

At our church we have tracts available that share the Gospel through the movie and it's characters.

Cal Thomas wrote a great endorsement for seeing the film. Thomas writes,

November 22, 2005

Today is the 42nd anniversary of the death of C.S. Lewis. Lewis’ legacy is about to be discovered by a new generation. On December 9, a film of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” will be released in thousands of American theaters and many others around the world.

This film has everything Christians have sought in a movie – it is well-written, well-acted and it contains a solid metaphor for Jesus Christ in the person of Aslan the lion that is subtle enough to stimulate conversation with unbelievers.

It is a powerful film. I saw it last Friday night at a screening in New York and tears came to my eyes; not only because of the content, but because Walden Media and Disney have teamed up to give us something we can cheer and support.

It is important that we do both. Buy tickets and see this film when it is released. Take family and friends. Invite nonbelievers. Make these companies a huge profit and they will make more of these types of films. It’s all about supply and demand. If we show by our ticket purchases that we demand, they will supply.


Friday, November 11, 2005

We Know What Holiday It Is

It is hard to believe the holiday season is on us. Last Monday, on my day off, I cruised into Ft. Worth just to chill and hang out around town and Christmas decorations were going up all over the place. I know that some of the places that are already decorated for Christmas have trained their employees that they are not getting ready for Christmas, so don't say Merry Christmas, they are just preparing for the biggest retail season of their year. Trees, wreaths, bows, and Baby Jesus are just decorations to get people excited about buying gifts.

Now before you get all worked up again about how non-Christians don't get it and how marginal Christians care more about profit and tolerance (for anything but Christianity) remember, Jesus didn't say decorate for Christmas so everyone will know who He is. He said, be obedient, live for Him, and go and make disciples. We can celebrate Jesus all we want without having "Merry Christmas" signs in our favorite stores. We can be nice to the overworked and underpaid clerk who is trying to earn extra money to buy presents for her kids. We can live a life of faith with a clear conscience be kind to our neighbor, and tell her about how important Jesus is in our lives. We can make moral decisions at work and be nice to our co-workers for Jesus.

Give Jesus a present for His birthday. I have an idea. Let's give Jesus presents all year long. You say, What? Jesus says, "Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?' 40 And the King will tell them, 'I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!' Matt 25:37-40

Practical Irrelevance of Actual Obedience to Christ


Quote: The Divine Conspiracy, by Dallas Willard
From introduction: pge. XV

"More than any other single thing, in any case, the practical irrelevance of actual obedience to Christ accounts for the weakened effect of Christianity in the world today, with its increasing tendency to emphasize political and social action as the primary way to serve God. It also accounts for the practical irrelevance of Christian faith to individual character development and overall personal sanity and well being."

"The most telling thing about the contemporary Christian is that he or she simply has no compelling sense that understanding of and conformity with the clear teachings of Christ is of any vital importance to his or her life, and certainly not that is in any way essential. We---including multitudes who have distanced themselves from any formal association with Him---still manage to feel guilty with referance to those teachings, with a nervous laugh and a knowing look. But more often than not, I think, such obedience is regarded as just out of the question or impossible. This largely is because obedience is thought of solely in terms of law."

"Individual Christians still hear Jesus say, "whoever hears these words of mine and does them is like those intelligent people who build their houses upon rock, "standing firm against every pressure of life (Matt. 7:24-25) How life-giving it would be if their understanding of the Gospel allowed them simply to reply, "I will do them! i will finf out how. I will devote my life to it! This is the best life strategy I ever heard of!" and then go off to their fellowship and its teachers, and into their daily life, to learn how to live in HIs Kingdom as Jesus indicated was best. "

Lord Jesus, may we have open hearts and minds to being obedient to Your Word in every part of our lives. May we be obedient children, obedient parents, obedient co-workers, obedient friends, obedient neighbors, obedient body of Christ. May people know we are your disciples by our obedience.

Training as an apprentice of Christ
Royal

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Imagine God's Blogs by Lanny Donoho


It is amazing how many people are blogging now, even though a large percentage of the population is not even familiar with the term "Blog."

Some people just seem to be able to write with great ease, while others like me, are hoping the blogging opportunity will help me learn to write better and add a teaching place. I also know some people get addicted to reading blogs while others are writing several different blogs a day. Others start and then leave their blog just sitting there like the treadmill in their garage.

What if God wrote a blog? Would you read it like you do the left and right and who knows what other side blogs? Would you link to His blog and check it daily for updates? Would you make anonymous comments? Just wondering.

Lanny Donoho has written "Imagine God's Blogs - Insights from His Site" and it is an interesting and clever read.

Check this out > From God's profile - Favorite Stuff I have done:
  • Setting the universe up to spin like it does...like a giant mobile
  • That Red Sea incident
  • Surprise Lazarus! You're back.
  • Used people know one knows to make a difference in millions lives.
  • Sent Jesus to earth
  • Rolled away the stone so He could come out and show you who I really Am.
  • Created You in MY image. (You look good)

Contact info. Just call Me...out loud, in your head, with your heart. I'll get it.