Sunday: The Holy Spirit and Being Spiritual

“I love worship at that church–they are so spiritual….Those are such spiritual men….She is so spiritual.” We talk about it a lot. We think we know what it is. Spiritual–what do we mean? What makes worship or a person or a Bible class spiritual? The idea of being spiritual and the word spirituality are not …

Surrender to What Counts

You will never be worth much to God in your Christian life until you learn this lesson: surrender to what counts. The spiritual disciplines must include surrender. In fact, surrender is likely the first, before any other discipline. Surrender is the ultimate expression of thinking like Jesus (Phil. 2:5-11). Until the lesson of ultimate surrender …

Accountable for What?

Peter several times mentions the problem of forgetting and the need for reminders (2 Pet. 1:9,12-15; 2:20-21; 3:1,5,8). Because we are prone to forget, we need reminders. There is too little “review” in the typical church. In the academic world, students review so they can pass a test. In many occupations, professional journals provide reviews …

Recession Doesn’t Change Church Attendance

I have heard speculation recently that the economic downturn is increasing the interest of the American population in religion (in a way parallel to the increase observed after 9/11). A new study released this week by Gallup (March 23, 2009) shows that church attendance and the importance of religion in our daily lives has not …

Spiritual Formation and Missionality

[Today I am sharing a comment I recently posted on Missional Outreach Network in the Missional Spiritual Formation Group. If this is an area of interest, I invite you to visit the Missional Outreach Network and join the conversation.] The spiritual body of Christ (in my observation) spends a lot of time in basic bodily …

Introspection

I love questions.   Questions teach–I learn.  Questions sharpen–I have to think.  Questions cut–they reveal my inner soul.  “Am I committed to something bigger than I am, that will last longer than I will?”  Good question!  The question has multiple dynamics. Am I committed?  Hard to measure.  What does it mean to be committed?  How committed?  A few …