Wake up!

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Romans 13:11-14)

"The concrete imagery (getting up in the morning and getting dressed) is an unusually common metaphor for such a profound spiritual reality, and it reminds believers that the life of faith... is a life of discipleship, intentionally following Jesus in the most common and practical matters. Discipleship is following Jesus step by step in the direction he leads, as opposed to any other and, as the Greek says in verse 13, "walking honorably." [James Edwards, Commentary on Romans]

New Orleans Trip 3

After playing around with this I now have the video from our third team's time in March. Enjoy!

Thank You

To all who have gone before, all who serve now and all who will serve. Thank you.

More Congo

Several years ago a saying emerged regarding Cornerstone. It wasn't a witty statement nor was it something noted for its originality. None-the-less there was a sense that it was of God and it was for us. The saying is simply this:

"God wants to change the world by touching lives in Pullman."

This statement has proven true in a number of ways. Mainly in the number of people who move from Cornerstone/Pullman to other parts of the country (or world) and are involved in ministry where they now live. But it has also shown itself to be the case in our trips to serve in San Francisco or New Orleans. Lives have been touched.

Now we are looking at possible involvement in the Congo.

I am getting ready for the vision trip in July with the understanding it will be mainly about listening and learning from our Congolese brothers and sisters already ministering there. Discovering their hearts, their struggles and their victories while listening to the Lord about how we might help them do what He has called them to. I am excited about this.

Yet now the Lord has thrown in a little twist. As it turns out, we will be arriving just prior to a major pastor's conference and the conference has extended an invitation for the pastors on this trip to address the conference two different times. What a privilege! Although going from being an observer of the church ministry there to presenting at a pastor's conference is a little surprising, I find that I am really looking forward to it.

What has prompted this post beginning with the phrase "God wants to change the world by touching lives in Pullman" is that I anticipated this trip being a vision trip. A trip to learn how God might use us in the future to more directly "change the world". I did not think he might also want to use this trip now. But Abba Father can be surprising at times. Yet, then again, it makes sense when I look back on the emphasis we have placed on equipping believers that God might grant me an opportunity to do a little equipping on this trip.

But to do this means I will need your prayers. At present I know I will speak twice at the conference and preach both Sundays we are there as well (average service length is 2-4 hours, oh my!). But it appears there may be some other opportunities developing to encourage pastors as well. What this means is that the schedule is somewhat fluid, but that's okay, because God wants us there to serve. So, please be praying for me/us and the trip. Pray for protection, provision and guidance. For team chemistry and sensitivity to the Spirit and to the people. Most of all, for the Lord Jesus to be lifted high.

Adventure on!

Grace Upon Grace

In Romans twelve Paul explains how the Gospel should touch our lives and how we should respond to it. He begins with worship and a renewed mind, then moves to a right view of one's self, serving and loving fellow believers and loving those not yet in the Kingdom. He closes by exhorting people to bless those who persecute them. How can they do that?

It turns out to be Grace Upon Grace

Love Sincere

In this portion of Romans 12 Paul admonishes the believers in Rome to display genuine love for one another. It's to be a love that is without hypocrisy nor is it to be staged. A love without masks, it is to be Love Sincere

Thinking Rightly About Me

In Romans 12 Paul speaks of the need to offer our bodies to God in worship and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. In the verses that follow Paul says that we need to think rightly about ourselves, our gifts and our brothers and sisters in Christ.


Think rightly about "Me"

Laying it down

Here's some food for thought. Whether or not you agree with the points presented, consider the importance of tithing in your spiritual transformation into the image of Jesus.

(The following is an excerpt from the May/June RELEVANT magazine cover story)

There’s no escaping the consumer culture we live in. So how can we cultivate a passion for giving, justice and faith? The experts point to the words of Jesus.

Like many of Jesus’ teachings, the story of the Rich Young Ruler is represented more than once (from different perspectives) in the Gospels, but both accounts are very similar. A few logical deductions can be made from the introduction to the story: The Bible (in Mark 10) says that a man runs to Jesus and falls on his knees when he reaches Christ, begging Him for the secret to eternal life, so obviously, he is seeking Jesus. In Luke’s version of the story, we find out early on that this man is very wealthy. Christ tells the rich, eager listener that no one is good and reminds him of all of the commands of God (don’t murder, steal, commit adultery, etc.). You can imagine his excitement when he tells Jesus that he has followed these rules since he was a boy.

Then Jesus drops the bomb: “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Luke 18:25, TNIV). The Bible says that the man becomes very sorrowful. Afterward, Jesus continues: “It is easier for the camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:25).

Based on this story, does Christ really want us to sell everything and give it to the poor, or was He speaking in metaphor about personal sacrifice? How does Jesus want us to live?

Don Miller explains: “This guy had said, ‘I do everything right,’ and Jesus said, ‘Well, do this.’ And he couldn’t do it. Jesus was trying to say, ‘See, you’re not OK; you’re sick just like everybody else is sick.’ Then He says, ‘I’ll heal you.’ And the guy says, ‘No, I want to stay sick.’”

The sickness, Miller says, really has more to do with where one’s heart is and, like the rich ruler, how much control money has in an individual’s life. “The real issue is about addiction,” Miller says. “And it’s about addiction to money. We live in a culture that’s addicted to money, and we’re addicted to what money can buy us. And we’re fooled into thinking that, ‘I can buy this product, and this product will make me happy.’ And we’re fooled because the average American sees 3,000 commercial images a day. It’s like somebody constantly asking you if you want crack—3,000 times a day. And you only take it once a day ... that’s not good.”

Tony Campolo believes the story of the rich young ruler should be literally interpreted. “There is first of all, no question that it’s about money,” he says. “He goes on in the rest of the chapter when the apostles are asking Him to explain the meaning of what He has just done. He says specifically about riches: ‘It’s harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.’ Now, there is no way to avoid the monetary nature of what is being dealt with here. It’s money; it’s material things. And Jesus is saying that you’ve got a choice to make. Are you going to live for the material aspects of this life, or are you going to live for spiritual gratifications? And are you going to be My disciple?”

Shane Claiborne adds a wrinkle—the story of the rich young ruler illustrates how we, as followers of Christ, must always be reminded of our role to help the poor. “He says, ‘Sell everything and give it to the poor.’ He doesn’t just say, ‘Sell everything’; He says, ‘Give it to the poor.’ I believe that—from over and over in Jesus’ teaching—Jesus is showing that our faith has to be connected to the poor.”

Claiborne says a certain posture is needed to make the connection. “I think it’s so important to not get stuck in, ‘Oh, I’ve got to give up everything out of duty.’ Just as the Scriptures say sell everything you have and give it to the poor, they also say we can sell everything we have and give it to the poor, but if we don’t have love, it’s meaningless.”

Miller says a good place to start is through the biblical principle of tithing. Laid out by God to the Israelites in the Old Testament, God required His people to give back 10 percent of their increase—the best crops and livestock. It’s a principle that many Christians follow today. Again, he relates America’s addiction to consumerism to a drug addict, now going through withdrawal. “For a follower of Christ, in our culture, the best way for me to understand it, in my own heart, is [to say], ‘If I’m not in withdrawal pretty often, then there is something wrong.’ And so how do I go through withdrawal concerning material issues? Being able to tithe is the way I enter into withdrawal."

Jesse Carey

Relevant Magazine