TRANSFORMATION FORUM

In my ever-increasing hunger for our community to experience the grace of Christ, I am drawn constantly to Isaiah 58. A few years back I preached a series of sermons from this chapter, spiritually sensing the need to sound an alarm regarding religiosity. I can assure you it was not received well by the church. These passages challenge our perception of church, true worship and our spirituality. The words speak to false religion.  Like Judah and Jerusalem, “religion” has infected the Church of Jesus Christ and the body of Christ. Religion breeds separation. This separation is greater than denominational divide; at the core, religion separates us from the lost in our community. For a moment, consider how we “do church.” When we “do church”, we are always at the church. On occasion we may venture into the community, beachfronts, parades, etc but for the most part we expect the lost to come and “do church” at the church. We even provide transportation to church. If we are honest with our

Our ability to forgive others is not an instantaneous ability given to Christians. Quite the contrary, our ability to forgive others grows in direct proportion to our understanding of God’s forgiveness for our failings. Forgiving others is one of the greatest challenges each Christian must learn, and we can only learn the peace of forgiveness through experience. First, and most important lesson, is to accept God’s forgiveness towards us, personally! God forgives us; however, we do not forgive ourselves. No matter our past failings, only God can weave a beautiful tapestry from the broken strands of thread and yarn of our lives. As God begins to weave the story of our lives as God has planned for each of us, it is not necessarily a clear vision. However, in time we are able to see with greater clarity the efforts of God’s labor in our lives. It is in those moments, our heart leaps forth in desire for others to experience the mercy of God. Our prayers of desperation for ourselves turn int

There are times in our lives we are hemmed in spiritually and physically on all sides of life.  We feeling as if we are unable to escape! Trapped, hardness all around us, we are held captive and enslaved by the battering nature of sin! We pray, meditate, engage God deeply and desperately, still relief is absent from the present day. Habakkuk, the prophet, had this very experience when the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation, swept over Jerusalem, bringing captivity and enslavement. I confess to all as I view and work within our Jerusalem, I see the Chaldean spirit enslaving the beloved people of our community. People are frustrated, pained, and filled with bitterness born out of relentless afflictions. But wait, this is not the final perspective of our community, there is a vision of God for our community. In Habakkuk, the LORD calls us to write of the vision, to in script it plainly for all to read. The LORD tells Habakkuk, and us the vision is for an appointed time, the vision wil

There are times in the life of the Church of Jesus Christ that Christianity as a whole movement needs to take a stand in opposition to the likes of Pat Robertson. Pat Robertson speaks in a spirit of condemnation whenever there is a significant disaster. I do not argue against the idea that sin is insidious and we reap what we sow in sin. However, in this instance Robertson speaks as an “after the fact” prophet! How safe! His pronouncement is ignorant of the amazing missionary work and the Haitian Christian Community. This community has labored with the love of Christ to serve the needs of the people. Great sacrifice is made by the Christian community to feed, house, educate, and care for the people of Haiti. This is a nation of children where 40 percent of the population is under the age of 14 years. Pat Robertson’s statement is insulting to the lives lost while attempting to serve the people Haiti. In his statement, Robertson states “True Story.” I have included the quote below: &quo

The magnitude of transforming a community may be perceived as “overwhelming” for those saints laboring in prayer and ministry. Yet it is only a perception and not a reality. Charles Spurgeon’s devotion “Mighty to save” speaks to us important words of encouragement. I personally grow weary in prayer as I wait for God’s work to save and transform our community. Frustration plagues my soul with the continuing advancement of sin and all the insidious problems infecting our community. However, I must disciple myself to remember only Christ is “mighty to save.” The words of Pastor Spurgeon are not tempered words, the words are strong and direct. Beyond the words that speak to compelling people to repent, I am deeply encouraged by the words “Oh, give not up thy prayers, for Christ is "mighty to save." You are powerless to reclaim the rebel, but your Lord is Almighty.” I am a witness for Christ, but Christ is Salvation and Lord! "MIGHTY TO SAVE." ISAIAH 63:1 By the word

Currently, in our community, there are a great number of events challenging the lives of many people. Recently, with a group of friends, we spent time considering this very issue. We first identified the positive challenges and some of the exciting youthful leadership coming forward to participate in many positions of influence. At a recent conference, it was great to see so many motivated citizens conversing, planning, and learning about our economic potential. The participants themselves were most impressive; citizens from all different lifestyles, and more importantly the different ages of these citizens. It was certainly a cornucopia of expertise, leadership, and vision. It was a heady experience to listen and exchange ideas with so many deeply committed citizens striving to improve our local economy. Our best and brightest citizens involved in business, local government, and leadership stirred in me a new hope for our community. However, equally evident was that improved e