Musing The Mysteries

After I gave this message to our church in Santa Cruz, CA one eighteen year old kid went out and got this Greek term “epieikes” tattooed down the entire left side of his torso. It’s actually a beautiful piece of art, but I don’t think his parents have talked to me since then! So, if you’re inclined to do the same, please don’t tell anyone that it was in response to my teaching!

As I said in the 1st of this series, “ACTitudes” is not a typo. It’s a composite of both “attitude” and action,” both of which are important to Christian development. I gave this message to our church in Santa Cruz on the qualities that Peter recorded in 2 Peter 1. The list of “ACTitudes” that Peter urges us to develop is: goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, brotherly kindness, and love. May the Spirit enable us all to be more like Jesus who displays each of these perfectly.

First of all, “ACTitudes” is not a typo, it’s a Wigetism; a word I made up, a composite of both “attitude” and action,” both of which are heavily involved in the lifestyle of the disciple of Jesus. These are right attitudes that lead to right actions. I gave this message to our church in Santa Cruz, CA sometime in the early 2000’s. It’s the first of a series of teachings from various passages on poignant lists of Christian character qualities. This one is based on the qualities that James recorded in his third chapter: “The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

This is a recording of a “Kitchen Table Talk” that I made years ago for one of our churches during a season in which we had a particular crisis that required supernatural forgiveness. Someone pointed out that the Church is a lot like Noah’s Ark. It might stink real bad from too many animals and not enough Lysol, but it is the only thing floating in the flood! Forgiveness is one of the keys for us to stay afloat.

When I was first diagnosed with cancer I worried about dying before my story was finished. I have some things I want to do before I go to be with Jesus. What you’ll find here is a brief “kitchen table talk” summary of an essay I posted on both my blog and website based on Jesus’ teaching in several passages in John’s Gospel. I’m both consoled to know that God will give me enough time to do everything he wants me to do and convicted that he will give me just enough time.

This is a message I’ve shared on several occasions over the years from Psalm 84 about suffering and how we can cooperate with God to turn our desert places into verdant gardens. The Psalm means immeasurably more to me now that I’ve experienced my own personal wilderness, and have seen God do what only God can do to – if not change my circumstances – change me in them.

This is a message that was fostered during an interactive teaching I gave in a house church in San Francisco. I learned as much as I taught that day from the tiny letter to Philemon about compassion – a profounder level of it than I had known before.

Shame Off You!

I had a conversation with a guy in the street who had served decades in prison for a double homicide he’d committed in his youth. He believes in Jesus but is still very wracked with guilt and shame. I shared with him the best I could about the freedom that Jesus brings and the next time I had an opportunity to preach in the Tenderloin during one of our street services I gave this message called: “Shame OFF You!” Here’s the gist of it in its sort of raw and street-preachy, first person form, done at my kitchen table.

Keep in mind the issues and illustrations I gave were for drug addicts, alcoholics, dealers, and all manner of people on the street. You might not have sinned the same sins of those sinners, but you’re still a sinner and the shame of anyone’s sin is still quite sticky and needs to be unstuck from our consciences. If you struggle with shame I hope this simple message helps you get free.

You can find the written form of this message at: http://musingthemysteries.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/shame-off-you/

I gave this message to a church in San Francisco with whom I have longstanding relationship. I shared with them about how God has scattered through his world six particular categories of clues to attract everyone to himself, and how that effects my own personal ways of sharing Christ with people. The church meets in a rented facility with a drop-dead-line time to exit the building before the next group enters. And since, as usual, I had more to say than time allowed, I moved along pretty quickly through the teaching. So think fast!

Since so many followers of Jesus are limited by spiritual timidity I gave this message to several churches in the Bay Area in 2013 on 2 Timothy 1:6-8 “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner.”