Family using telescope outside cabin at night under star-filled sky

Summer Reruns: Reflections on Camp

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A couple of years ago, we made the intentional decision to make the month of June really busy at my church. Okay, so that wasn’t our primary goal. Rather, we sought to make the month of July really quiet by cancelling basically everything except a handful of necessary meetings and our normal Sunday morning activities. The goal was to create time for everyone to vacation and rest and recuperate from a busy year before we got another one started in August with the start of school. In order to do that, we have to schedule all of our camps and Vacation Bible School in June. So, June is really busy. But four years ago this week, I was at camp as a chaperone. It was the first time I had been in quite a while, and it was a blast. This morning let’s take a look back at some reflections on the week and the wonder of the world God has created us to enjoy.

Morning Musing: Jeremiah 32:17
Toddler sitting with arms crossed in timeout while parent watches with hand on forehead

Summer Reruns: When Happiness Isn’t Enough

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In this post from 2020, a reflection on parenting proves to be an invitation to a broader reflection on God’s commitment to seeing us become more fully who He made us to be. The challenge here is that He made us to be perfect reflections of His holiness and righteousness. Perhaps you have noticed, but we are not a particularly holy or righteous people on our own. Getting us to that point takes some work on His part. It is work He is willing to do, but it is work that we are not likely to enjoy, especially if we are very committed to the sin currently standing in the way of our reaching that point. Our happiness isn’t God’s goal. Our holiness is. Let’s look back together today to see some of what this means for us.

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Worry About Yourself First

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Last week, I was out of town, and Pastor Dave did a great job walking everyone through the second part of Matthew 6. This week we are getting into the final third of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus opens this next section talking about judgment, and specifically not judging others. Or does He? What Jesus has to say about judgment here is more nuanced than it seems, often misunderstood, and absolutely vital for us to get right. Let’s dive in.

Worry About Yourself First

Have you ever been judged before? I don’t mean in a court of law. I mean you did something somebody else didn’t think you should have done and they made sure you knew it. Now, as for how they communicated this disapproval, the options are manifold. Maybe they just told you to your face that you were wrong. The direct approach usually does get the job done. Perhaps they didn’t use their words, but their face said plenty. I’ve been told I can sometimes use my outside voice without ever opening my mouth. Anybody else struggle with an overly expressive face? They could have been more indirect with their judgment as well, expressing their distaste for your chosen path in how they treated you thereafter. However they made their thoughts plain to you, if you were confident in your chosen course of action, you probably processed a single thought in your mind: I sure wish they would quit judging me. 

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Summer Reruns: Real Religion, Part 2

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Yesterday, we took a look at an old post from James that has our Lord’s half-brother describing what real, good, God-honoring religion should look like. What that first part of this two-part reflection established is that even people who profess to have no religion at all are a whole lot more religious than they think. This second part has us diving further into what James describes as the right kind of religion. The bottom line is this: real religion should accomplish kingdom good. If it’s not, then it’s bad religion. And there are few things worse than bad religion. Let’s take a closer look together at just what makes the kind of religion that is worth having.

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Woman sitting on couch looking frustrated at distorted TV screen showing a sports game with signal interference

Summer Reruns: Real Religion

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It never fails. Anytime a movie or TV series presents religious people these days, they are always the bad guys. Always. And, the more religious someone is in the script, the worse of a bad guy they are. The only solution here – as far as our culture sees it – is to become less religious. Well, while bad religion and people who claim religion but don’t actually live up to their religion’s moral expectations are certainly a problem, religion itself isn’t necessarily the problem. The antidote for bad religion is not less religion, but good religion. James here tells about a couple of things that make religion good religion. Let’s take a look.

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