Tag: Regular

In our community at Grace Chapel we are currently studying through the Revelation of John. It’s a fascinating letter that challenges believers to remain faithful and true to the gospel until Jesus returns. A significant piece of the message is that the follower of Jesus will experience suffering. Life will not be all roses and puppies. I have experienced suffering only as a child. My parents divorced when I was nine and that was painful. My grandmother, Mimi, died suddenly in a car accident the summer after my freshman year in college. Those things were hard. Now as an adult, who is a parent, and a pastor, I am learning that the admonitions about suffering in the Scriptures are real. This week God has seen fit to enroll Amy and I into Suffering 099. It’s a remedial course. No credit given. The frustration that comes from the deep seated selfishness that is present within me is ugly. Thankfully we are only dealing with pneumonia. It...

There are few shows that speak to the human condition as regularly and poignantly as Fox Television’s Fringe. The most recent episode, “Wallflower” is a parable on the human need to be known. Spoiler Alert — If you have DVR’ed the episode stop reading and come back. The Fringe team has to investigate mounting murders around Boston. Murders that are apparently being done by an invisible man. They find that there is a man, Eugene, who has a rare genetic disorder that has made him invisible. He has figured out how to take people’s pigment from them so that he can be visible. Eugene had gone through his entire life with nobody seeing him. Could you imagine? Never being seen. Alive, but not seen. We all desire to be seen. Every kid at every sporting event, play, or performance scans the crowd looking for Mom and Dad. They want to be seen. My home reverberates with, “Daddy, watch this. Mommy, watch this.” To be seen is hardwired into us. Why...

This is a recent sermon I gave on Revelation 6. Grace_111120_reduced.mp3 Listen on Posterous ...

It’s crazy when you begin to self reflect. I don’t recommend it. It’s not very much fun. You begin to grab hold of some things that you take for granted or take lightly and find that you need to change. I love change. I love changing other things. I hate changing me. Do you want to hear a confession? I truly enjoy social media. One night I was a Tigers playoff game and bantering back and forth with a number of friends on Twitter. It added to my enjoyment of the game. It was all out “there”. Last night a few of us started talking about Twitter. A comment was made that has stuck like a “splinter in the brain” and brought some of my self reflection full circle. He said, “You guys put so much stuff out there it’s really hard to find what’s valuable.” As a pastor, there is one thing I know, words matter. I desperately want my words to count and to have meaning....

This is an image from an article that just hit my news stream and I am sure that it will begin to pop up in more and more places. It’s one of those that picks up steam. It’s embarrasing and frustrating. It begs a bigger a question… What is the gospel? Scot McKnight has done a great job exploding the Gospel myth that he refers to as “The Plan of Salvation”. The myth is that the Romans Road or the Four Laws are the “Gospel”. News flash: They aren’t. The Gospel is big and broad. It is the all encompassing story that makes sense of all other stories. Pay attention this Advent season. You may just hear the Gospel. ...

See the full gallery on Posterous Part of the traditional hanging of the ornaments in our home includes Amy telling the story of each ornament. The first ornament hung is always the same. It’s hung in honor of my Mimi. Her legacy will always live because her story will always be told. Over the course of the next four weeks we will be telling the story of another. He is the one who would come and culminate all the stories of all the world. His is the greatest story. Do you know it? ...

content Leadership As Influence By Charles Lee Leadership is often defined as influence. In my opinion, everyone possesses the ability to “influence” or lead others in the general sense of the word, but not everyone is a leader (i.e., someone who functions in a publicly recognized role of guiding and/or influencing others). There are numerous individuals who influence the lives of many and yet don’t function well once given a key role of leadership in an organization and/or company. The reality is that leadership in a formal sense requires a certain set of perspectives, values, and praxis that very few are able to carry out well. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with some phenomenal leaders that are literally changing the landscape of our world. Here are a few insights I’ve picked up about what it takes to become a great leader: Pain Frames Purpose — Great leaders do not run away from pain, but rather, recognize that pain is what truly forms and informs...

Last night I realized why it is going to be very difficult for the Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup. Jimmy Howard is a very good goalie. However, when going against an elite goaltender there will be a significant difference in the way the game is.called. The whistles for Luongo were quicker and that made all the difference. The Wings lost last night and it was because the whistles were just a little to slow on one end and a little to fast on the other. That was the function of one goalie being a hall of famer and another being a young player still earning his stripes. ...