The Problem with the Rules . . . or the Possibilities
God is not out to get us. God is out to help us. God is for us, not against us.
When the Holy Spirit goes to work it can get messy. It can be less than dignified in the eyes of sophisticated church people, but it can be a downright threat to the leadership.
We can only meaningfully understand what is going on in the Bible by understanding and staying in touch with the larger biblical story in which we are situated.
The great danger for the disciples of Jesus, then and now, is to become too prideful to admit that our knowing (experience) has not caught up with our knowledge.
Compassion is not what we do with our loose change. It’s a way of being deeply attuned to other people, seeing past their need and into their nature.
Boundaries are not about protecting ourselves from people. Healthy boundaries prepare us for people.
Marriage is not about marriage. Marriage is about God. For those of us who are married, we need to make our own marriage matter by making our marriage about God.
There is no higher authority than the authority of Jesus, and he entrusts it to his followers. Are you in touch with this possibility in your own life?
To minister in the way of Jesus means we share in his authority to speak words of power and blessing into the lives of others.