Transformation - Day 15

"So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But  now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. - Colossians 3:5-11


Paul sets out a list of thoughts and actions that Christ-followers are to have nothing to do with.  I will say it again and again and again - that Paul is not making up a bunch or religious "do nots" for their own sake.


Paul is practically saying - you are a new person - there is no reason to live like this.  Jesus saved you for a better life - a free life.

 A key point in this text is something that we should not overlook - "Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming."  It's a statement that reminds us that God does not take sin lightly.  I fear that often the church does take sin lightly.  Our "god" is all bark and no bite or a lovey-dovy Santa figure.  But God is holy and there is no place for sin to dwell in the presence of God.  This holy God loves us, sins and all, but he calls us out of that sin.  His love and holiness should motivate us to "clean up our act" or rather let God clean us up.

And that is the essense of what Paul points to next - "Now is the time to get rid of . . ."

I would suggest you read the list in an attitude of prayer.  It's called the prayer of examen.  Is there anger, slander, lying, filthy language, pornography, greed . . . in your life that God needs to remove?  Let God's Spirit bring to mind those places where you have missed the mark of God's will.  Confess, acknowledge them before God, seek mercy, and then rather than repeat, take the next steps to rid yourself of this dirt.  Find a spiritual running partner to hold you accountable.  Join a group.  Ask God for a good habit to replace the old - something you (and God) would enjoy more than the sin itself.

Come clean before God.  He knows your dirt anyway.  Let him clean you up.

Put on the new life.  "Be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and learn to be like him."

Can't you see that God expects change?  He wants to make you into the person He created you to be.  Why settle for a second hand- half human life?  God offers so much more.

Transformation - Day 4

So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,  who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. - 1 Colossians 1:9-14

Paul returns to the topic of prayer and I am again convicted by how much he is praying ("we have not stopped praying . . .") and what he prays for - not for medical healing, for finances/jobs, for safety, comfort . . .  rather  "we ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will . . .  spiritual wisdom and understanding."

Knowing God's will.  I really want to know AND FOLLOW God's will.  I want everyone at my church to know and follow God's will.  The results are mind-blowing.

• living this way honors and pleases God, 
• it produces every kind of good fruit (love, joy, peace, patience . . .)
• it brings greater intimacy with God ("know God better and better"

the second part of Paul's prayer - that the Colossians be strengthened with God's power for endurance, patience, thankfulness and joy.  I want more of God's power in my life.  I need to remain connected to Christ my source.

I am amazed at how often I come back to the life verse for The Vine. John 15:5, Jesus' words - "If you remain in me, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing."  My greatest task is to abide in Jesus.  Everything else flows from him.  I can accomplish some things in my own effort, even do some good, but none of it is sustainable.

And Paul uses the same language - intimacy with God, fruitfulness . . .  it starts with a prayer life that seeks God's will.

Father, I pray right now for those you have entrusted to my shepherding.  As we seek to become the faith community that you long for us to be, help me to stay connected to our Source, Jesus Christ, who is both the revealer of God's will and the power to keep me on the path.  Help us all to hunger for and seek your will, on the deepest level.  And as we hunger, feed us your good and perfect and pleasing will.  Then give us the courage and strength to be obedient.  May your people be filled with joy, always thanking You for the life you have given us, the freedom we have in Christ, the forgiveness of our sins, and the inheritance you've shared with us.  Father, transform us into the image of your Son.  Amen

Transformation - Day 3

"This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.  You learned about the Good News from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker. He is Christ’s faithful servant, and he is helping us on your behalf.  He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you." - Colossians 1:6-8

Paul is in prison, yet he exudes this incredible confidence - the Gospel (Good News) is going out all over the world.  An unstoppable force - changing lives.  It is such a beautiful positive image - I can see a smile cross Paul's face as he visions this wonderful gift of salvation and grace in Jesus Christ changing lives and spreading through the Middle East.  Christianity was a movement - a fire - a wind blowing through the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe.   In Paul's day, in conditions far less than ideal - fewer communication options, slower transportation, more persecution -  the Good News grew so forcefully that it eventually overwhelmed the Roman empire.

That was then.  This is now.  How did the Good News become such "bad news" in America?  Why is Christianity such an anemic force in this country?  Why do many perceive Christianity as negative, restrictive, with churches filled with hypocritical people?

Paul reminds the Colossians of how the Gospel has changed their lives - from the moment when they first heard it - this incredibly fantastic gift of grace has given them faith, hope, love  . . .  Suddenly their pagan worship or their legalistic Judaism seems dull, dead, pale in comparison to this shining freedom found in Christ.

How about you?  Have you discovered the fantastical, mystical, magical liberation of Jesus?  What happened to you when you first heard the Good News?

Words from a book (George Hunter's Church for the Unchurched) that I read many years ago still haunt me.  Hunter suggested that too many people, sitting in church pews their whole lives, having heard the Gospel so many times while failing to respond to its winsome message, had become "inoculated to the Gospel."  Have you built up an immunity to Jesus' life changing message and life?  I pray it not so at The Vine.  I see lives changing and people awakening to the freedom offered in Jesus Christ.  King David at one time prayed "restore to me the joy of Your salvation."  If the joy is missing, pray for its return - spend some private worship time just contemplating what Jesus Christ has done for you.

Paul recognized that when someone encounters Christ, his or her life is changed.  Paul's life story was a fantastic witness of conversion and transformation.  His about face is one of the greatest validations to the truth of Jesus' resurrection.  Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, on his way to persecute Christians, and in that encounter he "blinked."  Such was AND IS the power of Christ.

I have to wonder why would anyone choose legalistic Judaism or Islam,  or turn to paganism and Wicca, when they could have the Real Thing.  Grace is so much better. Grace is freeing - no bondage, no fear of punishment.  Nothing is comparable to the Good News found in Jesus Christ.   Nothing.

So what is keeping the Good News from bearing fruit in America?

Perhaps materialism and distractions?  Jesus in one of his parables said that the worries of this world were like weeds choking out fruitfulness.  And we have plenty of stuff to take care of and plenty of entertainment to distract us.  Are there weeds in your life that God needs to pull up?

Perhaps the church has been sharing bad news in place of Good News.  We jumped into bed with politics thinking that would be how we transform America and it backfired.  Or we've been sharing in language that is losing something in translation - it sounds like bad news to those with no news.

Perhaps we've ruined our witness.  Our lifestyle really isn't that much different than everybody else so we've got no story to tell, no power to share.  Our Good News is just okay news.  Are you living differently because of Jesus Christ?

Or scariest of all - you can't share what you don't have. (But that's fixable - Jesus said ask, seek, knock - do it - now.)

At any rate, we have our work cut out for us to overcome negative stereotypes.  But, like Paul, I do know this - The Good News is Great News! And our greatest task is to make ourselves, as bearers of this Good News, available to our friends, neighbors, coworkers and family.  When God calls us to holinesss, it's not for our benefit, but for the benefit of our world - a shining light, a city on a hill.


I hope that our journey through Colossians helps you to awaken to what God wants to do in you and through you - life change - transformation in you and in others.

I hope you are praying and seeking God's will in discerning your role in the Vine offsite.  Your life will be changed.  And you will have the chance to witness the Gospel changing the lives of others. 

Transformation:  It Starts in the Heart of One.

Transformation - Day 2

"We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News." - Colossians 1:3-5

I don't know why Paul gets under some people's skin - his "ego" or personality just rub some folk wrong. But I read a passage like the above and see someone deeply connected to, praying for, and encouraging others. Most scholars believe that Epaphras, not Paul, started the church in Colosse, but you would never know it from the warmth and pastoral quality of this letter.

I also love the word "we" here. I don't want us to overlook that in the early church, leadership was not a solo act but a shared calling. I wonder if the struggles we face in the modern church from burnout to sexual misconduct can be traced back to mission and ministry leadership not being shared. The longevity of Billy Graham's ministry and his pact with fellow team members speaks to this.

I am also humbled by Paul's acknowledgment that "we always pray for you." I don't think this was hyperbole. Paul and Timothy prayed - a lot. Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 wrote "pray without ceasing" and backed it up by saying this is God's will.

I need to do a better job of praying for you. I can get so busy with life and ministry that I neglect the most essential activity - prayer. My best friend from seminary committed to praying Ephesians 3:14-19 everyday for the people in his church. It's a rich beautiful prayer and I feel the tug to pray it for you as well. Are there other ways I can pray for you - especially when it comes to spiritual transformation? - the heart of these blogs for the next 21 days. Comment below or send me a personal note.

Finally, look at what Paul commends these Colossian followers for: 1) faith in Christ 2) love for God's people and 3) hope for eternity. Sometimes we make things so complicated with ministry plans and smart goals. What if we could simply be a church that trusted Christ and loved everybody (not easy), motivated by a hope for a better reward? (These three remain - faith, hope, love; but the greatest of these is love - where have I heard that before?) And don't gloss over the motivation - eternity with Christ in heaven. I've heard people say that you can be so heavenly-minded that you are no earthly good. I've said it. But here Paul makes it clear that a strong hope for heaven motivates our faith in Christ and our love for others. Eternity fuels us. After all, how can we love if God doesn't first love us, fueling our love with the free gift of eternal life?

Love hard.  Pray hard.  We have hope for a better future. Life is short. make it count. Be transformed. Show someone God's love today. Let us pray . . .

Transformation - Day 1

"This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. We are writing to God’s holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. May God our Father give you grace and peace." - Colossians 1:1-3.

"Chosen by the will of God to be . . " How many of us would make such a bold declaration of identity? I wonder how this would change our lives if we could discern such a calling? Paul was in prison when he wrote these words. He was in prison because God chose him. He could put up with the lousy living arrangements because God chose him. (This from a guy who was, at one point, on the fast track toward the inner political circle in Jerusalem.)

What would your life be like if you truly knew your identity and vocation in Christ?

Jim, chosen by the will of God to be an accountant for Jesus Christ. . .

Debbie, chosen by the will of God to be a teacher for Jesus Christ . . .

Pat, chosen by the will of God to be an engineer for Jesus Christ . . .

or on another front

Stan, chosen by the will of God to be a good husband to Michelle . . .

You get the picture. How would this way of living/thinking change everything in your life and in our world?

Today, as we start this 21 day experiment in Colossians, KNOW that God has called you and is calling you. He is calling you at the very least to be "God's holy person" - a faithful brother or sister in Christ. (note and do not take lightly that this is how Paul addressed the Christians he was writing to in Colosse.)

Reflect on the weight of these words. What does it mean to be holy? to be faithful?

You have been chosen by God. God wants to change your heart and my heart - to give us identity and purpose that will keep us grounded when life isn't all fun and comfortable. Holy. Faithful. Brothers and Sisters.

Transformation starts in the heart of one.

(comments and reflections welcome - let's share to build one another up)

Transformation Series Bumper Video from Community Christian Church on Vimeo.

Transformation - Intro

Transformation starts in the heart of One. Today is the first day of a 21 day journey to discern God's will for The Vine. A time of prayer and fasting, seeking, listening. We need to hear God clearly if we are to have any hope of attempting to do what is humanly impossible. I know I'm being ambiguous here. It's because I don't want to get ahead of myself. The Vine is the dream of Bel Air United Methodist Church to start a new/different/ancient/modern faith community - to draw together people who live out Acts 2 in a very independent and disconnected culture. (read the ATV vision and mission page for more).

Yesterday, at all of BAUMC's worship services, we launched a worship series called the 10-10-10 Initiative - Our Call to Multiply. The reality is that God is calling churches, and at this moment specifically, BAUMC, to discern how we are to live out the great commission - to "go and make disciples. . ." Starting new faith communities is one significant part of being faithful to Christ. (read more about the 10-10-10 Initiative here.)

I lay all this out as back story, because what I really hope to do is use the gift of technology (like facebook and blogger) to connect us to God's Word, together, over these 21 days. I want to use this media to keep me accountable, to reflect on Scripture and to have you join me in this form of corporate worship. I was drawn to Colossians - one of Paul's letters from prison that is rich in the call to connect with Christ and to be transformed - which is the theme of these 21 days - Transformation starts in the heart of one.

Whether you are a part of The Vine, connected to our mother - Bel Air UMC, or just a God-connected friend who I "picked up" along the journey, I invite you to join in contemplation of God's Word. Morning. Noon. Evening. Get alone and get with God. I value your prayers in this experiment.

"Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly." (Col 3:16) Be transformed.

Transformation Series Bumper Video from Community Christian Church on Vimeo.

remember your baptism

we celebrated new members joining our church yesterday. it was a great day - Pentecost - the birthday of the Church (another topic). during the celebration, i invite these almost-new-members to come forward and to "remember your baptism and be thankful." i also offer a caveat as these folk are invited forward - "do whatever it takes for you to remember your baptism - you can simply look at the water, or touch the water, or mark yourself with the water and if you need to - you can even dump this whole bowl of water on your head if that's what you need to remember."


so new folk came forward and gazed into a baptismal font - a basin filled with sacred (set apart) water - to reflect on how God has brought them to this point. some were baptized as children/infants and really can't remember their own baptism, others came forward baptized as adults and do remember that moment. some simply look. some take the water and splash their faces. yesterday was a first - a young expectant mother raised her blouse and "baptized" her protruding tummy. the moment is always significant and often deeply moving because these persons see the hand of God now at work in them, even before they were aware of it. yesterday was one of those days - deep reflection. deep thankfulness, deep joy. (as pastor, i have the best "seat" in the house for noticing these things.)

last of all was Karen. Karen was someone who i met in December at our soup kitchen Christmas dinner. (wonderful servants in our church put on a banquet for the less fortunate in our community, complete with great food and even a visit from Santa - it's the annual highlight of our soup kitchen ministry.) so someone introduced me to Karen. i listened to her story - no job, lost her daughter years ago in an automobile accident. she was deeply wounded. there was deep sadness and pain in her eyes. i invited her to church, to meet God in worship. she said she would come but the skeptic in me thought "how many times have i heard that before?"

but Karen did come and she heard a message on peace. then amazingly she came back the next week and heard a message on love (it was Advent). and when Karen came up to me after the service, there were tears in her eyes. God was at work, healing a broken soul. Karen kept coming - more faithfully than most of our members. she connected into a small group of women who were also working their way through healing of damaged emotions. she started mowing the church's lawn - a way she could give back since she didn't have anything to put in the offering basket. someone in the church offered her a job to get back on her feet. she came to a new members prep class then came to see me - she said she felt guilty because she felt to good - so at peace, so much joy. she couldn't stop smiling. nine years weighted down by anger were gone. a few weeks later when a couple came to worship to share about their vision for us joining with them in partnership to build a health clinic in Munyarari Zimbabwe, Karen felt the call of God to go to Africa.

all this leading up to yesterday - the day she was joining our church. as i remarked about taking the whole bowl and dumping it on your head, Karen, sitting in the front with a big smile, with all her misfit small group friends, let me know in no uncertain terms that this was her plan. (that's why i invited her last!)

so Karen came forward, her back to the congregation, a huge smile on her face. "Karen, remember your baptism and be thankful." she looked at the water, hesitated, maybe because there was more water in that basin than she realized, then in words that thankfully no one else could hear said, "oh what the f***," picked up the bowl and dumped a gallon or so of water on her head and across the floor! sopping wet she stood there with a great big smile on her face and a cheering congregation behind her.

and i'm just smiling and thinking - what a great way to end my ministry at my current church. this is a treasure i will never forget.  dismiss the language and look at Karen's heart.

soon i'll be moving to Abingdon, Maryland to plant a church. my dream is to connect the Karens of this world with the God who loves them. yesterday i got a foreshadow of what is to come. God is smiling and so am i.