Category Archives: Ministry

 In Matthew 13:44-46 Jesus shares twin word pictures to describe the value of the Kingdom of God (Kingdom of Heaven).   We might call these particular parables “value images” as Jesus tells us that living “a kingdom of God way of life” is like a tenet farmer finding a treasure hidden in a field, or  a merchant discovering a pearl of great price.  In each situation the finder of these objects is so overtaken by them that he sells all he owns in order to have them.  It’s this “all in” behavior that gives me pause with the parables, causing me to ask, “What do we so value in life that makes us willing to cash in everything else?” Continue reading →

This week at First Baptist – Columbus, IN we will be taking up the topic of change in a couple of ways.  Our “Men of Faith” bible study group begins a new study titled “New Wineskins: Faith’s Great Paradigm Shifts”.  This is a study based on some of the biggest changes recorded in the Bible and how persons responded to them.  As our group discusses the biblical paradigm shifts we will also talk about change elements common to life today. (Men of Faith meets on Fridays at 6:15 a.m. in Columbus, IN at the Four Seasons Retirement Community dining room.)

Then, this coming Sunday I’ll be preaching on the topic “The Cost of Change” based on Joshua 5.  This is a text about God’s people emerging from a liminal period (the Exodus wandering) to a more settled state in preparing to inhabit the Promised Land.  The chapter is filled with change issues and costs, and yet God, through Joshua, equips the people to meet the change in a hopeful manner. Continue reading →

Last Sunday as we gathered for worship at First Baptist Church – Columbus I noted at least nine persons in our midst who’d not been able to attend in some time.  These individuals, couples and households, each have overcome something (either that very day, or over the past days, weeks or months) that kept them from worship with our faith community.  It may have been bereavement (the difficulty of going to worship for the first time as a widowed person), or an ongoing illness or health struggle (that makes mornings especially difficult), or a “come back” from a life threatening scenario.  For the purpose of this post the specifics of what these persons are dealing with is secondary to the fact that they were able to  come – seeking to be in community with fellow Christ followers for worship on a Sunday morning. I know that my spirit was lifted just seeing their individual and collective faces amidst the congregation.

Community matters – it makes a difference – it is important.   But community is a largely undervalued aspect of the Christ-following experience in middle class America. Continue reading →