The (Lieben)GOOD LIFE

What Does It Mean to Be Successful? “Faithful Presence”. [1] June 24, 2012 Texts: Deuteronomy 6.4-19; Psalm 139.23-24; 1 Peter 5.6-11; Luke 22.39-46 Introduction 1.        The United States is founded on the idea that anyone, no matter what our place in society may be, no matter where may be from, if we work hard enough and take advantage of the opportunities before us, we can be a success. This belief, over time, has been converted into a virtue: success has become a virtue, perhaps the virtue of our time. In our culture, it is expected, even honorable, to pursue our personal and professional dreams at all costs. And we teach our kids to do the same. In fact, implicitly we teach our kids that life is a series of achievement hoops that we must jumped through. 2.        What does a successful life look like? How can we know if our life was lived well? One way that we can know what our true thoughts are about th...

"Pastor, you are a counselor. Perhaps you don't think of yourself that way. (And perhaps your people don't think of you that way, either). Perhaps you don't want to be a counselor. But you are one. " For more on the role of pastor as counselor, I recommend this stimulating article by David Powlison.

"The loss of commitment to a particular place results, at least in part, in the restless mobility that characterizes so much of American life. And even when particular individuals stay put in one place, the very possibility of easy mobility makes it possible for people to inhabit the world of the potential future rather than the concrete present: “I must keep my options open” means, in practice, refraining from committing to any particular place. Of course, potential communities are far more desirable than actual ones. We can always imagine a place better than our present one. Holding out for the perfect situation is, in some ways, easier than getting involved in the conflicts and irritants that inevitably exist in reality. But though the temptation to stay at arm’s length, to inhabit a place with ironic detachment, is alluring, the implications for a robust and healthy local community are grave. Indeed, if a critical mass of such people occupy a certain place, they are merely a...

"The Gospel of salvation has produced what I call a 'salvation culture' – a culture marked by who's in and who's out. So a very strong sense of 'we are the in group and others are the out group.' ... A 'Gospel culture' is a culture shaped by following Jesus, by living under Jesus as King. A 'Gospel culture' includes personal salvation, but it includes so much more," McKnight said in an interview with The Christian Post. For more read here .

Text: 1 John 4.7-19 Introduction How are we to understand God in light of the cross? At various points in history Christians have conceptualized God in light of the cross with a variety of metaphors. Since the Protestant Reformation, one dominate metaphor for understanding what God has done through Jesus Christ is that of a court room (forensic). God is a judge who pardons guilty people, executing His justice on Jesus instead. Accounting metaphors have also been used to conceptualize God--God is the Great Accountant who has balanced the books through Jesus. Reconciliation has also been a way of speaking of God's actions through Jesus. This morning I want to suggest that hospitality is a fruitful, and biblical wrap our minds and our hearts around who God is. What is hospitality? Examples: Chile/Argentina border; God welcoming me into his family on Jan 1, 1991. Analysis 1. The Source of hospitality: God       A. 4.7/4/19: We love (extend hospitality) because...