The Shack

The Shack, a fictional work by William Young, has become rather controversial. Some call it heresy. Others call it one of the great writings of modern Christianity.

I read The Shack. I liked the Shack. I have recommended The Shack to others and loaned out a number of copies -- I've given away even more.

People smarter than me have really cast some weighty stones at the book. But, you know what? I like it.

There's a few problems, but taken as a whole, it teaches some profound truths about God. You just have to put aside some of the preconceived notions you have about the Bible to appreciate the deeper truths it teaches.

Anyway, I've read blogs that support The Shack and those that are highly critical. Someone steered me to a good blog by a man I really have confidence in, Mart DeHaan of the Radio Bible Class. Please check it out for yourself.

www.beenthinking.org/2008/08/20/the-shack/

Locally, you can get The Shack at Servant's Bookstore. It can be found in our Media Center, too. Or, it can be ordered online at Barnes and Nobel, Amazon.com, etc.

Wanted: Imperfect People

How many Christians will attend church this week with the intent to impress? They put on their "going to meetin'" clothes and make sure they make a good impression. Underneath, however, there's confusion, conflict, and addictions. They make a good impression all right, but not with God. He knows.

How many Christians will attend church this week with the intent to cover up? They want to cover up their frailties and failures. They will never get help because they cover up their need. Maybe they should find a church that welcomes frailties and failures!

I don't want the "elite Christians" at Grace Fellowship. There's enough churches down the road that will welcome them. I want the people that haven't arrived yet. I want the believers that want to be discipled; that want to follow Christ; and they know they have a way to go.

Check out the short video clip that I just added to the site. It reflects my thoughts. I hope it reflect yours.

YOU MAKE ME SICK!

“Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth.”            

That’s right, Jesus actually told some church members that they made Him sick. And, frankly, there are times I feel His pain.

There are two kinds of Christians that make me sick. The first are the ones Jesus was thinking about in Revelation. They are the pompous, know-it-all, have-to-be-in-the-loop, “pillars of the church”.  They’ve been members for so many years, attended Sunday School regularly, and contributed to the church often. Yet, when it comes to really obeying the Bible and learning to live in a loving relationship with others, they stink! They make Jesus sick. They make me sick, too. I often wonder when certain Christians will grow up and act with forgiveness, understanding and love. We have a nursery for our infants and sometimes I can think of some adults that belong there.

The other kind of Christians that make me sick are the ones who choose to live in ignorance of the Bible. No way is God honored by believers remaining ignorant of the Word, but you’d be surprised how many are flat out ignorant of the Word. They are devoid of understanding its principles and the ways of God, but they still have an opinion of other Christians.

Jesus may be living in both of these kinds of Christians, but you can’t convince me He feels at home.

I guarantee you that at Grace Fellowship, we will teach, preach and practice disciple-making. And anyone who puts forth the effort, and is willing to turn the power of God loose in their life, will have the opportunity to experience the fullness of God.

Follow Christ with your whole heart, be grown up, and be a gracious Christian, and you won’t have to be a Christian that makes Jesus sick. You’d be doing me a favor, too. 

Sorry for such a delay in posting

I'm sorry for the delay in posting an article lately. It's been a busy July. I was out of town with our mission team to Connecticut. The team returned exhausted. Not only were we busy every single day but the trip was tiring.

We traveled in our new 26 passenger bus -- it really worked out better than a couple of vans. After making the trip two years ago in a 15 passenger van, this was wonderful. Long, but wonderful. We can make the trip driving straight through, including stops and meals, in an easy 34 hours.

This mission team is one of the best I've ever traveled with...and I've traveled with a lot of them over the years. Grace Fellowship can be proud of the maturity and dedication of these adults and youth. They knew their job and did it well.

This year we made a number of real positive contacts with adults -- either through our day camp ministry or some survey work in the neighborhoods. We were hoping the surveying would turn up more people, but in CT people just don't answer their door to strangers. But they need Jesus, so we'll pray for New Beginnings in Meriden, CT. They've got a huge job ahead.

New Beginnings also presented our team and Grace Fellowship with a plaque recognizing our service in Meriden. May the Lord reap the harvest and the praise.