“God has done all this. He has restored our relationship with him through Christ, and has given us this ministry of restoring relationships.” 2 Corinthians 5:18 (GW)

“Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”
Romans 12:18 NLT

Day 20 of 40: We’re at the half-way point and today I failed the test. I’m not much of a peacemaker.

Oh it’s been easy enough when I was not a party to the conflict and had some authority in the matter… like a parent telling his/her kids to go to their rooms don’t come out until they can say they’re sorry and be nice. It can be draining… tedious… frustrating – but it’s not personal.

It’s when I’m up against a wall in front of a firing squad (at least that’s the way it feels to me) that I get testy – and peacemaking gets short shrift. You know the old saying: “When you’re up to your waist in alligators, you can’t think about draining the swamp.” I’ve been up against my share of walls over the years… and have waded with alligators. I don’t do well in those situations. Continue reading “PDL 20 – Restoring Broken Fellowship” →

“Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.”
Ephesians 4:3 NLT

“I am writing these things to you now… [so] you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.”
1 Timothy 3:14-15 NLT

Day 19 0f 40: Community requires commitment – “It takes both God’s power, and our effort to produce a loving Christian community.”

Warren goes on to make the point that many people, growing up in unhealthy (and even dysfunctional) families, have never learned the relational skills needed to build Christian community. But even if our human families were healthy, for the most part, it still takes commitment – and conscious choices – on our part to make it work.

I have to ask myself: “Is it worth it, at this stage in my life, to make the effort to get involved in these people’s lives?”

The answer is not a simple “yes, of course.” Continue reading “PDL 19 – Cultivating Community” →

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“Where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” Matthew 18:20 NLT

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Colossians 3.12-13 NLT

“Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.” Exodus 3:5 NLT

Day 18 of 40: Our earliest human family is our first experience of “life together.”

For some of us, our birth families have helped us reach the “stars;” for others, our first experience with family has left us with deep “scars.”

No family is perfect, but there are huge differences in our early family experiences. And these differences shape our inclinations for/against trying out “life together” in the church.

Robert Schuller said: “God wants to turn our scars into stars.” That’s true… and small fellowship groups with Jesus at the center are one of the primary vehicles that God uses.

In the Bible, the word fellowship refers to sharing common life with others… “Communion” (The Lord’s Supper) is its deepest expression. Continue reading “PDL 18 – Experiencing Life Together” →

“The household of God… is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.”
1 Timothy 3:15 NLT

“So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.” Ephesians 2:19 NLT

Day 17 of 40: “Believing and belonging” make perfect sense to me, but like most aspects of life in Christ… the practice is much more difficult than the theory.

I think it’s the “imperfection” of it all that makes it so hard. And my own imperfections only add to the difficulty.
Which reminds me of Groucho Marx:

“I wouldn’t want to belong to any club that would have me as a member.”

(BTW – I almost ran over Groucho in a cross-walk in Beverly Hills many years ago… that would have been a “game changer”… for both of us.)

Believing: The Church is the repository and arbitrator of the Truth and Mysteries of God. The Bible, as we know it, has come to us through the Church. The essentials of Christian doctrine have been hammered out through the Councils of the Church.

That’s why Evangelicals and Mormons, for example, are sometimes on different wavelengths. Evangelicals have a 2000 year history traced back through the Apostles of working through difficult theological issues starting with the Apostles Creed. Joseph Smith decided he knew better, added a new “revelation,” and Mormons have been trying to harmonize it all ever since (160+ years.) Personally, I’m sticking with the Church of “Former-Day” Saints. Continue reading “PDL 17 – A Place to Belong” →

“Let love be your highest goal!”
1 Corinthians 14.1 NLT

“Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone — especially to those in the family of faith.” Galatians 6:10 NLT

Day 16 of 40: Loving one another is our primary responsibility in the family of God… and it isn’t easy.

For me, it’s challenge enough to love the people that I like. We all have our quirks and peculiarities that require some kindness and accommodation. And with people I like, it’s worth the effort… and, truthfully, it’s not that hard because I want to make the relationship work.

But with the ones I don’t like – the people I try to avoid when I see them headed my way – that’s another story. Continue reading “PDL 16 – What Matters Most” →