If you’re like me, you may find yourself focusing on only one thing at a time (ask my wife, it drives her nuts). When this comes to work, it is very difficult for me to focus on the spiritual aspects of how my work is glorifying Christ.

I have no problems looking backward or forward and doing this, but there are periods when for days straight, especially when working arduous schedules that many of us do, the only thing my mind is focused on is the object of my work. This can become quiet troublesome at times.

When I was at seminary, my work was the study of God’s Word, and it resonated in my mind constantly since that was where my focus was at. Now, with the exception of morning quiet times, my focus must be on the work at hand. How then does a Christian who thirsts for God become quenched? In fact, the danger always poses itself that we begin to feed on the work itself for that sense of purpose.

How do I justify it? Read more

Are Christians supposed to fast – that is, to regulate their food intake – for their spiritual benefit? In a word, the answer is yes. From the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem to our present time, members of the Christian church have fasted as a spiritual exercise [1]. Jesus himself not only taught us to fast, but also practiced the discipline himself [2].  Although the specific guidelines have changed over time, the fundamental principle of fasting is still intact, even if it is oftentimes ignored.

 Anglicanism has its own tradition of fasting. You will find the subjected covered on page (li) in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Here the Prayer Book gives A Table of Fasts that Anglicans are expected to follow. In short, there are two major fast days each year, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. On these days, traditionally, Christians have eaten as little as humanly necessary. For many this has meant only a single meatless meal, as small, simple and as late in the day as possible, perhaps after attendance at church. The idea is to mortify the flesh by telling the body, with its appetites, to hush and stand aside while we mourn our sins and focus all our attention on the cross of Christ.

This past weekend I had the privilege of performing two wedding ceremonies. As the singles pastor in a relatively large church, I have the opportunity to be a part of quite of few marriages; and it is always an honor to be asked to be a part of such a sacred moment. With each wedding I am a part of; there is also a series of pre-marital counseling meetings I go through with the couple. There are different topics that always seem to come up in this counseling environment. It is not uncommon to talk about finances, in-laws, sex, or conflict. But the topic that inevitably ends up being talked about the most is communication.

No matter how long a couple has been dating, or how advanced they think they are in their relationship skills; there is always room for improvement in the area of communication. We all need to learn how to listen before we speak, we all need to learn how to clear away distractions and pay attention, we all need to learn how to encourage and compliment instead of tear down and blame. It is only through the continual development of our communication skills that we can grow in intimacy in any of our relationships. If this is true on a human level, how much more true is it on a spiritual level?Read more

Full disclosure on this conversation—I’ve known Ben since the mid ‘80s, and worked for him for a number of years, and we co-authored Common Grounds. So, no pretense about this being an interview by an ‘objective’ journalist. This is a conversation between friends. We talked about Ben’s new book, Out of Control, written with his usual co-author, Dr. Sam Adams.

----------
GL: In the first chapter you depict some hectic ways of living that are typical of many Americans today. I actually felt a bit of exhaustion as I merely read your descriptions of hectic life, which should probably signal how truly exhausting this is in real life.

What specifically inspired you to write this book? Did a light go on and you thought, “My life is insane. Something’s got to change. And I’m probably not the only one”?

BY: Yes, something like that. Personally, I was dancing on the edge of burn-out about five years ago. I didn’t have a break-down or anything like that, but God was convicting me about the hectic pace I was keeping. I needed to slow down and gain some control of the chaotic frenzy that was my life. In the midst of my personal quest two key things happened.

I was invited to participate on a PBS Panel and met an orthodox Jewish Rabbi who made quite an impression on me. By the way, Glenn, he’s the second Jewish Rabbi that God has used to radically change my life.  Backstage we had a fascinating conversation about his beliefs and personal practice of Sabbath in his family.  Now if I had any notion that I was busy …this Rabbi has seven children.  But that conversation really furthered my thinking about the way we live our lives in contrast to the pattern that God set out for us to follow.

That personal process became a book following another conversation between our publisher, Brian Hampton at Thomas Nelson, my co-author Sam Adams, and myself. We’ve done a number of books with them and they asked Sam and I what we saw as the greatest needs in the culture. Sam is a clinical psychologist and I am a pastor so we were comparing trends and common struggles we both see. There were many common issues we discussed such as pornography and other issues affecting marriages and relationships. But we agreed that the most pervasive problem is this notion that our culture is “out of control.” People are going fast and furious and their lives are so fragmented that it is having serious ramifications.  And they didn’t know what to do about it.  So that day, the idea for a book addressing this epidemic was born.

GL: Yes, this is definitely a problem in our society. The difference is, you and Sam have hope, and I confess that from time to time I literally feel hopeless before the monster of the “fast and furious” fragmentation.

My thought process goes like this: I need to change. I can’t afford NOT to change. But I can’t afford to change, either. I’m trapped. I’m drowning. Either way, I’m going to let down and disappoint people I care a lot about.

I realize you can’t say in a few words what it took you a whole book to write, but perhaps you can hint at some of your response to this question.

Specifically, what hope can you offer to someone like me, who from time to time feels caught, feels trapped, feels unable to get off the treadmill and yet unable to sustain ‘life” on the treadmill any longer?

Read more

I somehow missed it. I had invited Jesus to come into my heart. I read the Bible. I prayed. I was ordained as a minister. I attended seminary. I even spent some time on the mission field. But in spite of all this, there was something I lacked. Something huge and unnamed dogged me – something I knew I desperately needed. It was identifiable to me only by its gnawing absence.

Read more

I don't know of another story like that of Greg and Christine Hewlett.  If you trace this long story from the beginning you will marvel that any body can be so conducive to cancer, and yet so tenacious against it. 

Read the accounts of two churches supporting Greg and Christine in all areas of life, of friends mourning and rejoicing. 

God has been good, and yet mysteriously permissive of great suffering for Greg and I have no idea why. Still,  the stories make me want to pray, again.

A few weeks ago my husband’s Sport’s Illustrated magazine arrived at the house as usual. This particular one was the swimsuit issue. Though none of us saw its contents, we knew what was in it...bodies. The bodies that, well, embody beauty in our society. It’s all around us - this culture of beauty and what defines it and how to achieve it (need I remind you one more time?). Even in less extreme examples than said models, it has become a monstrous, twisted form of God’s gift that is ever paraded before us. This "beast" either tempts us to attain its standard (impossible without a portable, real-life airbrush system) or to linger ogling at it, letting it affect our perceptions. The question is how do we as believers address physical beauty?

First, it needs to be affirmed that true beauty comes from within. It is an exuded state. As I Peter 3 explains, women who make themselves beautiful do so from an unfading spirit and not from ornamentation without. We probably know women who are examples of this and heartily affirm that it is otherly and indeed beautiful. Still we come back to the issue at hand; what about the body? Where do our thoughts about it and attention to it land in the mix?

Read more

This post makes me a little nervous, mostly because I am interacting with an old idea. It's a vital Christian doctrine, and it's finally brushing up against me. But I am not a seminary grad, nor do I know Greek and Hebrew. To make it more nerve wracking is the fact that churches have split and saints beheaded for the purity of this doctrine.

[I am going to apologize now for any unknown lines I may cross, any word choices that offend or deny. And I offer this disclaimer: The views of this contributor do not reflect the earnest intellect of Glenn Lucke nor other CGO writers.]

My understanding has come from a number of sources, none of who were teaching specifically on this topic. Here and there, little crumbs kept falling into my lap. And finally, the crumbs stuck together enough to form a shape that became my understanding. (This is probably a horrible way to do theology.)Read more

I recently recognized that I need an attitude adjustment toward work. In my first post on CGO, I shared the journey that has led me from shock to confusion and into intrigue as I wrestled with the decision to take a position in the corporate world. Now that I find myself in the throes of this intriguing world, I am beginning to see the gaping canyon between theoretical aims and practical application in this daily journey. My heart and mind wonder together: What is my proper role and relationship toward work as a young professional seeking to love the Lord first?

My head wanders miles ahead of my heart as I seek wisdom on the subject. A sermon by Dr. Timothy Keller titled “Work” pointed me to Dorothy Sayers’s lecture “Why Work?” (delivered in Eastbourne, 1942) in hope of some guidance. I found Sayers’s lecture to be thought-provoking and productive, insofar as it got me thinking on the purpose of work as an end in itself rather than a means to an end.

Read more

Reggie Kidd, who is a Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theologial Seminary (Orlando) and the worship pastor at Orangewood Presbyterian Church in Orlando, FL, writes about designing a new sanctuary for Orangewood.

Some interesting thoughts and Reggie asks readers for their perspectives.  An excerpt:Read more