The Providence of God - Isaiah 40 - Sept 27

I'm curious about what sticks out to you about this passage. It is a huge chapter with many points. For me its amazing to think of the God who knows the name of every star and my name. It shows his huge power and yet his intimacy.

September 20 - God's Invisibility - John 1:1-18

So many things in our world promise more than they deliver. The "fine print" always taints the really good offer. But not so with God. He keeps all of his promises and usually over-delivers. This makes his invisibility all the more impressive.

How many "leaders" do you know who can't really lead? Just because you have an important position doesn't mean that you always have the skills. I can think of a man who was mentored by Jack Welch who was named CEO of both Home Depot then Chrysler. Yet under his leadership neither company has performed well. He has had all the credentials and the fancy titles, yet that doesn't mean he can lead.

How often has "new and improved" turned out to be "newly packaged" and not improved?

God's invisibility should seem to be a hindrance, yet He still over-performs all the time. This quality of his has done great things to encourage my faith. I hope it encourages yours.

September 13: God's Immortality

There is this great disconnect that happens in my life. I know that God is bigger than the Universe and has existed since before you could say "existed since." Thinking about reality before time, makes my head hurt, but I get the point. But here is the disconnect - I act as if those things are not true at all. I try to solve my own problems. I believe my plans are the best plans - always (just ask Grace about that). I get frustrated when I can't see and control everything around me. In other words, I act as if I am God and ignore the real one. And yet my theological answers are all correct...

As I prepared this week's sermon, I have been meditating on the line, "In him (God) we live and move and have our being." Its such a great line - Paul thought so, so he borrowed it from a 6th century BC poet. But back to the line itself - what does it look like to live in God, to move within Him and his ways, to not exist except as it relates to him? What would that life be like for you?

* you can reply to this post (even if you want to deal with something from the sermon that isn't mentioned here.)