Monday, February 25, 2008

Are You Relevant?

Are You Relevant?
My mind ruminates over this question as I traverse borders between communities, states, and countries.. It seems there are so many niches in which individuals may hunker down and claim individualism. I’m constantly seeking the underlying connection between us all. I’m looking for something that will have significance and bearing on matters at hand. What is something that is relevant for this global community with so many options brought on by a deluge of accessible information?

Then it hit me this weekend…

I may not have the words to connect with anyone, anywhere, at anytime.

Here is something I can offer. LOVE. Yeah, sacrificial, humble, giving of myself to care for another person’s innate needs. Love to GOD and love for others. When love is offered with the right motivation it may be misunderstood, but eventually, if love is pure, it has significance and bears on the matters at hand.

Mother Teresa said, “You can do no great things, only small things with great love.”

Maybe if I get down to the basics of loving God and loving others, relevancy follows, because it has significance and people matter.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Transformation?

How do you explain transformation?

My wife and I love to watch the well known TV, reality show, "The Biggest Loser". How riveting it is to see people who are truly transformed by approaching life in a different way. Through nutrition, proven to fuel the body, and regular exercise, visible results are evident as participants in the reality show lose pounds and tone up. But what is behind the transformation that takes place?

As I’ve watched the show a few years, I’ve noticed something that must happen for someone to win, accomplishing the feat of, “biggest loser”. First, there’s got to be an insatiable desire to change. Second, discipline must take hold to eat right, and even sweat while exercising. And last but not least, the disciplines learned must become a lifestyle pattern.

Questions about transformation are being asked by believers in Jesus Christ and those who won’t take that leap of faith. Does God really change or transform a life? And, if He does, why don’t we see transformation in more lives? Why do people inside the Church act the same way as people who don’t attend? Have you ever asked these questions yourself?

As a student of the Bible, I believe its message about transformation. Specifically, evidence of spiritual transformation, in a person, requires an internal miracle (2 Cor. 5:17, 18). Think about how an internal desire changes. Or think about how an internal self serving motive or intention changes to a pure, sacrificial one. Once we’ve been internally changed, we still need to practice discipline (Truth study to renew our minds (Rom. 12:2), listening to and talking to God, hanging out with people who strive to be Christ followers too. And it actually needs to become a lifestyle.

Any insatiable desire for transformation out there?