What does love look like?

What does love look like?

It could look like 50 bags.

50 jars of peanut butter

50 jars of jelly

50 loaves of bread

50 boxes of powered milk

50 boxes of cereal

50 notes to let people know, because of Jesus, that we care.

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?"
The King will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

Mathew 25:31-40

If you love me, keep my commands.

John 14:15

Why Christians and the Church need to be active in technology and social media

Why Christians and the Church need to be active in technology and social media:

Why Technology and Social Media Matters

Why Christians and the Church need to be active in technology and social media:

Communion's Insight into Ministry and Mission

The communal character of the sacrament means that the communion is with each other as well as with God. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus bids us be reconciled with each other before we bring our gifts to the altar (5:23)….What role then to the gifts of the bread and wine have in all this? They are surely of great importance, but not in a manner that is detachable from the totality of what is going on. It seems to me of great significance that the bread and wine are not only gifts of created nature in that they derive from wheat and grapes, but are also the products of human labor. In liturgical words that are often used at the Offertory, the gifts are ‘what earth has given and human hands have made.’ They represent the drawing together, in the action of the Eucharist, of the fruits of nature and the fruits of human work and skill in the offering of creation.

Science and The Trinity by John Polkinghorne

A Better Reason to Share With Those In Need

Often books and speakers tell Christians that they should help the needy because they have so much. That is, of course, quite true. Common sense tells us that, if human beings are to live together on the planet, there should be a constant sharing of resources.

But this approach is very limited in its motivating power. Ultimately it produces guilt....Soon, with an anxious weariness, we turn away from books or speakers who simply make us feel guilty about the needy.

The Bible does not use the guilt-producing motivation, yet it powerfully argues for the ministry of mercy....Mercy is spontaneous, superabounding love which comes from an experience of the grace of God. The deeper the experience of the free grace of God, the more generous we must become. This is why Robert Murray M'Cheyne could say: "There are many hearing me now know well that they are not Christians because they do not love to give. To give largely and liberally, not grudging at all, requires a new heart."

Gospel in Life by Timothy Keller

They Never Seemed to Take God Very Serious

Pastors were never very important to me. I liked them. They were nice, and they told great stories, but they never seemed to be very serious about God, and I was. They just seemed peripheral to ordinary life, whereas in my dad's butcher shop, things were very serious. My father took everybody seriously and treated them with dignity. I got the image very early on that he was a priest...Everyone was treated the same, there was no discrimination with anybody.

Eugene Peterson from "The formation of Eugene Peterson" in neue magazine.

The Secret

If you want your kids to abandon church when they are older, force them to attend a church you secretly wish you could abandon now!

Andy Stanley (@AndyStanley)

If you want your kids to abandon church when they are older, force them to attend a church you secretly wish you could abandon now!

Andy Stanley (@AndyStanley)

Blue Like Jazz the Movie

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-EEzBTui8w?rel=0&w=640&h=390]

Faith is not "King Sized Ibuprofen"

It took me a long time to figure all this out, to understand that even when God is with me, life is not always going to turn out the way I hoped. I knew there would be disappointments and struggles. But part of me still wanted to believe my faith could act like a king sized ibuprofen. I wanted to believe that as long as I knew God was with me, the pain of those difficult moment would be eased.

Plan B by Pete Wilson