Nov 20

  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution Are we asking questions?
    Often we seem to get bogged down in the details, mired in the trivial, we strain at gnats. How often in church meetings do we get lost on the font size? Distracted by the attendance figures? How many times do we tell fellow believers they are wrong? Is it worse to threaten an abortion doctor or to shun a teenage mom? When the Pharisees brought the adulterous women, why didn’t they bring the man? If grace covers all sins and all fall short of the glory of God, then why in some places can’t homose… Read more »

Nov 13

  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution Embrace heavan
    We are all filled with two natures. We all have the “breath of life” which God breathed into Adam, but we also have the choice to idly stand by while our family is tempted and falls for the lie of Satan that we can fulfill our own desires by knowing “Good and Evil”. This plays out in our daily lives in our interactions with others, in our internet usage, in the places we spend our money. We have this internal conflict because God wants us to freely love him and not be robots programmed to only o… Read more »

Nov 4

  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution Examples
    After listening to the sermon this weekend on Intentional Faith Development and the celebration of All Saints Sunday I was filled with thoughts of my spiritual role models. I remembered the story of my Abuelo going to churh to sing in the choir hours after being in a car crash. I remembered as a boy going with my Dad to work on the church roof and eating crispy bacon at Methodist Men's breakfasts. I remembered my Mom helping with the childrens choir as we sang songs for the congregation. I… Read more »
  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution Competition?
    What's really important? Are the numbers really that important? Aren't we all God's children anyway? What is the question that we really should be asking of each other and ourselves? God, how can I be of better service for you toward your other children today? Read more »

Oct 28

  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution Out Flowing and Fullfilling a Promise
    After praying and affirming their faith together the disciples experienced the out flowing of the Holy Spirit for the first time. Jesus had told them that “the Helper” would be coming to work thru them to continue his ministry, but probably none of them had any idea what that meant. From this account we see a key fundamental of speaking in tongues – that it should be interpreted by others for the glory of God. The miracle was not that they spoke in tongues, but rather that they spoke in the tong… Read more »

Oct 25

  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution Prayerful Mission
    Our mission is clear, but very hard to conceptualize. From before the time when science can lay a claim to understanding there was God, floating over the void. Better yet, the Holy Spirit was floating over the void as God was beyond the realm of our possible understanding filled with the thought of Jesus. From this God created life, he created life for the purpose of personal love. Then God creates each of us and he places in us a drive to seek out that original all consuming love. Some of us ha… Read more »

Oct 21

  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution Social Justice or Personal Savior?
    Which way do you lean? Is Jesus a revolutionary calling for the righting of all imposed injustices, or did he come solely to remove us from the sinful world and take us to heaven when we die? When I read this passage it seems to me he is saying that he came to have a personal relationship and offer us grace so that we can go and share that grace by righting the wrongs that impact our neighbors so that they in turn see Jesus and the grace he offers. When we are sharing the grace that God has give… Read more »
  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution One
    We might not agree on the specifics of day-to-day life but we all have faith in the same all powerful God who has offered us salvation and redemption. I had a pastor talk about finding a spouse by running toward God and then looking to each side to see who is running at your same pace. We can apply this same principle when identifying a body of believers to join. Refine your talents and gifts that God has placed in you and then use them in a church that is focused on those same goals. We are all… Read more »

Oct 15

  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution Winning
    As a runner I have experienced several types of coaches. Different styles, different attitudes, but the goal was always winning. One coach was very regimented and methodical. He had a plan and if you couldn’t do it, well then, you weren’t good enough. He came at individuals as part of the team and pushed to find their breaking point. When I look back he was trying to maximize the capacity regardless of the capability. The higher the breaking point the better at racing you would be in his eyes.… Read more »

Oct 14

  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution The First Step
    The act of changing the water into wine is amazing, but at the same time it is almost trivial. Anyone can change water into wine; first grow a vineyard, then harvest the grapes, press them, add some water, and distill. Simple, elegant, but it is a process that man can complete. The amazing nature of the miracle is the instant transformation, which is the purpose of the miracle. Water is a symbol for the holy spirit, which once we, the clay pots, have been filled to the brim, changes into the fru… Read more »
  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution Purpose
    This statement of purpose by the son of God is both specific to the events at hand and transcendent relating to the glory of God thru salvation. Meeting the immediate happiness of others is not in the game plan of God. He is after the eternal joy of a personal relationship, and that business will be addressed by Jesus when he goes to be crucified and then conquers death thru being resurrected. Jesus’ statement about concern reminds us that God is the ultimate judge of our human “preparation”, If… Read more »

Oct 12

  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution Doubter
    Jesus doesn't doubt Peter. Jesus doesn't scold Peter. Peter doesn't doubt Jesus. Peter doubted himself. And not in a healthy way. He doubted that he could walk in the footsteps of Jesus, his Rabbi, his teacher, his friend. When we doubt that we have learned everything and use that doubt to continue to learn we are healthily using our doubt to better our lives. When we doubt that we can walk in Jesus footsteps, then we are venturing down the path of death and not living in the grac… Read more »

Oct 9

  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution Don't worry, be...in prayer.
    When we are in prayer we are actively doing something about the situation that we are in. We are in communication about the effect that the situation is having on us. When we pray as a group we are uniting those voices together as one body. When we seek God's will on the subject he is bound to reveal himself and when he does we then have a path that leads us toward the actions that we should take. Read more »

Jan 22

  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution religion vs. people
    I brought this passage up during a discussion in our sunday school class about the the seperation of church and state. We can make rules to govern the consequences of our actions and to deal out punishment for committing harm to others, but that is not our goal as children of God. We are here to offer an example of the higher moral character thru the righteousness of sanctification. Our focus toward others should not be the rules that we should follow, but rather the personal understanding that… Read more »
  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution our pregnant condition
    With a child on the way this year i take comfort in this passage because he know all and if we take our fears to him he will guide us in the path of his good and perferct will. I hope to be able to teach my family this type of love. Read more »
  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution on our own
    we can't stand on our own in this life and we will definitely not stand on our own in the next. Heaven is a gift for those that know the Lord God as Father. Thank you for grace. Read more »
  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution what have we learned?
    Have we really learned to love the Lord God with all our hearts? This is the foundation of our faith and the command that all other actions are judged. Read more »
  • lopezfamily82
    lopezfamily82 added a text contribution right now
    Grounding our faith in the here and now provides us an opportunity to act on God's behalf toward the people around us fullfilling the second commandment. Read more »