Dave's teaching this weekend was on "Toxic Charity" by Richard Lupton which raises some difficult and complex questions regarding charity. When is charity what is best? And when is it creating unhealthy dependencies?
Where is God in the Midst of Our Suffering?
This weekend Jeremy addressed this "Hard Topic" using the first chapter of Genesis. Who knew that Genesis chapter one was about anything more than creation? I certainly didn’t. Maybe Jeremy didn’t either to begin with, but 10 books and many hours of study later, there it was … God took a formless void and created. He organized. He separated. He was there in the midst of the darkness. He brought light to darkness and order to the chaos. Wow. tohu v vohu. Say that 10 times fast.
See, God wasn't absent from the chaos. He wasn't gone when darkness covered the earth. He was there. Creating, organizing, separating. From the beginning of time He has been in the midst of it all.
In the book of Job we can read the story of a man named Job who was wealthy and healthy. He had it all. And then he lost it. God was not absent from Job. He was there. He listened to Job's complaints. He sustained him through illness. And in the end He restored him to…
As a society we have access to more medical and scientific information than ever before. While this is helpful in many ways, it can also be detrimental. Curt explored this idea, as well as "stirred the pot" this weekend. He talked about addictions, habits and diagnoses, prescriptions, labels, and descriptions. He explained the difference between descriptions and definitions. Descriptions may describe us, but they do NOT define us. Or at least they shouldn't.
Have you let a label or a diagnosis define you? Have you allowed a "condition" to limit or prevent you from doing more than you have or being mroe than you are? Have you found yourself using your _________ as an excuse?
If the answer is yes to any of these questions, you may be limiting God's power in your life. Your ___________ has become your crutch, a cap on God's power and possibilities in your life.
This week's hard topic is a "debate that has generated more heat than light." The topic? Immigration. It's a close and heated battle in Arizona where SB1070 originated, and so many views abound. From Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his "roundups" of immigrants, the Minute Men at the border, to the personal stories shared by some of our own families - this subject has pervaded the personal, state and national levels.
As Christians, followers of Christ, it is difficult to know what our responsibility is. "Does the Christian community have anything to contribute to this conversation?" What does the Bible say? What does God's Word say about foreigners, strangers, or aliens (as they are sometimes referred)? Where should the church stand?
Just think about it… What if you were trapped under something heavy and the mouse was out of your reach? Scary, right? That's exactly why we have these keyboard shortcuts so you can still use Vimeo until the help arrives.
