Grady D King

Too much!  This is the malady of our age.  We over-schedule, over-expect, over-demand and find oursevles running at the edge of our emotional capacity. Lots of us are edgy, weary in spirit and frankly, spiritually empty.  You know exactly what I mean, don’t you?

What’s your RED FLAG?  There are four red flags in Alcoholics Annonymous that apply to any addiction–H.A.L.T.  Are you  hungy? Are you angry? Are you lonely?Are you tired?

 These are triggers that if not addressed kick addicts back to an addicitive lifestyle.  I have found them very useful in my own life.  Why?  All sin and habits are addictive. I may not struggle with alcohol, but there are those things that I am attached to; that are nailed down in my life in self-limiting, hurtful, and unhealthy ways.

What’s the one thing you will do that nurtures your spirit and refreshes your soul? This means you have to decide what to say “YES” and “NO” to. Blaming others won’t cut it. This means that you will have to consider the necessary resources and relationships to stay refreshed.

I am praying for you!  

Do you have room in your faith for a laughing Jesus?  For a long time I didn’t.  Oh, I had room for the serious, faith talking, in your face, hard nosed Jesus but not a laughing Jesus. Then in 1983, I sat on the shores of Galilee watching the sun rise only to hear laughter. I saw in the distance a small fishing boat and some men splashing water at each other.  It hit me. I had no room for a laughing, dare I say, “fun” Jesus. My view of Jesus was incomplete, so was my religion. If Jesus shows us how to be human, then laughter is not optional.

Jesus laughter was certainly not at the expense of others. Nor was his laughter one of practical jokes. I am convinced Jesus laughed with deep joy, gratitude and hope when children came near; when faith was seen in the most unlikely people; and particularly when Zaccheus said, “Look, half of my possessions Lord I will give to the poor”(Lk 19.8a). Jesus response, “Today, salvation has come to this house..”(Lk 19.9a). Salvation means sharing!

It’s thanksgiving time and we would do well to connect the dots of gratitude, laughter and salvation.  Nothing worse than a ungrateful church whose joy is contained and laughter is absent.

Happy Thanksliving!

Are you distracted in following Jesus? 

Distracted. My friend Randy Harris says being distracted is the greatest hinderance to spiritual growth. Simply being fully present is rare. We are so distracted. Randy is a college professor. He says just getting college students full attention is virtually impossible. Technology, over-scheduling, insecurity, demands of life, the need to produce and a host of other things contribute to it.  Randy has adpated his teaching style to ten minute increments only to realize that this method feeds their distraction.

The spiritual life is cultivated in a spirit of reflection, listening and discerning God’s Word, will, and way. Bullet point Christianity supported by an inspirational music video cannot sustain the spiritual life. Jesus calls us to run deeper, not faster. Ouch! Even Jesus knew the temptation of distraction and cultivated the rhythyms of silence, solitude and prayer. If Jesus needed it, how much more do we?

Take a minute and breathe!

You need it!

Are you a balcony person?

Balcony people are encouragers.  Balcony people, in the words of one author are those who lean over the banisters of heaven and pull you up with encouragement. They are the people who constantly say, “You can do it,”  “Don’t give up,” and “You are loved.”  

Of course, by now you know there are basement people who always pull you down, find a way to critcize and can’t find a word of affirmation any time, any place. And then there are the porch people who just don’t care. They don’t give a rip.  But sit on the porch in your life.  These are people who Jesus loves, but you aren’t enough like Jesus, yet.  

If you want to read about being a balcony person consider Barnabas in the New Testament. He was the son of encouragement. Or, just go to Amazon.com and look for Joyce Heatherly’s work, Balcony People or Walter Albritton’s, Leaning Over the Banisters of Heaven: Balcony People Make the Difference.

Today you can choose to leave the porch, get out of the basement and go to the balcony.

It’s your choice.

Follow Barnabas.

The name, “Church of Christ” was never intended by God to be an institutional slogan.  The “Church of Christ” is intended to be a description of who and whose we are. It is about identity. And we carry our identity with us, wherever we are. We are a church belonging to Christ.  This changes the way we not only understand ourselves, but how we live in the world.  Since the church is the body of Christ, individually and collectively, then how we behave among ourselves and in the world matters.

We assemble  not as an event to audit, rather, as participants in God’s life in Christ.  To think of church in terms of a limited amount of time on Sunday is to woefully miss the mark of being the “Church of Christ.” It is a dynamic, organic life in being the “Church of Christ.”  We are not the only ones  committed to being a church belonging to Christ.

Let us walk in humility and hold on to Christ, tenaciously, in word and deed to the glory of God. It’s enough for any given day.

Drought continues. Fires rage. Houses destroyed. Lives lost. Wildlife habitats gone. All creation groans waiting for redemption, but redemption seems nigh to impossible. All of this in the ten year shadows of 9.11. Whether natural disasters, political unrest, or the presence of evil having it’s way, creation groans. And at times the groaning is loud and never ending and the ancient question rumbles in our gut and makes us uneasy as people of faith.

A few things I know.

• God is not vindictive. What is happening is not about God’s particular judgment over a certain people or region of his creation. The drought, fires and loss is not God’s way of manipulating greater faith.
• All creation does groan waiting for redemption (Rom 8.18f).
• Be still and know that I am God is said to people of faith who groan for a number of reasons (Ps. 46.1-10).
• God’s people give, share, care, pray, and reflect who he is, even in the midst of our own groaning.
• Groaning is not bad. It is a part of being human, trusting God and finding a way to help others as people of compassion and redemption.

Thanks for taking a minute to groan, pray and be the presence of God for someone this day.

“Until Christ is formed in you…” (Gal 4.19).  Just how is Christ formed in you?  Certainly knowledge is foundational. But what does it mean to be formed by Christ? What does it look like in the everyday stuff of life: relationships, at work, and even in sports. I don’t know about you but it is overwhelming to consider the phrase, “Until Christ is formed in you…” The Apostle Paul said it about believers who were all over the map regarding their salvation and even at odds with one another.  Paul is white hot mad about those who bind their cultural and religious traditions on others for salvation (Gal 1.8-9).  He is in pain like a woman having a child until Christ shapes their heart and behavior.

All I know to do to be formed by Christ is to:

Consider the person and presence of Christ daily: REFLECTING on WHO HE IS AND I AM IN HIM.

Consider something he teaches that I can dwell in daily:CHOOSING ONE SCRIPTURE TO LIVE IN.

Consider how God may be speaking to me through others: LISTENING CLOSELY TO THEMES IN CONVERSATIONS.

Consider how I am sharing in community with others who want to be formed by Christ: SHOWING UP CONSISTENTLY TO WORSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP.

Consider ways that I can focus on others, rather than myself: TAKE ACTION ON ENCOURAGING AND HELPING OTHERS.

What would those who know you best say about how Christ is formed in you?

We become what we behold!