Navigating the Grey Inport

I've imported a bunch of postings that I did on my previous blog, "Navigating the Grey." However, I didn't input the comments so if you want to read them you have to go to the original website: Navigating the Grey. Here's the new posts as they show up on this blog. They are posted with the original date so they don't show up at the top of the list.

Inspirational Keys

Why Can's I Own Canadians?

Repsponse: Jesus vs. The Church

Is Jesus' Salvation Just a Ticket to Heaven?

Why am I a Christian?

Act with Action

Alcohol-ism

The Power of the Dark Side

Absolutly Relative

Jessica gets engaged

Yesterday I was awaken to someone repeatedly calling my house at 12:45am. Annoyed I woke up on 6th time and answered the phone with an obviously condescending voice. After I say hello the voice on the other end says: "May I speak to Heather?"

I respond with the typical, "May I ask who's calling?" (Subtext: What is this man doing calling my wife at this time in the morning?)

"It's Kevin Reitema." (Heather's sister's boyfriend) Now I know. Jessica is engaged. Why else would he be calling at such a late hour. Although, they live in Saskatchewan and it wasn't 12:45am there.

Anyway, here's some pictures of the couple and of course... the ring.

The Good News

Awhile ago I did a sermon at my parent’s church called the “Good News.” The basic premiss is that the gospel (“the teachings of Jesus and his apostles - the Christian revelation,” as per dictionary.com) is only really the “good news” if it is two things: good, and news.

For the message of Christ, and thus the message of Christians, to be gospel it must first be good. “God hates fags,” would not fall under the title of good! Where as, “God loves you,” does. Jesus commanded us to love God and love others (Matt 22:34-40). He didn’t command us to love God and judge others. Although we tend to get love and judgement mixed up.

Not only must the gospel message be good, it must also be news. If it sounds stale and boring it is not news. Stanley Grenz says in the beginning of his book “Theology for the Community of God” that one major aspect of theology is that it is contextualized to the present time. The message of Christianity must be news. It must have urgency, be important, and be on the minds and mouths of everyone that knows it. It must break through into every conversation; not forced, but naturally included.

In our society and especially in our churches we need to make the gospel “Good News” again. We need to strip it of hatred and judgement and dress it in love. Clean it of cobwebs and dust-bunnies, and freshen it with urgency. Only when it’s “Good News” does it truly the gospel, the message of Jesus and his followers.