Category: Christian Living

Bible, Inspirational

10 Broken Pieces God Used to Make Us Whole Again

Chris

Just four months ago, we celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ. Regardless of whether it is the right day of the year or how it is misused, Christmas is a time of celebration and joy.

Good Friday is different. Those who know Easter is coming recognize the darkness of today will turn to eternal light on Sunday. Grief will turn to wonder. Jesus’ victory overshadows Satan’s temporary victory. We tend to treat Good Friday as a hiccup. It appears and then it’s gone, a blip on the radar.

Maybe it’s because Good Friday reminds us how broken our world is. Sure, we see the news and pray for nations and people hit by tragedy. Brokenness seems obvious. Yet today’s message of brokenness is about sin, judgment, and justice. But the good news of the Gospel is how God sent Jesus to redeem our brokenness and make us whole and new again.

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Christian Living

How to Keep from Burning the Bridges of Reconciliation

Chris

Reconciliation is a buzz word in our day. As we reflect on history and the errors of those who came before us, we feel an obligation to build the bridges they burned, whether unintentionally or with violent purpose. The list of injuries is long, and the task is large.

One place reconciliation is strangely missing is the local church. We seem to forget how it is essential to the Gospel’s message. Each one of us is eternally estranged from God because of sin within us. Yet Jesus was born to sacrifice Himself so the penalty of our sin would be paid, and we would have the opportunity to be reconciled to God.

In places where there are multiple choices for a place to worship, people often leave one congregation in favor of another, not so much because God has called them to connect and serve in that new church home, but because of problems with people from the old one. If only we could find a way to reconcile.

We might find it easier if we learned to talk about what has happened with a different set of words. How we define our situation will determine what course to take, if we leave room for any at all. When it comes to reconciling our relationships, we have to be careful to keep open the bridges that bind us together.

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Christian Living

Encouragement When God Feels Far Away

Chris

Christmas is a special time of year. There are all of the “regular” things we do at Christmas. We bake cookies, decorate trees and homes, visit with family, and have huge dinners. Alongside those are the “churchy” things we use to celebrate the season. We sing Carols, light candles, put on Christmas pageants and plan Christmas Eve services. Chances are there are still more dinners to attend.

We take this season to celebrate, not all of the things, but Jesus. It’s one of two big days every year we make an extra effort to put Jesus at the forefront of everything. And we even have a measure of permission to do it.

Most of us are used to celebrating Christmas in one form or another every year. We expect it to come. Many of us are also familiar with the Scriptures detailing the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. It would be hard to forget for some. But when Christ came, God’s people were in the middle of wondering if God would ever speak to them again.

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Christian Living

Don’t Stop Going to Church because of Stupid People

Chris

Yeah, I said it. You read that word correctly. I said “stupid”. Let’s face it folks, there are a lot of stupid people out there. They’re on our highways, in our workplaces, and they even find their way into our churches.

Merriam-Webster has a definition of “stupid” to help us understand what we’re talking about here. Their online dictionary describes “stupid” as “slow of mind … given to unintelligent decisions or acts : acting in an unintelligent or careless manner.”

Have you bumped into careless, slow thinking people at church? While every pastor is quick to say yes, most churchgoers can probably think of one or two or a dozen people fitting stupid’s description. So can a lot of former churchgoers. Most of those former worshipers can probably tell you a story of how stupid got between them and the church, and ultimately between them and God.

Aside from a lack of interest in living God’s way, stupid people are a big reason people walk out the door never to return. Please, don’t do that. Don’t listen to the lie telling you stupid people aren’t worth sitting in the room with. To walk away because of them is unbiblical, and will actually do more harm than good.

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Church Life, Podcast

What If We Change the Way We Speak? (Podcast)

Chris

Part 4. The Bible describes the tongue, the words we speak, as “a restless evil.” God has a standard, not just for how we live but how we speak. What comes out of our mouths reveals what is built in our hearts. But it doesn’t just affect ourselves, it has the power to feed or harm others. We must come to grips with a specific struggle with our words that hits our lives with disastrous effect.

http://www.audiomack.com/embed4/chrismackinnon/what-if-we-change-the-way-we-speak

(If you do not see the audio player, CLICK HERE to view the full post.)

Christian Living

Everyone God Brings into His Church Belongs

Chris

Have you ever found a piece of something and not known what it was? It looked important. It obviously came from something else. Now it’s your personal space, lost and alone.

I recently tossed out a small screw I was holding on to. Too many people sat in my office and asked about it. It wasn’t on display or in a “lost and found” box. Day after day it sat in the top of a small wooden chalice from Israel that I keep next to a menorah my in-laws gave me after their trip to the Holy Land.

Too many people must have commented on it that week. I picked it up, looked at, and threw it away. As much as I hoped to find its home, for years it sat without one.

Thankfully, God doesn’t forget where something, or someone goes. He knows exactly where they belong. The trick for us is trusting in God’s wisdom and craftsmanship.

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