A Few Friday Thoughts

Didn't really feel like putting together a well-composed blog entry today (too little sleep this week seems to finally be catching up a bit), so today you get a few thoughts on some things that have either been brewing in the world, or are little items that have come to grab my attention recently.

• On being a good steward: We tend to hear the word "Stewardship" in the Christian Church as a bad thing.  Its focus is way too often on money only.  When God created mankind, God didn't tell the man to only take good care of his money (which didn't even exist at the time).  Instead, God put him in charge of the care of the entire world.  That means that our stewardship involves our care for this world (including things like recycling, or understanding our "green footprint" and other such matters), our time, our money, and our relationships with others.  All of these are areas that are included in the term stewardship.
• On Jesus and His re-appearing: Jesus has promised that He will "come again".  Over the years, I've read lots of material about what that return appearance will be like, and most of it is actually pretty poor theology.  Getting into why it's poor theology would take a book or two, so I won't do that in a bullet point.  Here's what we need to know, though.  Jesus will reappear.  Everyone will see it happen.  The dead will be raised.  The faithful will receive their eternal inheritance, and the rest sent off to eternal condemnation.  Nothing will ever separate the faithful from God and the Lamb again.  Pretty simple.
• Simplicity isn't easy: We live in a world that has a tendency toward complexity.  Simplicity appeals greatly to us.  Simplicity actually has a power of its own.  Sadly, we all too often fail to keep things simple, even when it comes to church and ministry.  We spread ourselves thin rather than keeping our ministry focus simple.  We create confusion as to what we expect of God's people, rather than giving them a simple expectation.  We come up with confusing theologies rather than holding to the simple truth of the Bible.
• Community Matters: This morning I'm planning on visiting someone who is suffering through cancer treatments.  Such visits remind me of the importance of community.  I also frequently deal with people who feel isolated or disconnected, even within the household of God.  I'm reminded of the importance of community.  Perhaps even more importantly, I'm reminded that community doesn't just happen, but that it needs to be intentionally nurtured and maintained.  Leading God's people in developing greater community is a lot of work, but a very worthwhile work.

I'd love to hear any thoughts or comments on these, or even on other matters that you'd like for me to blog about in the future.