The Threads Blog

Hebrews 6 encourages us to leave behind the milk and move to a more meaty spirituality. There should be movement in our spiritual lives. We should be moving to a deeper understanding of… something… as we stumble and sprint through faith and life. But sometimes it’s very unclear as to what the next goal is, and so few people seem to be able to tell me the difference between spiritual meat and milk. Tied up into all of that is the question of what do we, as Christians, do with our work career? Is it separate from our spiritual growth? Do the two go hand in hand?

I want to wrap up this first issue of LifeMatters, and our study into evangelism with one question. It is probably the most important question found in the Bible. In Matthew 27:22, Pilate asked the crowd, “What should I do then with Jesus, who is called Messiah?”

The question came to Michael Scott, district manager of Dunder Mifflin Scranton and sage of The Office: “Would you rather be feared or loved?” After reflection, Michael answered: “Both. I want you to be afraid of how much you love me.” So true, Michael. But that launches me into a reflection of the same question to God—Do You want to be feared or loved? I think God does want both, but biblical fear seems to me to be more of a respect, a recognition of just who it is we’re dealing with.

BeachReach, Threads’ Spring Break service project, is right around the corner! One of our college ministry friends, Lanae Hale, has been touring campuses this spring. We’re excited to offer you a free download of her song, Love is Worth the Fight.

Some men are gifted to be a handyman and others are not. I definitely fall into the second category. I have no problem taking things apart, its the putting them back together that gets me in trouble. On Monday I decided to prove this once again to myself. Our washing machine was not working. This machine was the one I had worked on before so there was visible electrical tape holding things in place. This time the machine simply would not spin. A washer that will not spin is something closely related to a bucket. Great for holding water, but not for washing clothes. So I figure either the motor is gone or a belt has broken. Well if its a belt, then I should be able to fix it, right? I start removing screws and attempt to take the back of the machine off so I can see what I am dealing with. After 30 minutes the back is hanging on by some unseen force, so a lightbulb goes off in my head. Maybe I need to disconnect the drain hose and then I will be able to remove the back. So I grabbed the hose and pulled.

A little less than two years ago, Todd Phillips and I met out in Phoenix to talk about Threads and an idea God had embedded deep into his heart and mind. For about an hour, he poured out his passion for the intersection of social justice and evangelism. By the time our conversation had ended, I was convinced God had blessed us with a special person and a special message to get out to the world. Todd’s Bible study Get Uncomfortable was that message and last week we received word this study had been given a very special honor.

What makes our story different from the other messages that are out there? Tom Cruise’s video has been all over the internet and serves as an advertisement for Scientology. Bin Laden is always sending out things (videos, audio tapes, suicide bombers), Mormons are always bicycling through our neighborhoods, and others are saying they all point in the same direction. Can that be true?

Who is wiser about weather—me or my dog? On Super Tuesday, the clear winner is my dog, who seems to have much better instincts when it comes to forecasting the weather than I do. Let me tell you about the perils of trying to play frisbee with him during a tornado watch…