We begin a new series this morning. And I want to start by reminding you of two very simple joys in life. Joys that all… Read More »Present: Experiencing the Joy of God’s Presence All Day, Every Day (Ps. 16) Chris Altrock – 8/9/15
I met Jerry on a Sunday afternoon in the oldest neighborhood in Fort Worth, TX. He and I had gathered with a small group for Sunday dinner at the home of Steve and
Lindsay. Steve preached at a nearby congregation. He and his family of five practiced a ministry of presence in this racially and economically diverse neighborhood. After
devouring Lindsay’s pot roast, we pushed back from their long wooden plank table
and shared stories.
Most of our tales had a common theme: church. Steve and I preached for
churches. A married couple at the table were training with Pioneer Bible Translators so
they could take the church and its Book to others. Jerry and his wife taught the junior-high students at their church.
We listened while Jerry discussed his desire to share Jesus with his patients and bring them to church. As a cancer doctor, he intersected the storylines of peoples’ lives
in some of their most challenging chapters. Jerry believed God had called him to not just treat their bodies, but their hearts and souls as well.
Still, he explained, he hadn’t been sure how to do this. He noticed another
doctor who modeled one approach. This physician aggressively evangelized patients,
sometimes explicitly telling them they didn’t have long on this earth and, unless they
changed, they didn’t have a shot at heaven. Not only was the method ineffective, it was unethical. A visit from members of the medical board ended his pugnacious
proselytizing. Read More »The Truth About Life: A Case for Church (Rev. 1:12-20) Chris Altrock – 6/14/15
A British scholar recently interviewed 1,000 young women between the ages of 13 and 20. [i] She summarizes the result of those surveys with one word. Do you know what that word is? What one word describes young women in the U. S. and the U.K? It’s the word “anxious.”
The scholar, Noreena Hertz, says that this generation of young women has grown up with social media, recession and global conflict. They have followed the exploits of Edward Snowden, watched parents lose jobs, and seen the violence of Isis. And, as a result, she concludes, “This generation is profoundly anxious.” Read More »The Truth About Life: Cloudy Forecast (Rev. 1:4-8) Chris Altrock – 6/7/15
For most of the last school year I spent several Thursday mornings with a group of parents who met to pray over the students at my son’s school. Each Thursday we’d pray over a list of names of students, faculty and staff and we’d pray over their prayer requests.
I remember the morning when Suzanne Avery, the Highlander who leads the group, shared a slip of paper that someone had dropped into the prayer request box. It simply read:
“I’m not sure what I want in life.
I don’t know who I am.”Read More »The Truth About Life: When You’re Not Sure Who You Are (Rev. 1:4-8) Chris Altrock – 5/24/15