Being gracious to others, especially those who wrong us severely, has become a lost art. We are so quick to point out the flaws in others in attempt to tear them down and build ourselves up. In comparison to these lowlifes, we reason that we are not that bad and that cruelty and injustice must […]
christianity
Dialogic Prayer that Leads to Maranatha Faith
“How Long, Lord?” This is one of the prayers recorded in Revelation 6. Prayer is a back and forth dialogue with God, and in that exchange, faith is produced. And not just ordinary faith, but what I call Maranatha faith. Maranatha or "Come, Lord Jesus." A faith that longs to see Jesus. Revelation 5 is […]
Revelation 5 – Navigating Through the Messy Middle
I love the book of Revelation. I think it fits my poetic sensibilities. You may look at me and I know you must be thinking, Ray, he looks like a guy who drinks root beer all day and watches sports. I don’t like root beer, but I do love sports. But that is only one […]
Unity of God's People and the Necessity for Ecumenical Efforts
Unity is what heaven is going to be all about. In Revelation, you have people from every tribe, tongue, nation surrounding the throne of God in utter, all-consuming worship. But when you look at the state of God’s church today, we fall so short of this glorious portrait of unity. There are countless denominations and […]
Ministry vs. Great Commission?
Ministry is a word that has become a bit taboo among some Christians and some allergic reactions are so strong that the mere utterance of the “M” word causes an immediate shutdown of the auditory faculties. Understandably, people with this kind of negative response to the mere mention of ministry were usually victim to a […]
Trustworthy Sayings
Icebreaker – favorite movie, survey church background Introduce myself. Graduation, family, college ministry, missions. I am so thankful that each of you can come and attend our historic first Bible study here at USC Health Campus and I am excited to see what God has in store for us here as we experience Him together. […]