Having stripped Satan of all power through his death and resurrection, Jesus could have “called it” and ushered in the full manifestation of his Kingdom right then and there. Instead, he did something surprising: he commissioned his disciples to carry on his mission as his ambassadors, entrusting them with the authority to operate on his behalf. But what does that mean? How far does that authority go? And was it just given to the Twelve, or does it extend to every Christian?
Read More
The idea that God is good seems like a very uncontroversial statement up front. It is already a cornerstone of Christian belief, so why would this be worth mentioning as a significant aspect of carrying a Kingdom mindset? I think the answer comes from the fact that all Christians must grapple with the reality of the suffering we experience in this life. The way we attempt to reconcile this experience with a belief in the goodness of God can make a big difference in the shaping of our faith perspective.
Read More
As we embrace our Christian mission, it is an act of love to ready ourselves to respond in whatever way the situation in front of us demands, and not to concern ourselves so much with whether we have this or that charism. In other words, when we get focused on our mission of extending God’s love to others, it is only natural that we would seek the most powerful means of accomplishing that mission: an intimate partnership with the Holy Spirit through the full range of spiritual gifts that are available to us.
Read More
In Christ, we are citizens of God’s heavenly Kingdom and are invited to begin living heaven’s culture of honor here and now. We do this by learning to see people the way God sees them, by being eager to praise the good we see in them, by leveraging the favor we have to create opportunities for people to develop into their full potential, and so on. But because of the fallen state of this world, there are certain challenges to living a culture of honor that we have to contend with now that we won't in heaven. So what does honor look like in the midst of the brokenness of this world?
Read More
As I look around the landscape of Christianity today, I notice that many of the churches having the greatest impact tend to have this in common: there is a strong family dynamic present at their core. This has been a point of intrigue for me, and I’ve been exploring the value of a family-based model in the overall health and effectiveness of the church. In our Catholic parishes, we often use the language of family, but if we look at the specifics, I think it’s more accurate to say we function much more like franchises than families.
Read More