Greece Trip with SMBC 2009

The following video was put together by Tim Schoap (Pastor at Signal Mountain Bible Church) after their Mission Adventures trip to Greece with AMG International.

How's your faith working for you??

The Bible claims to be God's Word to the world, written by man, but authored by God. This is either true or it isn't!

Christians who believe it to be God's Word, completely true, say that the Bible has all of the answers for life. It either does or it doesn't!

All I know is a manual for my Mazda either is written by someone who knows my car or it isn't. If I conclude that it is written by someone who knows my car, then it either holds all of the answers I need in dealing with my car or it doesn't.

The proof is in the application of that book to my car. If I look for information in the book and find it true and accurate, someone must know what they are talking about. If I am looking for instruction about my car and the book has all the information I need, then I must conclude that the book has the answers necessary for successful operation and care for my vehicle.

The same is true with your "faith". If you hold the Bible to be God's Word written to you holding all of the answers for life, then I must ask - what is your proof? Have you found the Bible to answer your problems? Have you found the Bible to be the final authority in your life?

If your answer is no, then I must ask this: Is it your premise that is off, or is it your conclusion?

I'd love to hear your thoughts...

Connected Stories - Real Life

Billions of people living on a single planet, at first glance, that might be all we have in common. We think differently. We act differently. We eat different things. We value different things. We have different values, traditions, expectations, behaviors... and on the list goes.

Let's bring it down to a smaller scale.

Your hometown. We share similar patterns, similar concerns, similar beliefs, similar behavior, yet we are very different. How then are we to connect with one another?

Think of a computer motherboard. It is made up of hundreds of components - some similar, some very different, some large, some small, some almost invisible. It is made up of wires, transitors, fans, headers, connectors, sockets... hundreds of parts, only one objective!

There are not good parts and bad parts - there are only parts. There are many tasks, but only one objective. There are thousands of operations, but only one conclusion.

From Matthew 1, we see a list of very different people with very different lives - 28 generations of people. Yet we see the ultimate conclusion of their connectedness - the birth of Jesus. Their were adulterers, prostitutes, murderers, liars... and on it goes. God used their stories to bring us Jesus.

It is imperative that we understand we are connected to each other. Not by coincidence, not by default, but by the hand of God. We have a connection that goes beyond our own understanding. We are joined in a way that only the end of time will show exactly what the final picture looks like.

My encouragement to you - live a connected life! Purpose to find out how God is using you in the lives of others. When we realize the impact our existence has on others, we are inclined to live in a way that really matters - to focus on the eternal - to live beyond ourselves. Seek God, love others well.

A View From Mars Hill

What a view!! Standing where the apostle Paul once stood and shared with the people of Athens what it means to know the "unknown god". Four million people within eye-shot... it was an amazing site. I look forward to blogging a little about the trip to Greece - enjoy the view...