Category: body life
-
Connected
(Click here for a video of John reading today’s Catch.) I woke up this morning feeling a really strong connection to my bed. We had a hold on each other that didn’t want to let go. My bed really wanted me, and I must say it was nice to be so desired, but God and…
-
‘Both Sides Now’
(Click here for a video of John reading this Catch.) I need you. You need me. We mustn’t let this spirit of division get ahold of us. Mike McCausland, our Tuesday Conversation guest this week, said it’s not just in America. It’s a tendency that is everywhere, almost like a curse. Division is the spirit…
-
Two players doth not a baseball team make
(Click here for a video of John reading this Catch.) My Angels have fallen from heaven. Their halos are crooked. They started out this season so promising. They were tied for first place at one point and they have two of the best players in the game. There was lots of promise and lots of…
-
Many but one
“Each generation has distinct attitudes, behaviors, expectations, habits and motivational buttons. Generational differences need not divide us. Every generation has valuable lessons that they can teach… When members of different generations are encouraged to work together, it builds understanding and trust, helping create a cohesive, yet diverse community.” ~ Miranda Allen (CEO of Radiofrequency Safety…
-
Catching up with church
God’s answer for carrying on the presence of His Son, Jesus Christ, in the world today, and accomplishing His work here, is the church. The church is an organic, living organism of believers in Christ all over the world. It is called the body of Christ because it represents His hands and feet continuing until…
-
The unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
[I told you that while I must have dozed off in my car while waiting last Friday for Marti to get an MRI at the hospital for a diagnosis of what we are still in the dark about, I somehow remember getting these text messages from the hospital to come and get “the General” out…
-
‘Together’
“Together” means we are not alone. It means we belong to each other for the duration. It means that if you choose to mess up, you take me with you; and if I mess up, I take you with me. That’s the kind of thing that might make us think twice before we do something…
-
No longer scratching their heads
The Catch Ministry was launched in 2012 by five early members of the Vanguard who led the way for us into a new idea — a new form of worship — a cyber-church. Recognizing congregations all over the world were going to outgrow current facilities, they purchased “acreage” in cyber space. Many wondered why they…
-
‘High School Musical’
Why we chose High School Musical to be the go-to movie for our current campaign: 1. If you read into it, the song, “We’re All In This Together,” is like a celebration of the body of Christ. Just take these lyrics as a case in point: Everyone is special in their own way/We make each…
-
Celebrate the unity
What does it mean to be “all in this together?” In the High School Musical movie from which our theme song for this campaign is taken, it means that all the factions that usually make up a typical high school in America, like jocks, nerds, band members, cheerleaders, and various ethnic groups and people of…
-
‘Abide in Me, Y’all’
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5) The often quoted verse above contains some hidden truth not readily available in English, unless you want to make Jesus into a Texan. As…
-
We’re All In This Together
With malice toward no one; with charity for all. – Abraham Lincoln Unprecedented early voting numbers are flooding in. This is shaping up to be the greatest voter participation ever. The biggest question will be, however, how well will the citizenry handle the outcome? The strength of this democracy has always been that no matter…
-
Unopened gifts
Marti’s birthday was last Sunday, but she hasn’t opened any gifts yet. That’s because she was in bed most of the day feeling under the weather, due most likely to a high degree of pollen in the air from a huge tree in our back yard that sprouts clusters of tiny yellow pollen balls at…
-
The church already has what it needs
“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3) Here are the words to remember when it comes to solving problems: “What do you have?” We have a tendency to focus on: “What do you need?” and…
-
‘Stuck in the Middle with You’
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right Here I am stuck in the middle with you. – Stealers Wheel Our friend made a comment yesterday that made me laugh. It also made me think of a silly song that suddenly had new meaning in the currently…
-
One baptism
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:3-6 Seven things Paul lists as…
-
One body
We are one. One body. The church around the world is one body. Each person belongs to the whole. Everyone who believes is a part of everyone who believes. There can be no separation or there is no life. It’s organic. It’s a living, breathing whole. This is not a club, or a membership, or…
-
Only One who can make us one
One love One blood One life You got to do what you should One life With each other Sisters and my brothers One life But we’re not the same We get to carry each other, carry each other One, one One, one One One love, one life – U2…
-
‘It’s not about you’
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:1-2 “What does it mean to be humble, gentle, patient and bearing with one another in love?” I posed the question to our online Zoom…
-
Staying focused
Question for those of you who are now working out of your home: Are you having a hard time staying focused on your work? The distractions are killing me. Yesterday I got the Catch out at 5:15 p.m., forty-five minutes before our evening Bible Study started. I’m not excusing myself here, I’m just reporting what…