T. David Beck: The Simple Way of Jesus

At our Sanctuary Easter service, I met a new friend who delivered the funniest and most telling line in have heard in a while. She said, "This is the first time I have ever been in a church." I replied, "Really? That's a big deal." She explained, "Well, I was in a church once before, but I didn't know it was a church. I thought it was a convention. There was a man on the stage who was interviewing a woman, and he kept telling all sorts of jokes." I love to laugh at us Christians, and there's something about a church being mistaken for a convention that I find funny. At the same time, it isn't funny at all that church could look more like a convention than a sacred gathering. It was like in an instant, she had pulled away the curtain and revealed that the awe-inspiring Wizard of Oz was just a man with a microphone. It was a very telling comment indeed. As a pastor, she reminded me of the importance of connecting with God in church gath...

Today I had a great conversation with a friend from Sanctuary. It really centered me, but in an awkward way. I'm sitting there playing the part of spiritual mentor, and the whole time my friend is talking, I'm thinking, "I need to hear this." It was one of those teacher-finds-himself-being-the-student moments. I liked it, although it was sometimes uncomfortable. But how important is comfort, anyway? The subject matter was communion with God. Being centered means I was brought back to that single greatest commitment in all of life: to be in loving communion with God first, foremost, and before all else. He wants us more than all the things we can do for him. Scripture conveys that message with great clarity. It's just easy to let slip or set aside, especially in the seasons when we find ourselves pressed with activity. If you need to be centered today, like I did, I hope this helps.

Sanctuary Covenant Church's first Haiti team leaves in less than a month! Last night KCRA, Sacramento's NBC affiliate, ran a story on our Sanctuary Haiti team. Check it out! BTW, we are 1/3 of the way to our fundraising goals. If you can donate, you can do it through PayPal here .  We are trying to raise enough funds to make a generous donation of basic living and medical supplies, and also build a prefab house for a family that is currently living in a tent. Thanks!