T. David Beck: The Simple Way of Jesus

Have you ever had the starter go out on your car? It might go like this. You force yourself out of bed early, shower, dress, and get ready to go to work. You get behind the wheel of your car, turn the key, and the engine doesn't start. Without a starter, you aren't going anywhere. If we could ask one of history's greatest experts on prayer what is the starter in the life of communing with God, what would he say? Brother Lawrence (17th-century monk), famous for his practice of continual prayer, said that for him, everything started with thinking great thoughts of God. In other words, theology is the starter. He wasn't an educated man, but he knew enough about God to get the motor going. One's theology could be as simple as "God is great, God is good." In fact, most biblical theology is summed up in those two sentences that many of us learned as kids. If you want to go through the hours aware of God rather than forgetful of him... if you want to have...

What is true? How can I know it?  What is good? How can I become it? Those are two of the most fundamental questions human beings can ask. People who ask those questions persistently and pursue the answers no matter where the search leads are called 'philosophers.'  Socrates, the father of Western philosophy, was famous for saying, "The unexamined life is not worth living." What he meant was, "Why go about living a life that is ultimately pointless because you are just taking everyone else's word for what is true and good? Why follow along like a lemming? Seek out truth and goodness. The search itself gives meaning to life." As Neil Postman observed, our society has taken a path of "amusing ourselves to death." The constant availability of entertainment has fueled a culture of superficiality rather than a search for truth and goodness.  Here's a starting point. Take Matthew, chapter 5. Do you think what Jesus taught...

Let's say you and your spouse are preparing to adopt a baby from Asia. You have worked for months to navigate the twists and turns of the adoption process. When you were matched with a little boy, you prayerfully accepted. That kicked into gear all the final preparations -- buying baby clothes, packing baby supplies, packing your own things, updating your passports, getting shots, preparing your complex itinerary, studying maps, and wondering -- endlessly wondering -- what this experience will bring, both good and bad. This has been an extraordinary few months. You are revved up but running on fumes. You are scheduled to leave for your flight out of the USA on 6:00 AM on Friday morning. What do you do on Thursday night? Double check all your preparations? Rest up, anticipating the aches and pains of being stuck for more than 20 hours in coach seats the next day? Either of these choices would make complete sense, but our friends Nate and Lindsey elected "none of the above....

I wanted to know how I got so lucky. This past Sunday I found myself performing a wedding for a pair of 92-year-olds, Roy and Elaine. It was absolutely unforgettable. Here are three things I learned from the experience. Photo by Lily Hodge, Lily Michael Photography 1. Live in the moment. At 92, you don't take anything for granted. By that time in life, you have mourned the loss of many friends and loved ones. Everything Roy and Elaine do seems to reflect this approach to their relationship: savor every moment you have together. The two are often seen holding hands and gazing lovingly into each other's eyes. And there's nothing fake about it. 2. Keep it simple -- enjoy someone . I have had the privilege of officiating several weddings, and I've led couples through saying their vows to one another. There was something different going on when Roy and Elaine said their vows. Each word was measured and spoken with conviction that can only come from someone who has s...

Of all the characters in the Bible, there might be none more consistently misunderstood and misrepresented than Mary, the mother of Jesus. At Sanctuary, we have been preaching a series of messages focused on Mary and her tumultuous journey (you can listen here ). Through my research, I have developed a picture of Mary that differs significantly from those we commonly see on Hallmark cards, movies, and tv shows. Therefore, I present eight myths about Mary and their corresponding truths. 1. Myth : Mary looked like this: For an image of what Mary more likely looked like, read to the bottom of this post. 2. Myth : She was in her mid-20s when she gave birth to Jesus. Truth : Most young women in that day married in their early to mid teens. Scholars believe Mary was probably about 14 years old when Gabriel visited her, which would likely make her 15 on the first Christmas. (Incidentally, if you have a daughter, how would you respond if she came home pregnant at 14?) 3. Myth :...

Gerald May writes, A medical school professor I remember told his students that he found it more worthwhile to love his surgical instruments than to love his patients. "As soon as you start feeling your patients' pain," he said, "you start losing your skill." He was only trying to help. That story comes from the first chapter of May's book, The Awakened Heart . May has two main things to say in the chapter. First, human beings are created for love . May observes that people the world over hunger for love. He writes, If you pause and look quietly inside, you may be able to sense something of your desire for love right now in this moment. Sometimes it is wonderful to touch this deep longing; it can seem expansive and joyful. At other times it can be painful, lonely, and even a little frightening. Whether it feels good or bad, its power and depth are awesome. (p. 2) Second, we tend to make other things more important than love. May talks about how, a...

One of the most well-entrenched myths of the last 300 years is that one's religious faith is a private matter. In the modern period, Western culture challenged the church to prove on scientific grounds that the claims of the Bible are true. Attempts were made, but by and large the church retreated to the only safe place it had: the interior of the human individual. Faith was seen as a private matter -- something that happens only between the individual and God. Consequently, no one else can judge the authenticity of one's faith. In today's postmodern culture, the individual still reigns supreme. In fact, Western individualism is more radical than it has ever been. Each individual is free to choose his or her own brand of faith, and "haters" are rebuffed with postmodernism's trump card: "Don't judge me." Is faith a private matter? Or is faith something so public that supposing it is private is outright ludicrous? In fact, is one's faith so...