A thousand graces

download-21

I am alive today because of God’s grace. The sun came up this morning because of God’s grace. The stars were out last night because of God’s grace. The breath I’m drawing into my lungs right now is because of God’s grace. Whatever health I enjoy right now, I enjoy because of God’s grace. I am forgiven of the sins I committed since I got up this morning because of God’s grace. I am forgiven of the sins I will commit today that I don’t even know about, because of God’s grace. I open God’s word today because God’s grace has given it to me. I can pray — I can have access to God’s presence right now — because of God’s grace. The birds are singing outside because of God’s grace. The car will start this morning because of God’s grace, and if it doesn’t, it will be God’s grace because of what it will teach me. There are a thousand natural and supernatural benefits we enjoy every day because of God’s grace. Most, if not all, of these phenomena go by unnoticed on a typical day.

Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 4 Comments

The corner of her eye

th-8

On a park bench she sat looking

At the trees that lined the hill

Trying hard to find the words

When she knows she never will

So she watched the sad leaves shimmer

All innocent and shy

As she caught the golden sunset

In the corner of the sky


And I sat there with her wondering

Though she did not know my name

If she could see me smiling

And love me just the same

And I thought I saw a glimmer

Of all the years gone by

As I caught the golden sunset

In the corner of her eye

Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 2 Comments

Religion and Politics in America

597533_n58xAAuB

I searched for a man among them who would build up a wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. Ezekiel 22:30

One of our main goals here at the Catch is to help us all connect our faith to the real world. We need to learn what it is to think Christianly about everything. Unfortunately most Christians think Christianly about “Christian things” — things that are considered “Christian” already. But that is letting someone else do your thinking for you — trusting someone else to label what is “Christian” and what is not. That’s actually our job — ignore the labels and think Christianly about everything — to find truth everywhere.

Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 2 Comments

Walking Backwards Down the Stairs

OIP-12

Have you ever had a day when you ended up further behind than when you started? That was me yesterday. I actually spent half my day undoing what I did the first half of the day because no one told me what I did was not the best thing to do at the time. I was told later I needed to wait a couple months. (It would have  been nice to have had that information ahead of time, but … oh well.) So now I am switching back phone carriers trying just to get back to where I was at the start of yesterday. I basically will be telling them today, “Make it like yesterday never happened.” Can they do that?

Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Crowned to serve

th-2

What an unexpected surprise to have the first coronation of a British monarch in 70 years be a lesson in servant leadership. I bet you weren’t expecting that — I wasn’t. Of course there was plenty of regalia as would be expected, but the emphasis from start to finish was on the words of Jesus, “The Son of man came not to be served but to serve.” (Matthew 20:28) Whether he does it or not, time will tell, but King Charles III at least chose the right model of leadership.

Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 14 Comments

Mysterious lights

“Work Out The Life”

by John Fischer

Work out the life God works in you

Day by day

It’s His good pleasure to see you through

If you simply obey

He’ll lead all of the way

You have a new mind and you have a new heart

Created by the King

You have a new hope and you have a new start

You don’t lack a thing

Live out your years in humble fear

Love the Lord

As innocent children you’ll appear

Like a mysterious light

In the darkest of night

You have a free spirit you have a new soul

Given you by the King

You don’t have the pressure to make yourself whole

He has given you wings

Work out the life God works in you

Day by day

It’s His good pleasure to see you through

If you simply obey

He’ll lead all of the way

Click here to listen to this song on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIrMlBOH46A

Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world. Philippians 2:14-15

“Children of God … in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.” Almost makes us seem like aliens, doesn’t it? Like we glow in the dark or something. Well, maybe we are, and maybe we do. Peter seems to think we are a little strange when he writes, “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11). “Aliens and strangers.” I’m sure he’s referring to the fact that, as ultimate citizens of heaven and eternity — our real home — we are, as Larry Norman coined the phrase in one of his early albums, “Only visiting this planet.”

So what is that light we appear to be? That light is the light of Christ that shines in us, in spite of us. It is not that we are shiny happy people all the time — we struggle and question and wonder like anyone else — but, because of the presence of Christ in our lives, there is a light inside that shines on regardless. We don’t make it shine, or turn it on or off, it’s simply there. It is not us; it is Christ in us. We are not even aware of it most of the time, but it’s there anyway because it is there by faith.

We have hope when things are hopeless. We believe in the middle of our doubt. We love when everything and everyone around tells us to hate. We keep going when we want so much to stop. We live a paradoxical reality in a paradoxical world because we have a foot in two worlds at once. So we keep working out, by faith, the life God is working in us by His Spirit.

So plug in some earphones, listen to the song, and be encouraged that God is indeed working in you today.

And join us for church this Sunday at 6pm Pacific at facebook.com/thecatch. Come join us and join the dialogue.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 2 Comments

Stories, then and now

OIP-9

What will happen to the Millennials when we older ones leave? Nothing, at least as far as we are concerned, if we don’t do something now. They won’t even know we’re gone. There’s a distance between us that some think might as well be there. We’re two different generations. Life will go on for them with or without us. True, but wouldn’t life be richer for them and us if we did something about that?

Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

Someone’s worried about you

OIP-3

“I’m worried about you,” he whispered in my ear, not because it was a secret, but because that was the only way I was able to hear him. He could barely move his limbs. It took a mechanical sling to get him out of bed, and he could tolerate that for only a few minutes every day. His wife, 86, and a feisty five feet tall could handle everything about his healthcare except the sling, so that’s where I had come in. She and Marti were good friends so Marti volunteered me, and that’s how I became friends with someone whom I would otherwise have never known. And what a surprise it was.

Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 2 Comments

Look. Hear. Touch. Give.

main-qimg-3ad7dee00d22e5a207cfb71377d6c638-c

Look all around you and see what is real

Hear what is true and be sure what you feel

Touch someone near you in love if you can

Give all you have and be part of God’s plan

               – from the song Look All Around You by John Fischer

Take action. This song is all about action. God is not a thought. He is not a list of precepts — a statement of beliefs. God is not what we believe; He is Who we believe. We don’t just believe Him or something about Him, we experience Him. We enter into a relationship with Him and He effects everything we do.

Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

‘Godmother of Rock ’n’ Roll’

OIP

One of our regular readers, Elizabeth, shared the following comment with us and it’s so good, I had to pass it on. It came from a line in a play she recently saw, “Shout, Sister, Shout,” about Sister Rosetta Tharpe who, as early as the 1930s was singing and playing guitar in a gospel style that earned her the title: “Godmother of Rock ’n’ Roll.” In one scene she looks out at the audience in a spell of stage fright and says, “God loves you, and God loves me, and there ain’t a thing we can do about it.”

Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 6 Comments