Coffee w/ Chad

This past week I was brewing and drinking a lot of coffee with family. We hosted 19 of my family, representing 5 different states, to enjoy Thanksgiving with us. It was a unique honor & blessing to have them all come to our new home in CT. Now, while I tend to relax around family, who has known me for years, I was surprised by the opportunities that present themselves to demonstrate and share the love of Christ. It may be simple hospitality, or doing something thoughtfully for someone else. It may be a timely word of encouragement or even a chance to be "truthful" with love and grace (gotta love those).

Having just brewed myself a cup of French Roast, I invite you to consider something with me. Do we believe that God can really make a difference? How often are you and I confronted with our sinful nature, an old habit that hangs around like a bad tenant, or a way in us or even a circumstance that seems irreversible? And I ask the question, "Can God really change my life?"

October rains and the color of autumn would be our typical description of our earthly landscape for most of us here in CT. But how would you describe the spiritual landscape? Increasingly, I am convinced that we dwell in the midst of a very real and devastating battle ground, where the enemy is seeking to literally destroy people’s lives, tear apart marriages, extinguish all faith in Christ, disarm the church, and satisfy us with much lesser measures of progress. When God makes me aware of this reality, several convictions are affirmed: My hatred of evil, our need for Christ and the place of prayer in our lives and ministry.

Think about this. I could live in my town, pay my taxes, do my banking, and patronize local businesses, but not know the name of my local officials, the bank teller or manager, the owner of the local restaurant or filling station.  In most cases, we can "get by" and "carry on" with our lives doing business without personal relationship.  But, as followers of Christ, the place we do life is our mission outpost.  So, if this scenario describes you and me, may we be challenged to do our business on a more relational basis, like Jesus did (John 1:14, John 3:16).

Whether teaching a class on it, preparing several messages about it, or helping several blessed individuals prepare for it, I've been rather engrossed in the topic of baptism recently. So if you and I were to sit down over a beverage of choice, and share about the wonder of God who is at work in our lives, I would inevitable share some things from this topic.