Dane Lewis

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So far Dane Lewis has created 689 blog entries.

Hot Wisdom for Desert Living

Seriously, what spiritual benefit is there in moving, of all the places, to the desert?  Henri Nouwen writes: “Desert spirituality is a movement toward a different type of place—the move to the desert. The desert has two aspects: wilderness and paradise. On the one hand, the desert is a dry and sterile place. It is the place of the demon. (‘When the unclean spirit goes out of a person, it wanders through waterless countries to look for a place to rest’ – Luke 11:24). And whenever God appears, the evil one is also present. . . . In the city, with its compulsions and compromises, the lines between God and the demon become blurred. Good is called evil and evil good. But in the desert the true struggle becomes clear. In the desert, where compulsions no longer rule us and we no longer can borrow an identity from the world,

Hot Wisdom for Escaping Sin

Before we begin, here’s a quick reminder of the plan. We will start with a question, or if necessary, a short paragraph to introduce the theme. Then we will present a quote from Henri Nouwen’s epilogue in Yushi Nomura’s book, Desert Wisdom (Orbis Books, 1982). Today’s quote will be longer than most. After reading the quote, we will present one or two stories from the desert fathers from Nomura’s book or from Benedicta Ward’s The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: An Alphabetical Collection (Cistercian Publications, 1975). Today is “bonus story day.” You get three quick stories or sayings from the desert fathers. And then, we will close with a few questions to ponder. With that squarely in place, let’s begin.  Why would anyone run off into the desert in search of a true and deep spirituality?  Consider this. During the years when Christianity was outlawed by the Roman Empire, many

Sent Out Together to Bless Others by Having Good Conversations

This sermon is based on John 4:7-15. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: BLURB: Sometimes we make things too complicated. Suppose our goal is to follow Jesus. What do we do? Easy. We study theology. We analyze passages. We scrutinize sayings. We delve into the parables, and then we make a list of 72 things to work on before Saturday. And why do we do this to ourselves? It’s complicated. But what if we started by asking the question: “What did Jesus’ life looked like?” What if we asked about Jesus’ daily routine and seek to duplicate that? Where would that take us? I think it would take us right where we want to go.  After all, it is Simply Irresistible!

The Hot Wisdom of the Desert Fathers: Introduction

Let’s take a quiz. Suppose you want to go all in on your faith and really get serious about knowing and serving God. Where do you think would be the best place to live in order to do that most effectively? Would you move into the inner city? Would you move downtown? Would you move to the suburbs? Would you move to a rural region? Would you move to the desert? Oddly enough (at least to me), beginning in the third century, numerous people who really wanted to know God thought it best to move away from the crowds and into the desert. We know these desert-dwellers as the Desert Fathers and Mothers. And while I might quibble with their choice of the desert over being closer to people, I have to take my hat off to their wisdom. In short, they were a remarkable group of saints. Maybe some

Sent Out Together to Bless

This sermon is based on Hebrews 10:23-25. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: BLURB: Sometimes we make things too complicated. Suppose our goal is to follow Jesus. What do we do? Easy. We study theology. We analyze passages. We scrutinize sayings. We delve into the parables, and then we make a list of 72 things to work on before Saturday. And why do we do this to ourselves? It’s complicated. But what if we started by asking the question: “What did Jesus’ life looked like?” What if we asked about Jesus’ daily routine and seek to duplicate that? Where would that take us? I think it would take us right where we want to go.  After all, it is Simply Irresistible!

3-3-3

Question: What is more important than a good question? Answer: An important quote about the importance of good questions! What do you think of these? “It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.” – James Thurber “It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” – Eugene Ionesco “You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.” – Naguib Mahfouz “There are no right answers to wrong questions.” – Ursula K. LeGuin Let me be honest, this whole series has been in response to two questions I found in Dallas Willard’s book, The Great Omission. He wrote: “Since making disciples is the main task of the church, every church ought to be able to answer two questions: What is our plan for making disciples? Is our plan working?” Now, the

Moms: Sent Out to Bless

This sermon is based on Judges 5:1-9. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: BLURB: Sometimes we make things too complicated. Suppose our goal is to follow Jesus. What do we do? Easy. We study theology. We analyze passages. We scrutinize sayings. We delve into the parables, and then we make a list of 72 things to work on before Saturday. And why do we do this to ourselves? It’s complicated. But what if we started by asking the question: “What did Jesus’ life looked like?” What if we asked about Jesus’ daily routine and seek to duplicate that? Where would that take us? I think it would take us right where we want to go.  After all, it is Simply Irresistible!

Let’s Close with Prayer

I don’t know if this is true or not (and frankly, it sounds suspicious). And I can’t give proper credit to whoever this story comes from because I have no idea who that might be. Nevertheless, it is a good story. Apparently, a new club that featured exotic dancers was nearing its grand opening. Half-a-mile down the road was a very active church that was deeply concerned about the influence this club would have on their community if it opened. And so, they began to hold regular prayer meetings to pray against the club. One week before the club opened officially, they decided it would be wise to conduct a prayer walk around the building site, both as a form of prayer and of protest. Their march even made the news. Interestingly, two days after the club opened, lightning struck the building and the club burned to the ground. The

Sent Out to Bless

This sermon is based on Romans 12:14-21. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: BLURB: Sometimes we make things too complicated. Suppose our goal is to follow Jesus. What do we do? Easy. We study theology. We analyze passages. We scrutinize sayings. We delve into the parables, and then we make a list of 72 things to work on before Saturday. And why do we do this to ourselves? It’s complicated. But what if we started by asking the question: “What did Jesus’ life looked like?” What if we asked about Jesus’ daily routine and seek to duplicate that? Where would that take us? I think it would take us right where we want to go.  After all, it is Simply Irresistible!

Engagingly Relevant

Who towers above all the other saints in antiquity? Who holds the highest spot of spirituality in the ancient world? Without a doubt, it has to be Simeon Stylites. Simeon was born in the Turkish province of Adana which, in 395 AD, was part of the Eastern Roman Empire. Before he was 16 years old, he entered monastic life; and he took to it with reckless abandon. In fact, he embraced the austere lifestyle with such fervor and passion that the other monks judged him to be unfit for community life, and they dismissed him from the monastery. But who needs a monastery to practice solitude and silence when you have a hut in the desert. For the next year and a half, Simeon enjoyed a life of quiet seclusion in search of a special spirituality highlighted by going without food or drink for the 40 days of Lent (people

The Sent-Out Ones

This sermon begins our new series and is based on John 20:19-23. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: BLURB: Sometimes we make things too complicated. Suppose our goal is to follow Jesus. What do we do? Easy. We study theology. We analyze passages. We scrutinize sayings. We delve into the parables, and then we make a list of 72 things to work on before Saturday. And why do we do this to ourselves? It’s complicated. But what if we started by asking the question: “What did Jesus’ life looked like?” What if we asked about Jesus’ daily routine and seek to duplicate that? Where would that take us? I think it would take us right where we want to go.  After all, it is Simply Irresistible!

Let’s Be Authentic

Let me be totally transparent and honest: I do not like the trend where young people today wear their pajamas to work or to school. Yes, I am old, but in my opinion, pajamas were designed for the bedroom and not for public consumption. Plus, if your clothes are so uncomfortable that you feel the need to replace them with pajamas, the solution is not to restock your closet with nightwear, but to go out in your big boy and girl pants and purchase some comfortable clothes. There are thousands of options on display in all your local retail centers. Pajamas are for inside your own house (and that’s a concession; I would prefer to restrict pajama use to the bedroom in case someone drops by unexpectedly) and not for street use. And let’s all agree here: that is the way it has always been! Pajamas are for sleeping in;

Resurrection Wonder

This Resurrection Sunday sermon is based on Matthew 28:1-10. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A  

Some Things Go Together

Some things go together. For instance, consider these sayings: You could have knocked me over with a feather. These hemorrhoids are a real pain. He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I can read him like the back of my hand. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. Unfortunately, some things don’t go together. Take, for instance, these misguided comments: You could have knocked me over with a fender. These hemorrhoids are a real pain in the neck. He’s a wolf in cheap clothing. I can read him like the back of my book. It’s like looking for a needle in a hayride. Some things go together and some things don’t. Sometimes, the connection is obvious. Sometimes, it isn’t. Take last week’s core strength, for instance: “We are called to grow.” Now, as core strengths go, it is rather straightforward and uncontroversial. If there was any doubt, 2 Peter

How to Overcome Impossible Odds

I think we would all agree that the emu, Australia’s unofficial national bird, is a national treasure. Yes, they cannot fly, but they are the second-largest bird in the world and are either adorably ugly or weirdly cute. However, Australians have not always been fond of the emu and with good reason. Emus can be quite the pest. Free-roaming herds of emus have been known to invade farms, eat any and everything they can find and trample the rest into the dirt. And in the 1930’s, this was a real problem. To meet a country-wide food shortage, the government subsidized hundreds of new farms along the western coast. The smell of fresh crops must have lofted to the interior of the country because the next thing anyone knew, 20,000 emus had decided to pack up all their belongings, leave the inland regions and journey west. For them, the smell of

Loving God and Loving Others, Part 2

This sermon is based on Romans 13:8-10. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A Series Overview: There are all sorts of theologies. There’s systematic theology, biblical theology, historical theology and practical theology. There is Reformed theology, Lutheran theology, Wesleyan theology, Charismatic theology and Catholic theology. There is Continental theology, feminist theology, African theology, Liberation theology and Asian theology.  And we could go on, but that is not the point. So, let me ask you this: Is theology for the head, for the heart, for the feet, or for the mouth? In other words, is theology primarily for believing, for feeling, for doing or for talking? Now, if you answered all of the above, you might be on to something. See, for our theology to be any good for us and for others, it has to be a livable theology. It has to be something

Not a Core Strength

Let’s play two truths and a lie.  Here we go:  I was told by my first-grade teacher that I would never be a good reader.   I was told by a superior that I had a lazy tongue and should reconsider my career.   I was told by one of my high-school teachers that I was the worst speller he had ever seen.   So, which one is the lie? Okay, I lied. All three are true (one I proved mistaken, but the other two were significantly on target—but you will have to guess which is which). Okay, new game. After learning about what these people said to me, which one comment do you and I have in common? Does it concern poor reading, poor speaking, or poor spelling? Okay, I lied. It was a trick question. We don’t have any of these specific criticisms in common. What we do have in common is that someone is routinely saying negative

Loving God and Loving Others, Part 1

This sermon is based on Matthew 22:34-40. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A Series Overview: There are all sorts of theologies. There’s systematic theology, biblical theology, historical theology and practical theology. There is Reformed theology, Lutheran theology, Wesleyan theology, Charismatic theology and Catholic theology. There is Continental theology, feminist theology, African theology, Liberation theology and Asian theology.  And we could go on, but that is not the point. So, let me ask you this: Is theology for the head, for the heart, for the feet, or for the mouth? In other words, is theology primarily for believing, for feeling, for doing or for talking? Now, if you answered all of the above, you might be on to something. See, for our theology to be any good for us and for others, it has to be a livable theology. It has to be something

How to Win the War

How do you win a war? You might think that the answer is found in a superior army, a greater air force and a better navy. Or maybe advanced weapons turn the tide or perhaps its financial resources that win the day? None of your answers are even close to the truth! To discover the secret of successful warfare, you need to embrace the Liechtenstein strategy. In 1866, the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia went to war. Liechtenstein allied themselves with Austria and sent 80 soldiers to tilt the war in their favor. The Austrians deployed these soldiers to guard a key highway between Austria and Italy (Italy was a Prussian pawn). One month and eight days later, the war ended (!), and the Liechtenstein army returned home to world applause. Not only was no one wounded or injured during the campaign, but while they left with 80

Living Sacrifices

This sermon is based on Romans 12:1-2. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A Series Overview: There are all sorts of theologies. There’s systematic theology, biblical theology, historical theology and practical theology. There is Reformed theology, Lutheran theology, Wesleyan theology, Charismatic theology and Catholic theology. There is Continental theology, feminist theology, African theology, Liberation theology and Asian theology.  And we could go on, but that is not the point. So, let me ask you this: Is theology for the head, for the heart, for the feet, or for the mouth? In other words, is theology primarily for believing, for feeling, for doing or for talking? Now, if you answered all of the above, you might be on to something. See, for our theology to be any good for us and for others, it has to be a livable theology. It has to be something

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