I agree with your point about Hybels’ and the church. I have often read that statement from ‘Courageous Leadership’ and found myself pushing back on it a little. I just want him to say ‘the church carries the hope of the world’ or ‘Christ is the hope of the world, and the church gets to carry his good news and his good deeds into the brokenness around them’ but that’s not that he says. I’d like to think, though, that is what he means. I cannot imagine Hybels thinking anything different to that.

I agree with your basic thought that it’s Christ who is the core reality in the church, and a few future posts will look at how He changes everything we do in the church. Part of our problem is that we start and finish with us, and this tends to undermine God’s work in his people.

Thanks again, great to hear form you!

Thanks for that post. It was very timely. I believe we live in a culture that values it’s pets over people. So much is made of pets (and I have nothing against them). It causes me to wonder why that happens and the only conclusion I can come to is that pets always give. As long as they are fed and given some attention they expect litle else where as people require so much more. I was at a function recently where two couples each had 4 dogs they adored, preened and talked endlessly about. The same people spoke of lining up refugees (or boat people) and shooting them. I must say I just found that context really hard both to handle and to respond to. We, as Christians surely must see refugees as people God’s desires for relationship with Him. If that’s the case then who are we to resist them coming to this country. Australia’s processes and policy leave much to be desired but I love the way you finish. May we be a people of welcome..Reina