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Just some more random things, but as I have watched some of the Olympics the past few days, some things have popped into my head that I believe apply to the church.

1. Unity- The Olympics obviously are about unity. Individual countries come together in unity and globally nations are coming together in China for the sake of a common goodwill and competition.
2. Peace- While there was some random violence that has occurred in China, there is a sense that all nations are coming together in peace. At the games there is no judgment on way or communism. It’s simply about sportsmanship and losers congratulating winners and just enjoying the opportunity to represent their beloved countries in this international competition.
3. Diversity- Not only is Beijing, China incredibly diverse with hundreds of countries in attendance for the summer games, but there is even diversity within each nation’s teams.
4. Teamwork- There are varying levels of talent within each team, yet no one complains about others dragging them down or how some may have to work harder and forsake individual recognition in order to help the team win. This was especially prevalent in the gymnastics floor exercises on Sunday night. Of course it will be prevalent in all of the team games such as basketball, volleyball, and even the synchronized swimming events.

If warring nations can come together in peace and just become people with a sincere desire to help their nation win a gold medal in the Olympics, why can’t we put aside our differences within the church for the sake of fighting the good fight of faith with the ultimate prize being Christ glorified through the salvation of the lost? Even within individual churches we can’t seem to come together in unity through a bond of peace.

One of the common notions within the church is that 10% of the people do 90% of the work. Why is that? Jesus came to serve, not be served. We say we want to be more like Jesus, yet we come to church to be served. There is just something wrong with that! It was also stated somewhere that if just 10% of the current Christian population would make an effort to tackle the world’s hunger crisis that it could be eradicated. Imagine that…a world where no child would go to bed hungry. Just 10% of us required to impact the world for Christ!

After watching spirited competition and a genuine desire to come together in unity and peace and give 100% of each person towards winning the prize, it is so obvious that we in the church don’t have much position to stand upon when Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists, Christians, etc. can do this in the Olympics, yet we can’t do it in our workplace, our neighborhoods, or our churches. May our eyes be opened to the true nature of loving others–regardless of their skin color, religious belief, social class, etc.–in a spirit of peace and seek to be unified in Christ so that the way may be paved for his glorious return when he comes calling for his bride.

As I am preparing to lead a church that has the core value of unity within the body of Christ based in Ephesians 4, watching the program Common Ground had new meaning to me this time. It just aired on TBN, but is available for purchase on DVD here. It’s basically an interview of Father John Riccardo (Catholic priest) by Pastor Steve Andrews (Protestant Christian pastor) where the conversation touches on some of the differences between Catholics and Protestants and the things that we actually share in common with each other.

Having been involved in leading discussions with Catholics and Protestants at the same table I was pretty familiar with much of the dialog, but some of it was pretty powerful in ways that helped me relate more with some Catholic theologies. As there has been a trend among the younger generation (Gen. Y, Millenials, etc.) to seek God through experiential means and mysticism it seems odd that the Catholic Church hasn’t connected more with this generation. I’m sure a lot of that has to do with misconceptions from both the Catholic and Protestant perspective.

While I do believe that the Protestant Church has a better position theologically in regards to Christ’s desire on having a relationship with his people, it is refreshing and encouraging to know that there is something happening right now that may help bring us closer together as brothers and sisters in Christ. To that I say Hallelujah

Here is a clip with Father John explaining a little about the reverence that Catholics place upon the Eucharist (Holy Communion):

Wow…wow…wow! I am speechless. What a humbling experience One Prayer has been. What a life-changing event One Prayer has been. To have a vision given to Craig Groeschel that required few words to convey, yet resonated so loudly and clearly to all those that became connected was definitely God showing His face for the world to see. I can’t to write out my reflections on our final One Prayer service today. Oh man, what a day it has been!

When we connected at www.oneprayer.com about 1 1/2 months ago, we were part of 50 churches and 35,000 individuals. In about 6 weeks this has grown to over 1,600 churches and almost 1 million people and there are many churches just starting and continuing this through the month of July. I am in awe of God’s providence and the way He works. I am amazed at how quickly and smoothly this was orchestrated and coordinated with little advance notice. Unbelievable, yet so believable because God is even bigger than One Prayer.

What a blessing and honor to have been a part of this. Dialog has been started, partnerships have developed and relationships are continuing grow all because we felt God calling us to start our tiny little church plant a couple of months early to be a part of this global project.

Praise God & thank you Craig Groeschel! This has touched many lives and was (and will continue to be) a vehicle to share God’s love and His salvation unto some who may not have ever been touched had Pastor Craig not followed through with this. Wow…wow…wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!