"Don't you love the way Jesus did his ministry discreetly, privately and quietly so as not to offend some people or ruffle their feathers?" - Hobart Rhodeheaver

"Can the 'church' be Christ's body if it is segregated by race, class, gender, sexual orientation, children and adults? I think not. We are truly a body when we view all gifts as equal. Thus money or the ability to make administrative decisions is not greater than cooking food or offering a prayer. I see too many churches though spending a lot of time around money and decision making and deferring to those who have more of each." - Hobart Rhodeheaver

"Too many churches are worried about financial deficits when more serious is their gospel deficit. As my dear brother in Christ Dallas Willard wrote 'The world can no longer be left to mere diplomats, politicians, and business leaders. They have done the best they could, no doubt. But this is an age for spiritual heroes- a time for men and women to be heroic in their faith and in spiritual character and power. The greatest danger to the Christian church today is that of pitching its message too low.'

— Dallas Willard (The Spirit of the Disciplines : Understanding How God Changes Lives)

http://www.dwillard.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas_Willard" - Hobart Rhodeheaver

"I wonder if church leaders and members realize one of the most important things they pay their pastor to do is to weekly have a sabbath day? Plus, its one of the 10 Commandments! And there's lots of talk around about obeying the 10 Commandments these days." - Hobart Rhodeheaver

"The disciples had the 24/7, 3 year Jesus training academy. I wonder how they kept the church going with out seminary and business training?" - Hobart Rhodeheaver

Sounds like these days according to some folks marriage is more about biology than love. If that's the case, I'm all for biologists officiating at marriages rather than clergy. - Hobart Rhodeheaver

"Forgiveness works...if you work it." - Hobart Rhodeheaver

"We stumble more into faith than take an intentional dive into it." - Hobart Rhodeheaver

"Oh the joy of waking up without a hangover! It's been 30 years since the last one. Waking up with prayer and meditation is beyond belief." - Hobart Rhodeheaver

"Death is sad but not bad. However, in American culture we go to great lengths to avoid the reality of death from guns to cars to cosmetics to plastic surgery. In life in Christ I have experienced the reality of life that transcends and transforms death. I know there are other traditions that share that too. American culture makes death out to be bad, fearful, a demonic power. It is in truth part of the journey with God. May the peace of God be with you all." - Hobart Rhodeheaver

"Democracy is not inherently Christian. To be a Christian one must be a disciple of Jesus, be willing to deny all their life to follow him and carry their own means of death e.g. a cross. They must be willing to pray for enemies and turn the other cheek to those who demean them. They must spend their time enabling those who are excluded from "lepers" to women to the poor to the alien, to be included. They must spend time in prayer and worship of God practicing sabbath as part of their daily and weekly discipline. A democracy may enable this to happen, but is not inherently Christian. Remember Jesus practiced all this under a repressive, undemocratic regime." - Hobart Rhodeheaver

"Some churches remind me of the Mickey Mouse Club. All kinds of activities to entertain, delight, and occupy our attention. Wish they would remind me more of another game. Where's Waldo...where's Jesus?" - Hobart Rhodeheaver

"Jesus said his yoke is easy and his burden is light. I'm still not comfortable with yokes and burdens no matter how easy Jesus makes them. I prefer a modern more relaxed kind of life. Wonder if Jesus could come back and upgrade that from lower level coach to top notch first class." - Hobart Rhodeheaver

"When there is panic in the church over its own life, the spirit has not only left the building, but the body!" - Hobart Rhodeheaver

"Church buildings are becoming more and more a stumbling block to the mission of Christ's church. Many are energy inefficient let alone environmentally unfriendly in other ways. They also usurp much time and money of the members from sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with the world around them. They demand far more attention proportionally than they are able to provide in housing the homeless, visiting the sick and in prison, clothing the naked and so on. We need buildings that are far simpler in lifestyle and reflective of the core values of Christ's body." - Hobart Rhodeheaver

"Don't you just love it when Jesus said, 'Take up your cross and find a comfortable place where we can all make nice.'" - Hobart Rhideheaver

"Ch _ _ ch" What's missing? Christ as the head of the body of the church! The church is often in the pit of human focus, numbers games, money and property, and anxiety over the future. "u r" - you are - is not what is missing most from the church, but the body - us - deferring to the head, Christ. - Hobart Rhodeheaver

"Humility and vulnerability are the greatest strengths taught us and modeled for us by Jesus of Nazareth. These attributes do not mesh with the predominant thought and behavior of many cultures in which Christianity resides. Thus it is not easy to be a follower of Jesus in those settings." - Hobart Rhodeheaver

"Jesus invites us to follow him with our whole being, not with a moderated, pleasant happy balance that will try to make everyone happy. It is the disciples who can share the gospel of Jesus of Christ not dabblers in Bible quotes, Christian thought, and church membership." - Hobart Rhodeheaver

"The man who historically conveyed the most to us about Jesus, Paul, admits he is a screw up aka sinner. He cannot be good. (Remember Jesus said also only his father in heaven is good.) This runs up against what is the perceived role of the church in American culture...teach kids and adults how to be good, moral people. Thus our over emphasis on the 10 Commandment rather than life in Christ. (We have made them into a false idol.)
Romans 7 which is Paul writing - 'But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.
It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.
I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?
The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.'" - Hobart Rhodeheaver