All posts by Dr. Scott Rodin

A One-Hundred Day Journey to Freedom: Meditation #1

Text Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. John 14:8-9  Meditation We can live with a profound sense of peace because we know the heart and the nature of the God who created us.  Teaching Two young boys were sitting .

A One-Hundred Day Journey to Freedom

Today marks the beginning of what I pray will be for you a life-changing journey. I invite you to walk with me over the next one hundred days as we consider the journey of the faithful steward.  This journey has one primary goal – to set us free to live the life God created us to live. Our journey will be divided into seven ‘treks’.  As in every successful trip, we will start each .

“Be Transformed” – Death not Denial

We are looking at six aspects of transformation as part of the Christian walk with Christ.  Our sixth and final component asks ‘how do we achieve this attitude of the joyous response of the godly steward?’  The answer may surprise you.  We only achieve it through death.  It may seem odd to end this series on life-giving transformation with a discussion of death, but in the end our transformation to godly stewards is really .

“Be Transformed” – Doxology and not Dogmatism

We are looking at six aspects of transformation as part of the Christian walk with Christ.  Our fifth component emanates from the depths of our souls.  The process of transformation is a journey of joy because it is a journey with Christ.  Here is where the imperatives of freedom, liberation from the bondage of sin, joyous response and an optimistic and hopeful view of the future emerge as the fruit of our transformation.  There .

“Be Transformed” – Process and not Pronouncement

We are looking at six aspects of transformation as part of the Christian walk with Christ.  Our fourth component requires out patience, endurance and Spirit-led determination.  For while Christ’s work is once and for all, it is worked out in us throughout our lives.  Transformation is, by definition, a process.  It is a faith journey, a growing, reaching, and pressing on. Wes Willmer writes, “The Christian life begins at the moment of faith, but .

“Be Transformed” – God-centered and not Human-centered

We are looking at six aspects of transformation as part of the Christian walk with Christ.  Our third component may be the most challenging.  That’s because the work of transformation in the life of Christians is an utterly selfless work.  If it’s the work of Holy Spirit it will always have one primary focus – the glorification of Christ in every area of our lives.  Our transformation is not a self-help process, but it .

“Be Transformed” – Embraced and not Imposed

We are looking at six aspects of transformation as part of the Christian walk with Christ.  Our second consideration is the motivation for our commitment to transformation. “For Christ’s love compels us.” (2 Corinthians 5:14, NIV)  Paul reminds us that discipleship is a joyous response to the grace of God in Christ.  We seek to be transformed because we are overtaken by this grace, overwhelmed by God’s love and grace.  John Frank writes, “Just .

“Be Transformed” – Holistic and not Compartmental

We are looking at six aspects of transformation as part of the Christian walk with Christ.  Our first consideration is the breadth of the work that God seeks to do in us. The transformation we are seeking requires our total and complete being or it is not transformation.  It is a process that requires heart, soul, strength and mind.  If the Holy Spirit is the transforming agent, then there will not be one miniscule .

“Be Transformed” – Rethinking an Overused Word

One of the most overused and abused words in our modern vocabulary is ‘transformation’. We use it to describe everything from weight loss to the effects of new kitchen cabinets. I fear that by our overuse of it we have robbed it of its radical meaning. To be ‘formed’ means to be given a distinctive shape with a specific function.  From there we can be re-formed, which implies we have lost the original form .

DISCIPLINE #9 – The Discipline of Death that Leads to Life

It may seem strange that the final discipline is death.  Have we journeyed all this way as a steward leader only now to be asked to die?  In a word, yes.  The life of the steward leader does not end with death, it begins with death.  Indeed, until you have died, you cannot lead or live as Christ intends. The disciplines of the steward leader are dependent upon a heart that is fully submitted .