The Roofless Church

Category: Purpose

  • Transforming Purpose

    Transforming Purpose

    Years ago a friend told me that he was sad because he didn’t know his life’s purpose. For some reason, I had never thought about that concept before. And so, because I didn’t know how to take what he was saying seriously, I insensitively reacted with laughter. This upset him, which only made me laugh…

  • The Choice for Choice

    The other day I came across an email from 2008 that I sent to a group of friends at the dawn of the election of President Obama. On the surface, this might seem like a political email, but from my perspective, it is an appeal to people to seek consciousness in the choices we are…

  • Prepackaged Moods on Life’s Meaning

    Prepackaged Moods on Life’s Meaning

    Recently I did a life review while floating in the ocean on a beach in Waikiki. I always do this, because as I am floating, the thought usually crosses my mind, “What if a shark just comes out of nowhere and eats me whole right now? What will my life have been about?” That might…

  • If You Don’t Bear Your Cross, Someone Else Will Have To

    On July 17, 2016, I preached a sermon entitled “Broken For You”. The idea behind the sermon came down to the idea that if people took 100% responsibility for their lives the whole world would be transformed in an instant. The spark for the sermon came from Jesus’ teaching that those who desire to follow…

  • Role Over and Die

    Have you ever found yourself falling into a role that you were so sure you had transcended?  Do you feel compelled to meet people under the circumstances that are comfortable to them rather than showing up as your “authentic self”?  Yes, the whole “authentic self” thing is starting to get cliche, but you know what…

  • The Light Is Everywhere

    Have you ever noticed how the deepest love songs always sound like they could be sung to God whether it was clearly the artist’s intent or not.  My uncle pointed that out to me when I was a little kid and I have never forgotten it.  A lot of times when I am trying to…

  • Getting Back to Good

    Matthew 18:1-5 —  At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,  and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means…

  • There’s Nothing Out There

    “There’s nothing out there.”  I heard those words so many times in my last year in the Air Force, that I felt like I was going to go crazy.  What did that mean–“There’s nothing out there.”?  If there was nothing out there, then what were we fighting for?  What did people outside of the miltary do to survive?  And…

  • There Are Two Ways To Burn Your Candle

    There are two ways to burn a candle. Americans are strange.  Despite our relative prosperity, we are one of the most emotionally depressed cultures on the planet.  It’s been said that one of the main causes for our mental state is that we try to cram more activities into a 24 hour day than what…

  • Being “Normal” Versus Being Natural

    All my life I have struggled with being “normal”.  No, you wouldn’t find me with my Fruit o’ the Looms on my head singing Girls Just Wanna Have Fun or anything like that.  I just rarely did what I was expected to do.  Expectations indicate having some preconceived notion of how events should unfold in some future…