sTw's Blog

"Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.

So if you find life difficult because you're doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he's doing, and he'll keep on doing it."

1 Peter 4:12-13, 19 The Message Paraphrase

Labels: Scripture

Posted by Sean Walker at 9:27 PM | Permalink | Comments

"I'm still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord."

Psalms 27:13-14

Labels: Scripture

Posted by Sean Walker at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments

Here's an excerpt from Rob Bell's book, Velvit Elvis. I like this kind of stuff a lot.



It's such a letdown to rise from the dead and have your friends not recognize you.

The writer John tells us that Mary saw Jesus after his resurrection but did not realize it was Jesus. Jesus asked her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"

Thinking he was the gardener, she said...

I love that line "thinking he was a gardener". It is so loaded. Jewish writers like John did things like this all the time in their writings. The record what seem to be random details, yet in these details, we find all sorts of multiple layers of meaning. There are even methods to help decipher all the hidden meaning in a text. One is called the principle of first mention. Whenever you come across a significant word in a passage, find out where this word first appears in the Bible. John does this in his gospel. The first mention of the word love appears is in 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son." We then discover that love is first mentioned in genesis 22 when God tells Abraham to take "your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love" and offer him as a sacrifice. John is doing something intentional in his gospel: He wants his readers to see a connection between Abraham and his son, and God and God's son. John's readers who knew the Torah would have seen the parallels.

Back to the empty tomb and Mary's inability to recognize Jesus. She mistakes him for a gardener. Where is the first mention of a garden in the Bible? Genesis 2, the story of God placing the first people in a... garden. And what happens to this garden and these people? They choose to live outside of how God made them to live, and they lose their place in the garden. Death enters the picture and paradise is lost.

John tell us that Jesus is buried in a garden tomb. And Jesus is mistaken for a gardener. Something else is going on here. John wants us to see a connection between the garden of Eden and Jesus rising from the dead in a garden. There is a new Adam on the scene, and he is reversing the curse of death by conquering it. As one writer put it, "It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him." And he's doing it in a garden. He's reclaiming creation. He's entering into it and restoring it and renewing God's plans for the world.

Jesus is God's way of refusing to give up on his dream for the world.

Labels: Scripture

Posted by Sean Walker at 9:29 AM | Permalink | Comments

So this is my prayer:

That your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well.

Learn to love appropriately.

You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush.

Live a lover's life, attentive and exemplary, a life He will be proud of:

Bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Him attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of The Father.

-Phillipians 1:9




Cool huh?

Labels: Scripture

Posted by Sean Walker at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments

"I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

I had a pretty cool realization tonight. I guess it wasn't really all that new, b/c I've kind of known these two things about myself, but I've never been able to put words around it like I did tonight. Here's what I've got...

I am most alive in two scenarios. One, when I'm in love. And two, when God is using me to help others.

That's it. That's me in a nutshell. Those are the two things I'm most alive during, that I enjoy the most, that I'd fight for, that I'd die for, that I'm obssesed with, that I would give anything to do... that's me.

When I'm in love... I mean seriously, for me, there is nothing more consuming. I want to redefine what it means to love... to marry... to know someone. Love is rediculously amazing. But there has to be a lot of wisdom that goes along with something so powerful though, right? B/c it is that powerful.

God using me to help others... God using me to build something in another person? God using me to encourage? To help heal? To help seal a decision? To help grow? To help become?... I mean is there anything more important? Anything cooler or exciting?

So that's me. Crazy huh? Yeah, I know, but I can't turn it off. It's me.

I bet you don't have to guess what time this post was written at huh? :) Goodnight.

Labels: Love, Ministry, People, Quotes, Scripture

Posted by Sean Walker at 2:01 AM | Permalink | Comments

The thing that bothers me the most about following Christ is that there is so many intangible things about my faith. I've never looked Jesus in the eyes. I've never had coffee with Him. I've never grocery shopped for the fruits of the spirit. I've never literally buckled up my belt of truth, or swung the sword of the spirit. It can be annoying sometimes how intangible everything about my faith seems to be.

Then I read these words this morning, "Dear friend, when you extend hospitality to Christian brothers and sisters, even when they are strangers, you make the faith visible." 3 John 1:5 The Message

That's how I, someone who prefers the tangible over the intangible, can SEE the faith, by serving, and when others serve me. I can feel it when someone comes alongside me and encourages me. I can feel it when my parents and friends love me even when I'm an idiot. I can see lives changed by what Jesus has done in their lives. THAT is intangible!

The reality of the love if Christ is LIVED OUT by us. It becomes tangible through us. How cool is that?

Labels: Love, Ministry, Scripture

Posted by Sean Walker at 8:35 AM | Permalink | Comments

A sermon I preached on Sunday July 3, 2006 at my local church, East Bayou. It was part 2 of a series of sermons called The Big Picture. The message is about how when we're tempted, there is more at stake than what we see in front of us. Our faith is at stake.

Labels: Ministry, People, Scripture, Videos

Posted by Sean Walker at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments

A sermon I preached on Wedensday June 28, 2006 at my local church, East Bayou. I'm speaking on what to do when life is just tough and there seems to be no progress.

Labels: People, Scripture, Videos

Posted by Sean Walker at 3:40 PM | Permalink | Comments

It just happened to (ha!) read these verses this morning...

"Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.

So if you find life difficult because you're doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he's doing, and he'll keep on doing it."

1 Peter 4:12-13, 19 The Message

Here's what I think God is telling me all that time... "I never promised that it would be easy, but I did promise that it would be good."

Labels: Ministry, Scripture

Posted by Sean Walker at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments

"Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts."

James 3:13 - MSG


Here's my interpretation...

Live Well (take care of yourself).
Live Wisley (don't do anything stupid).
Live Humbly (don't make it about you).
And for goodness sake, quit TELLING people how you live, and start SHOWING them!

Labels: Ministry, Scripture

Posted by Sean Walker at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments

I got to talk to one of my favortie men in our church this week. We had a great conversation and here's the peice that he said, that I want to share...

"Knowledge + Experience = Wisdom"




Then I read this today...

"Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who gains understanding,

for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.

She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.

Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.

Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.

She is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place;

by his knowledge the deeps were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.

My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment,
do not let them out of your sight;

they will be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.

Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble;

when you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

for the LORD will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being snared."
Provebrs 3:13-26 NIV

Labels: Ministry, Quotes, Scripture

Posted by Sean Walker at 1:09 PM | Permalink | Comments

Alright. Is everyone ready to do what we did in my college sunday school class with Dwight Beadle? It was probably the most interesting and fun sunday school class I've ever been in.

Here's what we'd do... He'd split everyone up into groups and then give each group a different question on a similar topic and then ask our group to come up with an answer. Now the questions weren't simple, like "How many times did Peter deny Jesus?" but were questions like, "Can you give evidence of the trinity?" or "What does it mean to be 'in' the world, but not 'of' the world?" And here's where it got even more fun and difficult... All of our answers and claims had to be backed up by Scripture. Which might sound easy at first, but isn't always.

So here's the question I want to throw at all of my blog readers. It's one we wrestled with last night in my Anchor Group (small group). Here's the question...


What's the difference between good pride and bad pride?


It was a fascinateing discussion we had last night and I'm curious of other people's point of view and input.

Labels: Ministry, Scripture

Posted by Sean Walker at 10:15 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: Scripture

Posted by Sean Walker at 9:25 AM | Permalink | Comments

My mom sent this to me this morning. It's really good!

Psalm 27
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh, [a]
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of you, "Seek his [b] face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.

9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.

10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.

11 Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.

12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.

13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

Labels: Scripture

Posted by Sean Walker at 8:50 AM | Permalink | Comments