Have you ever had a person influential in your life, yet you’ve never met? For me, this is Pastor Rick McKinley of Imago Dei Community Church in Portland, OR. I started listening to his podcasts when we still lived in California. When he introduced The Advent Conspiracy to his congregation, we were all in – our Decembers have never been the same. Even the church we helped to plant took a lot of the ministry in community ideas from Pastor Rick.
As this year ends, there is one book I’ve read bringing peace to my Advent. It’s no surprise Rick Mckinley is the author.
The Answer To Our Cry: Freedom to Live Fully, Love Boldly, and Fear Nothing reminds me of who God really is; not a being of legalism, but a Father of love and compassion.
McKinley writes about what it means to be truly free – a freedom he describes as “not controlled by fear or insecurity. I want to live the life God made me for.”
The book clearly states freedom in God does not mean a life without suffering, but it does mean a life without being afraid. A life where we can give generously without holding back. A life where we are strong in fighting injustice, because we are loved so fully and unconditionally, we want freedom for everyone. A life not of safety, but of security.
I’ve been quite frustrated with the actions and attitudes of some Christians lately. I don’t understand how those who claim to share the love of Christ can be so mean, judgmental and closed minded. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
McKinley says, “Most Christians I talk to are compelled by guilt, not by love. And I think we’re compelled by guilt because we don’t believe in the love of Christ.”
This resonates. Do we believe IN Christ, but not the LOVE of Christ? That may make a huge difference in the way we show Jesus to others. As for me, I’m going to go ahead and rest without fear, knowing we are LOVED by God: the Father, the Son, the Spirit.
Join me tonight when I interview Pastor Rick on KKPZ 1330AM at 6:00pm pacific time. We’ll chat more about his book and his quest for everyone to live in freedom. If you don’t live in the Portland area, log on to the live stream at www.kkpz.com. If you miss the time altogether, find the podcast under Rose CIty Forum in iTunes.
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Really great interview tonight with Rick McKinley. I really appreciate as well your heart of service. Thanks for all you are doing!
Thanks, Tim! That means a lot to me.