Most of us have had a “moment of truth” experience when a friend or loved one walks into the room and asks, “So, do you notice anything different?” The question itself tips us off that something has changed, and we begin scanning our memory banks to give the right answer.

Did she get new glasses? Did he shave off his goatee? Not only are we looking for what has changed, we are trying to assess whether it’s major or minor. Permanent or temporary.

What will you do when you discover that your new neighbor speaks a language unlike yours, dresses “strangely,” has a different skin color, cooks odd food, goes to another kind of prayer center, and is just not what you are accustomed to? Such a scenario is likely to occur these days, and we must ask ourselves, How do we, as the body of Christ, respond?

“Worship: Why bother? My relationship with God is private—it’s between me and God.”

“My best times of worship are in my car or on the hiking trail.”

“Oh, we stopped going to that church; we weren’t getting anything out of the worship.”

“When they sing those kinds of songs, I just can’t worship.”

Extreme sports are very popular these days. We seek to escape routine by experiencing something challenging such as swimming with sharks or co-piloting a jet fighter. People hate to feel bored. While the church isn’t called to stage Bungie jumps or survival challenges in the jungle, being part of a “community that confesses Jesus Christ as Lord,” as expressed in our eleventh article of faith, should be far from boring. In fact, participating in the church should be a vibrant, exciting and challenging experience for all Jesus Christ’s disciples.

Q: What are the sacraments and what does it mean to be “sacramental?”

A: To be “sacramental” is to embrace a theology that views creation as filled with God’s presence and is therefore sacred and holy. It is to affirm the words of Genesis 1:31, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”

Q. Why do Nazarenes use liturgy during the celebration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper?

A. The first of the three core values of the Church of the Nazarene is “We are Christian.” It shows up clearly in how we celebrate the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper (also known as Holy Communion or Eucharist).

Recently someone asked me an intriguing question: What statement should the Church of the Nazarene make about human suffering such as the hardships caused by immigrant displacement and environmental crises? My mind froze as I tried hurriedly to devise an appropriate response to these global issues that impact hundreds of thousands of people. The problems seemed so big and unmanageable that I could not get my head around a strategy that would bring relief to the suffering of individuals caught in these dilemmas.

One of the principal rules of religion is to lose no occasion of serving God. And, since he is invisible to our eyes, we are to serve him in our neighbor; which he receives as if done to himself in person, standing visibly before us (John Wesley). For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

I cannot imagine a long-haired Jesus strumming a guitar and belting out a ballad. I can’t visualize Him clapping and toe-tapping to praise choruses. Can you see Him singing at a Bill Gaither “Homecoming” event?

Images of Jesus Christ singing may seem strange since the Bible never pictures Jesus singing as he worked in the carpenter shop, let alone to an audience. Did His mother Mary ever make the boy Jesus take piano lessons? Did he “ompah” on a tuba in the synagogue school marching band? Ever solo the Sabbath anthem in a choir robe?

HT: Does this new generation still believe in marriage?

Les: Here’s what we know for sure: 87 percent of young adults plan on being married eventually and 82 percent expect to be married for life.

Did you catch that? Almost all young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 not only aspire to eventually be married, they plan on it.