Did you ever dream of being really good at something? I bet many of us have watched the Olympics and wondered if we could make it in one of those sports. Stand on the podium, hear the national anthem while a gold medal was placed around our neck. But let’s be honest…most of us know […]
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Invisible
Curtis is a gentle giant. He says you should always try as hard as you can at whatever you do. He works on a supervised crew doing maintenance work. Mariah says people sometimes make fun of her. She’s learned to remember she’s one of God’s angels because it makes the words hurt less. Darrel’s proud […]
Continue readingMore TagShe Has A Face
Ever hear about “speaking up for the voiceless”? It’s sort of odd, because those “voiceless” people really have the same voices as you and me. Their voices are beautiful. And capable. And worth hearing. Except, of course, those voices are often intentionally, systematically silenced and repressed. Or they’re simply ignored out of convenience and privilege, […]
Continue readingMore TagShe Has A Name (Revisited)
(This seemed like a good time to revisit this post from 5 years ago.) The bad guys in the movie all looked alike. Becky and I noticed we had trouble keeping track of the villains. We knew the good guys, but the crooks sort of blended together. It’s not an accident. Stanford Neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky […]
Continue readingMore TagUncertain
One of my strengths is a teacher was a willingness to be uncertain…at the right times. When a student asked “What about this?” or “Why not do it that way?” I didn’t need my way to be the only way or the right way. Kids appreciated that, I think. Uncertainty doesn’t indicate weakness. In fact, […]
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I don’t think coercion is the best strategy for getting people to follow Jesus. Last time I asked a question: What comes to mind when you hear “…make disciples”? I’ll bet a lot of us picture some form of coercion. Maybe it’s guilt-laced, fear-based preaching. Perhaps it’s some sort of transactional “service” in which the […]
Continue readingMore TagA Simple Commission
What did Jesus ask us to do? He invited us to go and make disciples, right? And when we ask how we’re supposed to do that, He says, “Follow me.” “Live like I did. Do what I did.” Isn’t it really that simple? We do all sorts of complicated theology, spend endless hours parsing the […]
Continue readingMore TagLabels And Differences
I use a wheelchair. If you notice that obvious fact, does that mean you’re labeling me? I don’t think so. Frankly, if you met me and didn’t notice the chair, I’d be a bit worried about you. It’s silly to pretend we’re all the same or to claim we don’t observe obvious differences like physical […]
Continue readingMore TagAren’t You Worried (Revisited)
Yesterday’s quote about choices and fear reminded me of the traffic we encountered on our 2013 tour of Florida. (Originally posted nine years ago) + + + The paparazzi greeted us in the hotel parking lot. Actually, it was two student reporters from the Florida University TV/radio operation, but it’s sorta fun saying paparazzi. One guy […]
Continue readingMore TagGate Storming
Regarding yesterday’s post – it’s easy to oppose evil. Lots of horrible stuff in the world, like child sex trafficking for example, and it’s easy to get angry and want to go all Rambo about it. Easy to want to gather a group of like-minded folks and storm the gates, take down the bad guys, […]
Continue readingMore TagA Community Garden
As a follow-up to last time (Gardening), I’ve read, and re-read, The Parable Of The Sower (and Jesus’ explanation that follows) several times this week. I’m not a theology guy, so I’m sure there’s a lot I don’t understand. But one thing is extremely clear. The soil conditions are pretty darn important. Jesus seems to […]
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Jesus told a story about a seed-sower. His parable referred to the kingdom message and those who hear it in a variety of conditions. But I have a couple of questions. Who grew the plants? Every gardener knows – once the seeds are in the ground, the plants are on their own. Scattering seeds is […]
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