“There’s only one winner—either you win, or you’re a loser.” The guy was adamant. Life’s a competition, a battle, and there’s only room for one person at the top. If you don’t fight for that spot, you’ll get squashed. You exploit weakness, because if you don’t someone else will. I listened and tried to understand […]
Continue readingAuthor: Rich
What’s The Next Chapter In Your Story?
I love this picture. It’s a lot more than just an old bald guy and his dog. For me, this picture signifies everything about the crazy journey I’ve taken since my injury. It’s the culmination (so far) of the story of Relentless Grace. It began in a rehab unit, wandered through more than a decade […]
Continue readingWhy Do We Make God Small?
We tend to make God small. Okay, we can’t actually make Him small, but our small group discussed how we shrink our perception of who He is and what He can accomplish. As I wonder about my habit of minimizing God I’m reminded of this unrelenting question: Do we really believe what we believe? # […]
Continue readingBeing
HAPPY MONDAY! Several converging thoughts got me thinking about today’s word-of-the-week… BEING Social justice seems to be the thing these days. Lots of folks talk about it, write about it, and give money to it. Some are even trying to actually do something about it. This newfound focus on justice ignites emotion and passion, but […]
Continue readingWhat’s So Complicated About Social Justice?
Social justice sounds simple. Feed a hungry person. Stop one episode of abuse. Rescue a slave. Prevent one kid from being bullied. Find a home for one orphan. Get a homeless person a place to live. Then rinse and repeat as often as necessary. Those things are hard, but there’s a lot of us. Sounds […]
Continue readingAre We Excluding God?
We’re systematically excluding God from our culture. Excuse me? You’ve heard the refrain. The country’s in trouble because we exclude God from the public square. Christmas loses its meaning because someone says Happy Holidays. Public schools stink because kids don’t pray. Apparently, we need to let God back into our culture. Every time I hear […]
Continue readingWhat’s The Church’s One Unique Resource?
Why does our city hate homeless people? We have great discussions in our workshop. Sometimes they’re about the stuff I’d planned. Homelessness matters to these guys. Many have been there, and they know they’re one bad choice from returning. So they’re concerned about the way our city is addressing the issue recently. “What makes you […]
Continue readingGod Might Be Talking–Are You Listening?
I love questions, but I like them better when someone else is asking. I’ve been asking a question for a few months. Basically, it’s about the direction RICH’S RIDE ought to take as we move into 2015 and beyond. I’ve learned that answers to those sorts of questions tend to come slowly. They don’t show […]
Continue readingNarcissistic
HAPPY MONDAY! A fairly common question raises today’s word-of-the-week… NARCISSISTIC “Why is an all-powerful God so narcissistic that He demands our worship? Why does He need us singing and bowing down to Him? I love questions, and this is a great one. Is God a narcissist? Does He “need” our worship? I’ve written about this before. […]
Continue readingWhat’s Your Take On Justice?
I hope I never diminish my dreams by settling for practicality. As next week’s elections approach, I’m reminded of our visit two years ago to the Lincoln and MLK Memorials in Washington, D.C. I’ve been reflectingon social justice, and I looked back at these thoughts. # # # Both men genuinely opposed injustice. Both believed in […]
Continue readingNo Help Wanted?
Thanks, but I can do it all by myself. Of course, I know better. There’s no such thing as “all by myself,” but that doesn’t stop me from fighting to maintain the illusion of independence. I think about “help” a lot. Because of the wheelchair, others ask often how they can offer help without offending […]
Continue readingHere’s An Ancient Call To Action
Learn to do good. Seek justice. How’s that for a call to action? It’s clear, strong, unequivocal, and even comes with specific methods of engagement. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. (Isaiah 1:17) Learn. Seek. Help. Defend. Fight. It’s stuff we […]
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