Happy Monday! Christmas week brings me to today’s word-of-the-week… MYSTERY Everyone else seems to have a sense about Christmas. For some, it’s politically correct Happy Holidays! For others it’s Merry Christmas and the reason for the season. Some see profits, others fear family gatherings that open old wounds. There’s vacations, celebrations, and decorations. To me, it all a mystery, and the more I understand […]
Continue readingAuthor: Rich
Why The Foundation Matters
Appearances can deceive. We’re deluged with slick media campaigns aimed at promoting a message that places a shiny cover on something that might be a bit less spiffy when the lights are turned off. I reached back a couple of years for these thoughts. # # # A while back I watched one of those DIY shows. […]
Continue readingWhen Plans Become Expectations
On Day One of our long-awaited Mississippi River trip, everything went precisely according to our carefully crafted plan–until we actually started riding. Perfect weather, a beginning prayer with friends and strangers, a crash, a wonderful ride through pristine north woods country, and a meeting with Paul Bunyan and a big blue ox. Did you catch the “crash” part? Yeah, […]
Continue readingDichotomy
Happy Monday! It’s time to let go of today’s word-of-the-week… DICHOTOMY We’re comfortable with dichotomy, even when it’s false. Good/evil. Friend/enemy. Conservative/liberal. Life’s easier when our ideas, politics, or theology can be reduced to a nice, simple dichotomy. Would-be “leaders” capitalize on this desire for simplicity. So they create powerful, simplistic, repetitive imagery that appeals to […]
Continue readingMaybe It’s More Than Sticks
“To the uneducated an A is just three sticks.” — Eeyore (A. A. Milne) I receive all sorts of comments when I’m riding my bike. Lots of “thumbs up” (at least I assume they’re thumbs) and a ton of encouragement, but occasionally someone tosses out a comment about how “easy” my ride appears. “Wow, I wish […]
Continue readingIt’s Not About The Tree
Poor Charlie Brown. He wanted so badly to discover the true meaning of Christmas, but his friends were too caught up in their activities and busyness to hear his desperation. They decided the answer was to involve him in their craziness by having him direct a modernized version of the Christmas story. When that didn’t […]
Continue readingSpace
HAPPY MONDAY! A thought from my friend Dick Foth inspires today’s word-of-the-week… SPACE Gratitude occupies a lot of space. Gratitude crowds out most other emotions. When you focus on the things for which you’re thankful, it’s difficult to find space for things like anger, hate, competitiveness, or greed. Want to try an experiment? Next time you’re feeling […]
Continue readingAbout Those Stories
So I wrote these two books. I never intended to be a writer, but God leads me in some crazy directions. Seems like one day I was helping kids learn math and suddenly we were opening a carton of books titled Relentless Grace written by some guy named Rich Dixon. Not exactly certain how that happened, but it sure wasn’t […]
Continue readingMonte The Guest Speaker!
“Our guest speaker today is Monte.” Monday morning, 500 kids in a middle school gym, and that’s how the principal introduced the program. Monte stood, walked calmly out to the middle of the floor, turned around, and looked at the audience. I almost expected him to start talking. If nothing else, we certainly had their […]
Continue readingBureaucrat
HAPPY MONDAY! A dramatic conversion brings us today’s word-of-the-week… BUREAUCRAT The Holy Spirit isn’t a bureaucrat. That may be the strangest statement you’ve ever read, but think for a moment about how we expect God to operate. How often have we heard It’s not fair? Even when we know better, don’t we think some folks–mass murderers, terrorists, child […]
Continue readingThanksgiving
Becky, Monte, and I want to wish each of you a very Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving.
Continue readingWho’s Coming After Us?
An enemy is coming for us. A terrible enemy threatens the very core of all we hold dear. The media, the politicians, sadly even many preachers proclaim the power and might of this ruthless adversary who strikes with reckless disregard for collateral casualties. This enemy entices us to strike back in anger. The anger may […]
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