Happy Monday! I’m right in the middle of today’s word-of-the-week… CHANGE In thirty-five years as an educator I worked with some incredibly creative individuals. We discovered that, like any large organization, systematic change was often easy to talk about but difficult to accomplish. I developed my own semi-sarcastic adage: The only problem with change is […]
Continue readingJesus Reminds Me To Look Deeper
Yesterday I told you about my personalized version of the bible. I think God speaks to me through RUV—Rich’s Unstandard Version. Sometimes He uses the RUV to help me see the big picture, put things in context, and see more than just one isolated verse. That happened the other night when our small group looked […]
Continue readingHow Many Times?
I have this personal version of the bible. It’s called RUV—Rich’s Unstandard Version. Occasionally I encounter a conversation with Jesus in RUV when I’m trying to make sense of words from the real bible. Jesus and His friends are hanging out around a fire. Peter leans over and says, “Don’t you ever get tired of […]
Continue readingMission: Share
Fear makes it easier to wish you could than to hope you can. The second part of the RICH’S RIDE mission statement says: Speak to a variety of audiences about hope, possibility, and God’s faithfulness. But “speak” is really the wrong word, and words matter. Using the wrong word in a mission statement can get […]
Continue readingWhat Can We Do About It?
Ever feel overwhelmed by a social justice issue? Ever ask yourself, “What can I do?” (I see all those heads nodding. Mine too.) My friend Jon Swanson made this video last year before our Mississippi River trip. It’s one great answer to, “What can we do?” Can’t see the video? Click here. What can you […]
Continue readingThe Orphan Puzzle
Yesterday I used our church’s weekend focus on orphan care as an example of a large, complex puzzle to which many of hold a piece. I suspect most of us may not be called to adopt a child. That’s a huge commitment and ought to be considered carefully and prayerfully. But worldwide orphan care does […]
Continue readingPuzzle
Happy Monday! My lovely wife inspires today’s word-of-the-week… PUZZLE Becky likes doing jigsaw puzzles, and she talks a lot about life’s issues in “puzzle” terms. This weekend our church focused on the issue of orphan care. With such an enormous, multi-faceted problem, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Afterward, as we talked about the huge numbers […]
Continue readingBaseball And Football
Happy Saturday! Sometimes you just need a little fun, right? In honor of this season in which baseball and football seasons overlap, here’s a classic distinction between the two games. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmXacL0Uny0 Can’t see the video? Click here. Have a great weekend!
Continue readingHow Do They Know Us?
Mostly, I’m not smart enough to see what God’s doing in my life. I know He’s telling a story, but often I muddle along in what seems like a disconnected jumble of experiences. It’s only in retrospect that I see what He’s been doing. Lately, my blog posts have felt like that to me (and […]
Continue readingWhy Didn’t God Self Publish?
Do you ever wonder why God used such a convoluted process to produce the bible? God’s not a very efficient publisher. It seems to me that He could have revealed Himself in a much less complicated manner. Why did He use multiple authors over thousands of years, writing obscure, fragile manuscripts in ancient languages? Why […]
Continue readingMission: Demonstrate
In a thirty-five year teaching career, I learned many lessons from my students. Among them: Kids may be reluctant to believe what you say, but they’re always ready to believe what you do. It’s a life principle. Talk is cheap. Words matter little until you’re willing to “walk the talk.” When I share the story […]
Continue readingDo I really Have To?
Most guys know our wives are a lot smarter than we are. This morning I was working on an interesting project, a video to promote Florida Hope Tour 2013. I’m enjoying the challenge, but I’m not exactly a skilled video editor. I have to learn the software as I go, so it’s taking a lot […]
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