Are you prepared? Are you preparing? Jon Swanson tells a great story from John 1:35-51 about Jesus calling disciples. (Watch Jon’s short video) It’s a story of overnight success. These unremarkable guys are hanging out, fishing or sitting under fig trees or whatever, and Jesus just shows up and invites them into the most exclusive, […]
Continue readingMore TagThe Easy Bible
This is part of our Wednesday series about the Bible. Some previous articles: 100 Significant Scriptures Why Read The Bible? The Bible Is About… Do you take the Bible for granted? A few months ago our church highlighted a ministry that translates, prints, and distributes Bibles in native languages throughout the world. We learned that […]
Continue readingMore TagDoes Trying Matter?
Note: I’m honored this morning to be a guest writer at My Escape Velocity. I hope you’ll drop over there and check out a really helpful blog—after you’re finished here, of course. How would you react if you boarded a plane and saw the pilot wearing this button? Personally, I don’t want the pilot who […]
Continue readingMore TagTraining
Happy Monday! I hope your new week is off to a great start. Starting leads me to today’s word-of-the-week… Training A while back I heard a catchy little phrase that’s been bouncing around in my brain. A speaker said: Stop trying. Start training. Do you ever get frustrated with trying so hard and not getting […]
Continue readingMore TagHuman Dummies
Happy Saturday! Here’s a song we’ve all heard, performed in a somewhat unique manner. Enjoy! (If you can’t see the video, click here.) Have a great weekend!
Continue readingMore TagHow Do You Face One Of Those Days?
Do you ever experience one of “those” days? I don’t want to be here right now. The past twenty-four hours have not been much fun. I’m angry and impatient. It’s one of those situations that shouldn’t bother me but it does and I want to fix it but I can’t and I wish I could […]
Continue readingMore TagDirty Hands – Clean Hearts
How can you guard your heart without living behind barriers? Two of this week’s articles create a bit of tension. I believe we’re called to engage with our community, so I don’t want to create a protective bubble in which I only interact with people and ideas that never challenge me. I don’t think it’s […]
Continue readingMore TagBible Stories: Were Noah And Moses Really Brothers?
We all know a bunch of Bible stories. Do we know the overall “Bible story”? Note: This is part of our continuing Wednesday series about the Bible. Previous articles in the series: Why Read The Bible? The Bible Is About… 100 Significant Scriptures Remember the Bible stories from Sunday school? Am I the only one […]
Continue readingMore TagBirds Of My Particular Feather
Do you tend to hang out with folks who think like you? Last week I spoke to an Optimist Club. I shared A Reluctant Optimist’s Code and invited audience members to add to my list. One guy said that optimistic people tend to associate with other optimists. I suppose that’s true. In general, we’re all […]
Continue readingMore TagInput And GIGO
Happy Monday! I’ve been pondering the issue of impact, and it occurred to me that I ought to turn the question around and ask, “Who’s impacting me?” That question prompts today’s word-of-the-week… INPUT We’re immersed in input. It’s a 24/7/365 world in which more voices than ever compete for our ears and eyeballs and attention. […]
Continue readingMore TagVulnerability: Brene Brown
Happy Saturday! I’ve watched this video at least half-a-dozen times, and each time I hear something I missed before. I think it contains some powerful ideas. (If you can’t view the video, click here.) Did this talk give you any new insights? How about sharing them in a comment?
Continue readingMore TagJesus The Optimist?
Is Jesus an optimist? How about His followers? I’ve been writing this week about optimism. I created A Reluctant Optimist’s Code in an attempt to counteract my natural inclination to perceive that The Half Empty Glass Is Leaking. Today I’m wondering what the Bible says about my half-baked ideas. Since I just posted my list […]
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