Note: This article continues our Wednesday series about the Bible. You can check out previous entries here. Today I thought we’d do a bit of show-and-tell to illistrate an important point about understanding the Bible. The former (not OLD) teacher just can’t resist an opportunity for a simple visual to replace a lot of words. […]
Continue readingServing From Your Sweet Spot
Have you ever lived in your sweet spot? Our pastor used a cool phrase this weekend: serving from your sweet spot. Athletes know about the “sweet spot.” It’s the place where you strike a ball so perfectly that you hardly feel it. In baseball, if you miss it by a millimeter it feels like you […]
Continue readingChoice
Happy Monday! My week (and I’m guessing yours) will be consumed by the word-of-the-week… Choice Most of our lives are determined by the choices we make. I don’t know about you, but a lot of those choices just don’t seem all that clear. Sometimes it feels like we’re literally frozen by the inability to make […]
Continue readingNew Grass On The Field
Happy Saturday! Opening day in American baseball is a special time of hope and new beginnings. If you’re even a casual fan, this’ll bring some smiles and great memories. If you can’t see the video, click here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04KQydlJ-qc Have a great weekend.
Continue readingIdols
What do you value most? I’m not really big on fancy religious words. They’re fun to toss around, but I mostly think the words make it easy to dismiss a deeper issue. Idolatry is a word like that. For me, the word evokes images of golden calves and ritual sacrifice. Idols are statues of snakes […]
Continue readingBiblical Super Heroes?
Are people who follow Jesus somehow different from everyone else? It’s sort of a trick question, right? We’re supposed to be different. We’re supposed to be set apart. 1 Peter 2:9 says we’re “… a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession …” I don’t know about you, but there’s not […]
Continue readingThe Bible And The Problem Of Parapets
Note: This article continues our Wednesday series about the Bible. You can check out previous entries here. This article is a re-write of an original post from August 5, 2010. Are you supposed to take everything in the Bible seriously? I have a friend who claims that every word in the Bible is meant to […]
Continue readingCan God Use Me?
Do you think God can use you? Actually, that’s sort of a silly question. Of course God can use me or you. He’s God; He can do whatever He wants. The real question is “WILL God use us?” I’ve been thinking about this question in the context of my bike ride project. If you’re a […]
Continue readingFlexibility
Happy Monday! This weekend I received a lesson on today’s word-of-the-week… Flexibility I’ve got sort of a single-track mind. I want to get an idea, develop it, and move forward. I’m not opposed to looking at alternatives—at the beginning. But I want to decide, and then get on with it. That’s not all bad. Some […]
Continue readingHope Empowers
Happy Saturday! This video explains the incredible mission of Blood: Water Mission, one of the organizations we’re supporting through Journey4Hope. What struck me: Charity is for victims. Hope empowers communities to work together to solve problems. (If you can’t see the video, click here.) Have a great weekend!
Continue readingGot Doubt?
Do you ever experience doubt? Imagine a man trudging through the desert in search of water. He’s absolutely certain the water’s right over that next hill. Of course, he was absolutely certain the water was right over the last hill as well. The trip didn’t begin like this. When he started, the path was clearly […]
Continue readingHearing The Voice Of Jesus
Do you believe Jesus speaks to you? I do. I’m not getting all ooky-spooky about this. I don’t hear voices or anything like that. In fact, that’s precisely the problem. Most of the time, I don’t hear anything at all. But I don’t think it’s because He’s not talking. The problem is that I’m not […]
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