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 readingBirds 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 readingInput 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 readingVulnerability: 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 readingJesus 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 […]
Continue readingA Reluctant Optimist’s Code
Is faith optimistic or pessimistic? I’ve admitted that optimism isn’t my default approach to most situations. Relentless Grace certainly tells of a tug of war between intellectual faith and gut-level despair. As I said in Tuesday’s post, I naturally default to a feeling that The Half Empty Glass Is Leaking. Jesus’ teaching tells me something different. Many […]
Continue reading100 Significant Scriptures
This is easily the longest article I’ve ever posted. Check out the next few sentences and you’ll see why. A while back someone asked me to define my “life verse.” I suppose if I HAD to choose a single passage I’d pick Romans 8:28. And we know that in all things God works for the […]
Continue readingThe Half Empty Glass Is Leaking
Do you consider yourself an optimist? Why (or why not)? I’m doing a talk this week for an Optimist Club, so I’m thinking about optimism. I did a little research to find out what optimism is, where it originates, why some folks have it and some don’t. Frankly, for much of my life I was […]
Continue readingSacrifice
Happy Monday! Today’s a special day for all who embrace peace, justice and nonviolence. In honor of Dr. King, let’s think about today’s word-of-the-week…. Sacrifice August 28, 1963. More than a quarter-million people crowded onto the national mall in Washington, D.C. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stepped to the podium, introduced as “the moral leader […]
Continue readingNot A Coincidence
Happy Saturday! A former student once told me that old math teachers never die…they just lose count. My students never could equal my sense of humor. This quick video (thanks to Kit Mulligan for sharing) shows a bit of the beautiful symmetry in mathematics that leads to a not-so-surprising conclusion. Please consider passing this along […]
Continue readingWhole Hearts
Do you think you live whole heartedly? God must want me thinking about how we connect to each other. Seems like everywhere I look during the past few days I encounter the issue of vulnerability. Vulnerability—the willingness to permit others to see us as we really are. It’s the key to human connections, and it’s […]
Continue readingConnections With Roots
Are you making an impact? Maybe it’s the new year, but I’ve been thinking about the impact of the things I’m doing. Mostly I just roll along (pun intended), but occasionally it’s good to stop and ask if what I do makes any difference. It seems that so much of the culture is about appearances, what […]
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