Category: New Beginnings

A friend wants to understand why I believe in God, or at least how I think about Him. He wants evidence. I know a lot of facts, about books like Lee Strobel’s The Case For Christ. Those of us who believe see the evidence everywhere, but that’s not the sort of proof that’ll impress my […]

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I’m a simple guy who tends to make life complicated. On our recent FREEDOM Tour, the team got lost because I provided bad directions. I’d like to say I welcomed the challenge. “Hallelujah,” I exclaimed. “The Lord hath provided an opportunity for growth.” Yeah, right. The truth is, I was scared, and fear turned into […]

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A couple of weeks ago I wrote about What if…? The idea was to consider opportunities by pondering their implications. What if … I read a book per month? What if … I made the effort to meet all of my neighbors? The notion is to think about what might change in my life. # […]

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Last weekend our pastor talked about an incident from the early life of Moses. As usual, I got trapped on one particular thought and probably missed the whole point of the message. One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. […]

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Last time I told you my friend Jim’s vision of Jesus’ actions as mediator. Several readers sent notes saying how touched they were by the statement, “It’s okay. He’s with me.” Jim clearly isn’t worried his encounter with God. He knows Jesus has him covered. I wonder if those who follow Jesus often miss this […]

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My friend Jim has an incredible way of verbalizing his faith using simple, profound stories. We’ve been together in a small group for a number of years. We’ll be immersed in some tangled discussion, and Jim steps in and offers a word picture that leaves everyone saying things like “Wow” and “Very cool.” The other […]

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I don’t worry much about things like “unwritten” rules, but one blogging rule has always made sense to me: Don’t recommend a book you haven’t read or a movie you haven’t seen. Today, I’m breaking that rule. NOT TODAY opens May 24th in Fort Collins. Becky and I will be there, and if you’re in Northern Colorado I […]

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Last week I got to sit in with a group of young (mostly twenty-something) folks at our church. My friend Bob told them something that’s been rattling in my brain. If you want to follow Jesus, you need to get to know Him. It’s not enough to know His words. In fact, His words alone […]

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I’m still messing with the “good measure” passage in Luke 6:38. Or perhaps more accurately, it’s messing with me. Check out the background here and here. Jesus and I had to take a walk through the RUV—Rich’s Unstandardized Version—when I read past verse 38. “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree […]

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I try to avoid commenting on current events. Today, I’m making an exception. I imagine you’re aware of the tragic death of Matthew Warren, the 27-year-old son of Rick and Kay Warren. Matthew’s dad is one of America’s best-known Christian pastors. Rick Warren posted this statement on Facebook: Grieving is hard. Grieving as public figures, […]

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I love the “social” part of social media. So often when I share an idea, someone out there offers something that gets me thinking deeper or in a slightly different direction. Last time I concluded with this thought: If you shine a light into a dark place, everyone, including you, sees a bit more clearly. […]

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I have a difficult time with the days before Easter. For most of my life I think I minimized the suffering and death of Jesus. I figured it wasn’t quite as horrible for Him since He was God. I somehow thought that provided some sort of protection, as though He suffered but not really. Now […]

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