Do you believe Jesus was really frightened as He anticipated the cross? I do. When you literally sweat blood, I think you’re scared. But what frightened Him so intensely? He was about to be savagely beaten, tortured, and humiliated, and as God He saw every horrific detail in advance. Anticipation of that sort of excruciating physical […]
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Was Jesus Serious About Serving?
Last time I asked a question: Is This An Emotional Week? I still don’t know the answer, and maybe it doesn’t matter. If life’s really not about feelings, if what really matters is choices and commitments, then how the week feels, or ought to feel, isn’t a big issue. So I decided to look at […]
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Is Holy Week an emotional time for you? I’ve been thinking about how I should be approaching this week. Somehow I get the sense that the week prior to Easter is supposed to create some sort of special emotional impact. I don’t feel it, and I wonder if something’s missing. Normally I don’t get too […]
Continue readingMore TagWhy Forgive?
Note: If you’re following along this week you might guess that the posts ( Should, Can’t Forgive Lessons About Forgiving) reflect a situation I’ve encountered regarding forgiving. You’d be correct. # # # I’m glad I’m not a preacher. I hate to imagine the mess I’d create by trying to tell others how to follow Jesus. […]
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Do you really believe what you believe? Yesterday I wrote about a small group discussion. Today I want us to make it personal. I invite you to try a small experiment with me. Think of a situation that prompts worry or conflict or anxiety for you. Doesn’t have to be monumental, but it can be. […]
Continue readingMore TagEnough (part 1)
It’s a common occurrence in our small group. We study a passage and dig out its meaning. Then comes the inevitable question: How do we make this real in our daily lives? This time the passage was from Mark 1 and the central issue was the authority of Jesus. We talked around the details and […]
Continue readingMore TagThe Word In A Box
Do you have a “favorite” Bible passage? I like ice cream. A lot. I like lots of other things—baseball and dogs and riding my bike. But I REALLY LIKE ice cream. So I struggle in an ice cream shop that offers dozens of choices. They’re all wonderful and choosing one means rejecting the rest. I […]
Continue readingMore TagDodging The Fear
Do you ever have conversations with yourself? “What’s next?” “What do you mean? “Well, you’re telling us about your bike ride and describing it as a dream. What does that mean? Was it an item on your bucket list, something to accomplish and then move on to the next thing? Because it seems like a […]
Continue readingMore TagFor Such A Time As This
And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? Esther 4:14b It’s one of the really cool questions in the Bible. Esther ascended to an influential position in a foreign land through a most unlikely series of events. She subsequently faced a difficult and potentially dangerous […]
Continue readingMore TagHow To Make God Chuckle
If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. I’m thinking I might amend this adage. Perhaps another way to make God chuckle is to claim that I understand the details of His plans. Yesterday I shared a story over at Rich’s Ride about a Divine Appointment. I believe that particular encounter in […]
Continue readingMore TagDivine Trajectory
Have you ever experienced a divine appointment? Some of us are old enough to recall Apollo 13 as something besides a movie. The mission launched on April 11, 1970 to complete the third manned moon landing. To outside observers, spaceflight had become almost commonplace. This appeared to be just another routine mission, but Apollo 13 reminded everyone […]
Continue readingMore TagMaybe I Just Can’t See
I met Kelli several weeks ago. In her early twenties she struggled through a tough battle with cancer. As she endured multiple rounds of chemotherapy Kelli consistently prayed two prayers—that she would be able to resume her passion as a triathlete and that the doctors’ pronouncement that she would never be able to have children would […]
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