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What’s your hurry?
There are times when reading through the Bible in huge chunks is needed. There are a few times when the “One Year Bible” is helpful. Most of the time, it’s not necessary. The question is this: “What’s your hurry?” Why do you think you can read that one chapter of Luke once, maybe twice, and know it? It will be there…
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Doing “enough”
We can fall into the disappointment of something not happening in life. Spiritually, it can be a real sinkhole. We were given the thought, or teaching, at some point that said, “Study the Scripture… enough. Pray… enough. Have faith… enough.” And the end result will be _________________ (fill in the blank). And then… it doesn’t happen. The games begin. “Did…
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Spiritual discipline is a bad phrase
“Spiritual disciplines are not a gauge of my spiritual maturity. The disciplined person is not someone who does a lot of disciplines. The disciplined person, the disciple, is someone who is able to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done.” — John Ortberg, Living in Christ’s Presence.
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Oh, Jesus MEANT that “love” thing?
We don’t attack people in the love of God. We don’t withdraw from them. We accept them. We love them. Loving our neighbor is part of what goes into loving God. As John teaches us in his letter, you cannot love God and not love your neighbor. They don’t fit together, because God actually does love your neighbor. It seems…
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The deepest seat of our deepest emotions
When our “hearts” (which is our English way of describing an ancient concept of the “deepest seat of our deepest emotions”) belong to Christ, there is such wonderful, beautiful change. Paul describes it in Colossians 3:12-17. When Christ rules the deepest seat of my deepest emotions, anger is shoved away and love takes its place. Bitterness is crushed and compassion…
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When we don’t trust the unity that is in Christ
When we don’t trust the unity that is in Christ, we default into manipulation. We manipulate through legalism or hyper-spirituality. We need to trust the One in whom all things hold together. 16 So don’t let anyone judge you about eating or drinking or about a festival, a new moon observance, or sabbaths. 17 These religious practices are only a shadow of…
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The ugliness of human trafficking
Our subject matter in our church today was heavy. We had a couple come in and talk to us about human trafficking. I then see this article posted tonight. The U.S. is in the top 5 in human trafficking. We probably have more people bound in sexual slavery in the U.S. today than we had numbers of slaves at the…
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Personal rights and egos
In a COLLEGE basketball game last night, Oklahoma State powerhouse Marcus Smart when after a fan. I thought it was a NBA story at first. Smart is a great player. It’s a frustrating time because Oklahoma State is in a losing streak at the wrong time. (For the record, I’m okay with that, since I’m a Jayhawks fan.) Emotions were…
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Surrendering our allegiance to the magisterium of the state
Thoughts from NT Wright’s Simply Jesus. I blame him. Don’t shoot me. 😉 The church for centuries lived in the true power of the Kingdom (not fully, but more at times than others). The church lived out what was demonstrated in the life of Christ and they simply believed him when he commanded them to go and do the same. Now…
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Book Review: Making Spiritual Progress
I received Making Spiritual Progress: Building Your Life with Faith, Hope and Love by Allen Ratta from IVP for the purposes of review. It is exciting to read a book authored by a minister from my own denomination (the Assemblies of God), and to read a book that is probably one of the best I’ve seen to truly help people get moving…
