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It’s time to come clean. It’s time to break 30 years of silence, to lay the rumors to rest and answer the burning question that has followed me since the early 80s. And I decided that rather than have all the drama of a press conference or something, you should be the official witness.
What’s that? No, sorry, I don’t have the original formula to Coca Cola. No, I don’t know what happened to D.B. Cooper.
What I’m going to finally tell the world is why I chose David Garland as my Hebrew professor.
I know, I know. This is big. But I’ve given it some thought, and I have my reasons for sharing it now, and in this format. Stay with me, okay?
Dr. Garland was a distinguished and beloved Old Testament and Hebrew professor at Southwestern Seminary from 1958 to 1991. But I didn’t pick him because of his Old Testament or Hebrew wisdom. [click to continue…]
(Seven More Half-Baked Ideas I’m Still Working On)
If you sing a song and no one seems to hear it, is it still music? (A variation on the tree-in-the-woods question)
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It’s not the silence of God that bothers me so much as the times when I know He’s speaking, but only in a whisper.
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What you fear is not the thing you dread, but your inability – or God’s unwillingness – to stop or resist it.
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Life is filled with plenty of things worth waiting for…
The answer to a prayer…
The fulfillment of a promise…
The completion of a process….
The realization of a dream…
These and many more are examples of the rewards of waiting for what is precious.
That said, there is one thing that isn’t worth the wait – now or ever. [click to continue…]
I
Someone once told Matt he was like the man with the five talents in Jesus’ parable. He was not limited to just one ability, but was blessed with multiple skills. It was a bad interpretation of the word “talent,” but Matt appreciated the sincerity of the compliment. And truth be told, Matt is that kind of guy. Smart. Articulate. Funny if you catch him on the right day.
But lately Matt hasn’t felt like a man with one “talent,” much less five. The tough economy has him working three different jobs to make ends meet. And while Matt is good at shooting from the hip, lately he’s been handed a fist full of criticism in just about every area of his life.
“God,” he says, “You’ve picked the wrong guy. I need you to find somebody else to do this. Or You fix this.”
“No,” comes the reply from heaven. “It’s not my job – it’s yours. It’s not somebody else’s job. It’s yours. Now stop trusting yourself. Stop looking at the problem. Watch Me. Trust Me. And do it.”
Can
Teri always referred to John as her rock. But little did she know how much she really depended on him until the weeks after his sudden death. [click to continue…]
Enjoy the video, then let’s visit.
In a perfect world motivation by leaders would be unnecessary. Everybody would carry their own motivational weight, and the leaders would become traffic cops.
In an almost-perfect world, motivation would be the stuff of crock pots. Slow. Simmering. Relational. A view toward the long haul.
But there come those times when you as a leader (and everybody leads somebody) don’t have the luxury of icebreakers, quiet talks by the seashore, or weekend group retreats laden with teambuilding exercises. You need action. Now!
Nothing can create a sense of desperation faster than staring at a date with destiny with an unprepared or unmotivated team or organization. Nothing can make you throw a shoe or howl at the moon quicker than a group of constituents that just don’t seem to get it. Pick your metaphor – the ship’s going down, the iron is hot, the Egyptians are coming, the boat’s leaving the dock – when the people we lead have to take massive action quickly, this is no time for a support group or a policy discussion.
Guess what? Somebody in the Bible totally got it. [click to continue…]
Cohen's first shower. Guess what he said when I told him it was time to get out?
My oldest grandson turns two this week.
I think he’s already been practicing.
Cohen has been staying with Papa and Grammy for the last few days because his six-week-old baby brother is in the hospital with a bad case of RSV.
For the most part everybody is weathering the temporary adjustment. But “the most part” wasn’t around at 7:00 yesterday morning.
Typically when he wakes up at first, he can be, um, “encouraged” to go back to sleep by putting him in our bed. Only this morning a certain somebody decided to turn over and douse my side of the bed with 20 gallons of soak-through.
Awesome.
So… changed diaper in place… You want to watch cartoons?
No.
No, Cohen, don’t touch that. Want some milk?
No.
No, Cohen, don’t throw the pillows. Want some banana?
No.
No, don’t throw your food on the floor. Want some apple? [click to continue…]
It’s a common church house scene.
In baskets, bags, plates or boxes, churches collect money for something they call an offering.
The functional reality: congregations can’t offer what they haven’t first collected.
Same goes for individuals. [click to continue…]
We don’t wear veils much anymore – certainly not in this culture. Unless, of course, “we” are a bride on her wedding day. Nobody from Paris or New York sends skinny models down the runway wearing the latest veil fashions. And chances are, you won’t find them in Macy’s or Chico’s or that fabulously French discounter Target either.
But make no mistake about it. We still wear them – sometimes for good reason, sometimes not.
Veils are for hiding. For creating boundaries and secret spaces. And sometimes that’s a good idea. Ever meet somebody at a bus stop or party and ask the customary “How are you?” and they tell you? In detail? Sorta makes you wish you had a veil (or a gag) in your back pocket.
At other times veils are symbols or expressions of something else. They are reminders of how broken, how sinful, how messed up we are. The veil dresses up on the outside what is ugly or painful on the inside. [click to continue…]
Tucked inside a rapid-fire to-do list in the Bible is a simply-carved roadmap into the hearts of other people. After Paul suggests how believers can get along with their persecutors, and before he suggests how we can get along with other believers (that’s a much longer suggestion), he gives this encouragement:
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep”(Romans 12:15).
A simple phrase. But a world of meaning packed in these simple instructions. [click to continue…]
I know what you’re thinking right now.
You’re thinking, “No you don’t!”
I know… scary isn’t it?
Know what’s even scarier? Anybody who knows you at all can follow you around for a week and know what you’ve been thinking for the past year. That’s based, of course, on the biblical principle, “As he thinks within himself, so he is” (Proverbs 23:7).
Your life today is the result of your thinking. It may not always affect your circumstances, but it always affects your character. Your disposition. Your emotions. Your perceptions. Yes, your faith.
If you have any intention of designing a compelling future, it’s time to accept responsibility for the role your thoughts play in creating it. After all, your thoughts have produced the person you are right now.
That’s why the Bible gives such attention to your thoughts. Jesus said to love God with all your mind. Paul talks about renewing your mind, and not thinking of yourself more highly than you ought, but thinking soberly.
Recently I reread a familiar old verse and it rocked my world a little. [click to continue…]
It’s time to come clean. It’s time to break 30 years of silence, to lay the rumors to rest and answer the burning question that has followed me since the early 80s. And I decided that rather than have all the drama of a press conference or something, you should be the official witness.
