The Bible seems to be full of contradictions. It’s not, of course. But seemingly. For example, this testing God stuff: Deut. 6:16, Do not put the LORD your God to the test… Mal 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, [...]
Continue Reading →
What you have in common with ESPN
ESPN is a massive media outlet that delivers information to millions of people around the clock. They blew it a few times covering the amazing Jeremy Lin story. They issued a statement: At ESPN we are aware of three offensive and inappropriate comments made on ESPN outlets during our coverage of Jeremy Lin.Saturday we apologized [...]
Continue Reading →
Marital Confinement
I was listening to a podcast and heard the preacher say something about things being kept within ‘the confines of marriage.” No need to stop the presses…people say that all of the time. But this time it struck me funny: The confines of marriage. con·fine v. con·fined, con·fin·ing, con·fines To keep within bounds; restrict: See Synonyms at limit. To shut or [...]
Continue Reading →
What’s the point if nobody’s watching?
My daughter Breonna (Bree or Breezy, if you prefer) loves to jump on the trampoline…but only with an audience! Here’s proof: I got that in one take. She does it every time. She’d still have a lot of fun and get a bit of exercise if I weren’t in the room. But it won’t happen. [...]
Continue Reading →
I’m a pastor, and my job’s no better than yours.
This is a follow-up to yesterday’s post, “I’m a pastor, and my job’s no worse than yours.” My kids watch Thomas the Train. It’s a show about life. It’s not about trains. In many episodes there’s drama over which lucky engine will get to deliver the ‘special.’ Delivering a ‘special’ means you were chosen to [...]
Continue Reading →
I’m a pastor, and my job’s no worse than yours.
I feel I have a license to rip on pastors because I am one. It’s not true that I have a license, I just feel that way. I’ll try not to let that false perception push me to being a jerk…but I do have a slight bone to pick with people like me. It seems [...]
Continue Reading →If Marriage is a Game…
It’s Valentine’s day, so perhaps a word about marriage is in order. I love to play basketball. Suppose you and I were teammates in a local pick up game. It’s a tight game, pretty intense for the park. You’re bringing the ball up the court and I run your way. You assume I’m setting you [...]
Continue Reading →A Different Kind of Diversity
I wish churches were more diverse. I wish my church was more diverse. Sometimes when I meet new people at church I think to myself, “They’re awesome! I’m so glad that they’re here! If they weren’t white I’d be even happier.” Is that bad? Don’t answer that…I know it’s bad. We’re slowly becoming more diverse [...]
Continue Reading →the last thing I want you to think about me…
My truck’s a beater (better than an old limo). It’s a severely hail-damaged 4-cylinder with crank windows, manual locks, an aftermarket air-conditioner, and a ton of miles. It may not last much longer. I’m a family man now so when the wheels fall off of this one the next truck is gonna be a people-mover. [...]
Continue Reading →
Peas & Carrots. I Hate Carrots.
The world is full of traditional pairings. You know, stuff that just always seems to go together. PB & J Parties & regrets Jordan & Pippen Dating & drama etc… You can’t seem to have one without the other. Sometimes that magnetism makes for great things (i.e., PB & J) and sometimes not (i.e., dating [...]
Continue Reading →Why the Bible won’t spoon feed your politics to you
There has always been a debate about how to apply what we read in the Bible about politics. Israel was a theocracy. That meant (among other things) that the Church and the State weren’t separated. Taxes and tithes were all dumped into the same pot! But that system changed when Israel demanded a king. At that [...]
Continue Reading →How to know God’s will (or at least a start)
3 of 3 (FYI, Here’s part 1 and part 2) The ‘how-to’ section is always tough. So here are a few disclaimers: this isn’t an exhaustive list. this isn’t a formula or a trick. this doesn’t exclude the obvious! That being said, when you’re trying to figure out God’s personal will, working through this list sure [...]
Continue Reading →