Leadership is inevitable. My recent experience riding “Lincoln” the horse, while vacationing in Tahoe, reminded me that headship (authority) occurs and, if I didn’t lead, Lincoln would invariably take control. Given an animal’s responsiveness to sensory stimuli, Lincoln immediately sensed my mild to moderate trepidation, which escalated to shouting-out-loud, full-blown […]
Will the real Jew with confidence, please stand up? Please stand up! Please stand up! I know this is probably old school music now, but this lyric resonated with me as I listened to the scripture and Sunday’s sermon. In Philippians 3: 1-8, Paul reminds the believers that circumcision of […]
I thank God for Paul, because Paul was a mover and a shaker. When I read the Bible and discover how Paul’s boldness and courage ignited change, something inside me is stirred up. I admire his radical boldness and fervent desire to share God’s truths. Paul truly had a heart […]
It sure seems that we’ve arrived at time and place when things seem to be spiraling out of control. In the musical words of the late Marvin Gaye, indeed, “What’s going on?” Sadly (or reassuringly), there is a constant and consistent theme. Well over two millennia ago the poet was […]
“God, who is community in his essence, creates community and asks us to worship him in community.” I have been sitting with this sentence for the last hour. I’ve heard Pastor say this before. And every time I hear it. I halt. Right away I am amazed at its simplicity […]
Pick a card, any card! Is this your card? Matthew 21:1-11 https://vimeo.com/123916564 I can’t tell you how much I enjoy magic tricks. Even discovering how the magic trick is done is so impressive to me. I think about the level of detail and research required to pull off something so […]
A church in Oregon put an announcement in the local newspaper for an upcoming program they were having entitled, “Our God Resigns.” Shortly after that announcment was printed, a correction notice in the same local newspaper followed and read, “Our God Reigns.” They were so embarrassed. What a difference a […]
Church: a building used for religious activities, particularly worship services. Look at that building over there. It’s so beautiful in all its splendor. The stained glass windows must have cost a fortune. I have never seen a “church” so big. It must seat 10,000 people easily. Did you hear that […]
A heart that cannot forgive is its own jailer. Growing up, you see things. You see people get hurt. You see people leave. You see people hurting others. You see pain. You experience pain. You experience joy too, but pain, you never forget, because you don’t want to experience it […]
In looking at the scripture from Sunday’s sermon and thinking about the upcoming new year, a thought came to me: What is time to God? He is timeless. This made the sermon on Sunday come full circle for me. Isaiah 43:18 reads “But forget all that – it is nothing compared […]
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