I know a guy who really wants to be revered. His idea of reverence & respect is, “Thou shalt not disagree with me!” This guy cannot handle it when people disagree with him. When someone disagrees with this guy, he just stops talking to them. If a friend or family member exhibits raw emotion, or […]
My friend Mark is always harping on how God uses non-Christians to speak truth. And I must say, I agree. There are so many instances in Scripture where God employs a pagan king to pull off something true, good, or beautiful. And there are even instances where God explicitly shames the covenant community by comparing […]
So this morning’s meeting was pretty spicy! The meeting started with some decorous fellows accusing The Boss of being satanic. The Boss was having one of it! The Boss said, “I’m not satanic, you polished, courtly, well-bred fellows are satanic! I’m here to harass Satan! Which means, I’m here to harass you guys, because you’re […]
Last night I watched one episode of The Last Dance. Then I watched two episodes of Loki. Then I scrolled for 1.5 hours on my phone. That’s too much. I’m not going to get rid of my smartphone, and I’m not going to get rid of my television. However, it would be MUCH BETTER to […]
In my morning meeting with The Boss – He told me a couple of stories. The first story was about how some elders came to Jesus pleading with Him to visit a powerful and popular guy in their community. The elders said, “This guy is WORTHY of a personal visit, because he loves our nation, […]
crux | krəks, kro͝oks | noun | ˈkro͞osēz | ) (the crux) the decisive or most important point at issue. In my morning meeting with The Boss we talked about THE CRUX of God’s mission. Here’s how The Boss explained it: a paralyzed person was brought to The Boss, and The Boss said, “Your sins are forgiven.” Many of The Boss’s disciples said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen […]
Awhile back I was having lunch with a friend. In the course of our conversation my friend mentioned that his dad would occasionally invite him to have breakfast in order to simply and sincerely listen to what he wanted to share. During these breakfast meetings nothing was out of bounds. Even if my friend’s thoughts […]
I have been pondering engrossment this week. We are all engrossed… In something. I was chatting with my friend Jordan a couple of days ago, and we were persuaded that it is best to be engrossed with the scandalous and mystical tales of God’s Word. To feel like you MUST imaginatively inhabit God’s active and […]
Think of a leader. Someone you actually know. Like a teacher. A principal. An elder in your church. A police officer. A fireman. A business owner. A mentor. A parent. An upstanding citizen in your neighborhood. Think about their family. Think about their spouse. Now, ask yourself, do they have another spouse ? Do they […]
Ordained leaders should joyfully embody the emphasis of 2 Corinthians 8:1-11; AND they should PUT POSITIVE PRESSURE on all the diákonos/followers of Jesus to SERVE as unordained / unofficial / informal INITIATIVE-TAKERS and bonafide laborers. In 2 Corinthians 8:1-11, the Apostle (i.e. ordained leader) Paul is NOT primarily taking responsibility for the work that needs […]