Joel wasn’t in the mood to go, but he didn’t want people to think he was lazy or negligent. So he found himself unenthusiastically attending the event. Once he arrived he quickly coerced himself into character; for though he denied it, he desperately craved the approval of the people gathered (even in spite of the […]
I love my church because it makes a big deal about church membership and I need my brothers and sisters desperately. I love my church because it shows me God in all of His glory and it reminds me that I was made to live for such glory. I love my church because it clarifies […]
We often feel like people are “in our way.” Humans can be very inconvenient and irritating, there’s no doubt about it. Have you ever been annoyed with someone? Perhaps they were smacking their food while eating and it was irksome to you. Perhaps they were driving 10 miles an hour under the speed limit in […]
I’ve noticed that I can be defensive. A little. Just sometimes. Mostly, I feel that I am really nice – given the circumstances. But yes, sometimes I can be a wee bit touchy. Like the other day, I was doing push-ups in the living room. My wife, who I thought would be impressed, suggested helpfully […]
This guy Denis recently told me, “No one can live without some center or focus, some cherished end and purpose that shapes our ambition, even if we seem singularly unambitious to those who have adopted different ends.” Denis edits a magazine called Critique, and in the most recent issue (Issue 1 of 2017) he’s determined […]
I have an addiction to self-righteousness. I am a recovering pharisee. God declares me “Not condemned!”, and yet like Satan I contend with God’s Word and endeavor to prosecute – without hesitation launching into my opening argument, “Did God really say?” How arrogant is that!? If God sez, “Not guilty” who am I to argue […]
I was recently reminded of Martin Luther’s preface to his commentary on Paul’s letter to the church at Galatia. A primary part of being a steward of the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4:1) is joyfully coming to grips with the fact that we will never completely understand the FREE – utterly unmerited – imputed […]
Yesterday I studied the Bible with a man who doesn’t (physically) look like me. We are both of the same race (the human race), but our ethnicity is different. Also, our life experiences and cultures are a bit different. As we talked about what we see God saying to us in Scripture – our interpretations […]
It is sometimes said, “There is neither rhyme nor reason.” I feel that way about many things – mostly technology issues. But there are other things as well. For example, about 3 months ago I had a friend move in with me. Usually, that is not such a major event. But I had lived alone […]
It was this past Wednesday around 10a. We were at Marlin’s house. Keith, Jason, Marlin, and myself. We were reading Hebrews chapter 4 together and discussing what God says to us about entering His rest/trusting Him. Later that same day I listened to what Wendell and Eugene had to say about what God has to […]