The book of Proverbs has a number of descriptions for a fool: mockers, simple, obstinate, troublemakers, and sluggards. What’s interesting about poetry, especially wisdom literature conveyed through poetry, is that the text paints a picture of its opposite simultaneously to the picture it paints by itself. So in Proverbs 6 we read, “Go to the…
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Satan operates under a premise: you will be loyal to God only if He blesses you. Read it… “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are…
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After Adam and Eve ate from the one tree God told them not to eat from, the first emotion the text tells us they felt was “fear.” Increasingly, I’m becoming more convinced “fear” is the chief experiential problem with humanity. Even the most boisterous bravado is merely a cover-up for it. Fear drives every other…
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I think about retirement every now and then. I think about being able to attend church each Sunday with my wife and what that will be like. I also think about what I would do in order to be a great church member. Being a pastor provides me a unique perspective on this. So here…
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Describe your “dream” church. What would it be like? Brett McCracken conducted his own thought-experiment to come up with his dream church. It contained the following: This isn’t all McCracken listed in his “dream church.” It’s actually only a drop in the bucket. His list covers multiple pages from his book Uncomfortable. After completing his profile…
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Why do pastors and churches say “no” to your great ministry ideas? Here’s the bottom line: churches can’t do everything. The hard reality is: your passion may not be your church’s passion. Here are some legitimate reasons churches say “no.” 1. Timing Finite people + finite resources = limited ministry. Sometimes it really is a great…
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“If you love me, keep my commands.” – John 14:15 “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.” – John 14:21 “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” – John 14:23 On and on it goes. The repetition of this idea that love for Jesus is expressed through obedience makes…
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In my previous post, I contend love has become “god.” That is, we have our self-made definition of love and we shape our understanding of God around it and hold him accountable to that particular definition. But in the final analysis, we must insist “God is love.” He himself provides the essence and definition of love. This likely…
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God is love.Love is god. Look at those two short sentences closely. Take a minute to do so. I believe the juxtaposition of those two statements summarizes the fraying taking place within the broader Christian community. The implications of this are quietly, perhaps invisibly, enormous. Journey with me on this musing. When God’s Word says, “God is…
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