This morning I was reading Psalm 58 during morning devotions and saw the sarcasm of David’s first two verses for the first time. That’s humbling! In the 47 years since I became a Bible reader, I have probably read psalm 58 over 100 times and only today did it register that David’s psalm begins with … More King David’s Sarcasm and Wisdom
Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Indisputable facts: When biological men are called women because they “identify as female” When biological women are called men because they “identify as male” When men … More Living Under a Prophetic “Woe”
This week I contemplated how to speak the gospel to my own baby boomer generation–all of them. A FaceBook world encourages grandiose thoughts like that. My thoughts ran along the lines of reminding all my fellow boomers that we aren’t getting any younger. Not one of us can add sand to the top of the … More It is Almost Over for Baby Boomers
In February of 2014, I did a series on gossip based on my friend Matt Mitchel’s book. His book examined the topic in Scripture and was called one of the best books of 2014. It has since been translated into multiple languages and has proved invaluable to churches across the world. At the time I … More Defeating Gossip and Transforming the World
Sunday Afternoon Musings I’m trying to reread every C.S. Lewis book* on my shelf this year and in the process, create indeces for all the ones that don’t have them. Today, I am plowing through Mere Christianity and I ran across this gem. “God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A … More The Fuel for Happiness
This morning I woke early and retreated to the living room to have my devotions. Readings in the Psalms and the Gospel of Mark and then in a devotional that my wife gave me some years ago that I return to often. There, as morning began to rise, I find these words as a part … More The Opportunity of Temptation
Friday is for Heart Songs The more I study Bible the more I am learning to slow down. Sometimes, we just read too quickly to see the connections, the repetitions, the emphasis of what what we read. The opening line to Simon and Garfunkel’s “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” is good advice for … More Think Through Psalm 119 with Me
[Picture credits at the end.] Sometimes, we only learn of His care through the times of trauma and pain. I don’t know why this is I just know that it is. It is not a story of which Christians down through the ages have been unaware. C.S. Lewis put it this way: “Pain insists upon … More Pain and Sorrow and there Effect Under Christ
Shepherds of flocks will sometimes put small stones on the top of the stone enclosures for their sheep. The idea is that if a thief or threat to the flock (bear, hyena, lion, or wolf) climbs over the wall to harass the sheep, the tumbling stones will alert both sheep and shepherd that an intruder … More Tumbling Stones and the Art of Pastoral Care
Over the years, consulting with many churches, pastoring three, planting one, overseeing the planting of seven others, I have come to the conclusion that many in our churches have a misunderstanding of and a conflation of terms when they talk about outreach and evangelism. They are different. They may be handmaids to one another but … More The Difference between Outreach and Evangelism
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