We are a storytelling people. Or rather, we are a storytelling species. Every people group on earth tells stories. We tell them to children. We tell them to adults. The only time we stop telling stories is when someone is telling stories to us! Look at the popularity of movies and television. Before TV thereContinue reading “Stories We Tell Ourselves. Deuteronomy 26.”
Category Archives: Calling/Mission/Purpose
Don’t Jump the Gun. Genesis 23:16.
One Thanksgiving Day, a single man with nowhere to celebrate the holiday was invited to eat with Debbie’s family. During the meal, the Holy Spirit spoke to him: This is the woman you are going to marry. Mark barely knew Debbie—they had never dated. The voice he heard stunned him, like a lightning bolt outContinue reading “Don’t Jump the Gun. Genesis 23:16.”
Dust in the Wind. Jeremiah 47:6.
Image: The 1951 Golden Anniversary photo of Carl and Gertie Stadtlander, my wife’s great-grandparents who lived so recently, historically speaking, yet about whom we know so little–and our children or grandchildren will know nothing according to Ecclesiastes 1:11. The rock band KANSAS recorded a perfect little song in 1977. “Dust in the Wind” is slowContinue reading “Dust in the Wind. Jeremiah 47:6.”
That One Distasteful Subject. Isaiah 48:17.
We don’t speak of it in polite conversation. We don’t think of it as a spiritual topic. No seeker climbs to the top of a mountain in the Himalayas to ask a Guru about it. Wall calendars with photos of sunsets and rainbows will never feature a poetic line on this theme. Yet, Jesus spokeContinue reading “That One Distasteful Subject. Isaiah 48:17.”
Have You Lost Your First Love? Don’t Give Up! 2 Chronicles 31:4-8.
In the Book of Revelation, Jesus dictates letters to seven young churches in modern-day Turkey. Jesus says that the church in Ephesus has done many things well, but “you have lost your first love” Revelation 2:4. What can you do if you have lost your first love? What is the solution? The loss of firstContinue reading “Have You Lost Your First Love? Don’t Give Up! 2 Chronicles 31:4-8.”
God’s Calling Includes the Promise of God’s Provision. 1 Kings 17:3-4.
When God calls you, He will equip you. When God gives you a task, he will provide what you need to accomplish that task. When God called me to law school, he gave me a promise I could cling to. I needed the reassurance so often, I prayed these words nearly every day: “Faithful isContinue reading “God’s Calling Includes the Promise of God’s Provision. 1 Kings 17:3-4.”
NO SMALL PARTS: David Served God’s Purpose in His Generation. 1 Chronicles chapters 23 – 27.
God had a purpose for the life of David—I’m sure we can all agree on that. But what about you and me? Does God have a purpose for folks living seemingly ordinary lives in which nothing much ever happens? After all, David was a king—he made the headlines every day. Most of us will neverContinue reading “NO SMALL PARTS: David Served God’s Purpose in His Generation. 1 Chronicles chapters 23 – 27.”
LEADERS KNOW HOW TO PRIORITIZE. Acts 6:2-3.
If a teacher can’t say no, she will say yes to the principal and parent volunteers and end up serving on five committees and organizing school-wide rallies and fundraisers and having two or three after-school activities happening in her classroom every week. Soon the teacher will be pulled in so many directions she will becomeContinue reading “LEADERS KNOW HOW TO PRIORITIZE. Acts 6:2-3.”
What Can You Say About Slavery? What Can You Say About Politics? Ephesians 6:5-9.
The Apostle Paul took on one of the most controversial topics in history: slavery. Did he argue for the abolition of slavery? Or did he argue—as some American preachers once did—that certain people are better off slaves? Let’s look: “Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, asContinue reading “What Can You Say About Slavery? What Can You Say About Politics? Ephesians 6:5-9.”
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE? Philippians 1:21-24; 2:12-15.
People love to ask, “what is the meaning of life?” It has become a cliché. Homer asks God the question on the Simpsons and just as God is about to tell him, the credits begin to roll. On Monty Python a man opens an envelope labeled “the meaning of life,” and it says: “Well, it’sContinue reading “WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE? Philippians 1:21-24; 2:12-15.”
Household Words: 