Image: Erich Hartmann/Magnum Photos. From https://www.city-journal.org/article/with-meaning-for-all After decades of taking my Bible to church every Sunday, I found myself bringing only my phone. One reason is that I have surrounded myself with chronological Bibles, which are AMAZING to read, but difficult to use during a sermon because chronological Bibles are not printed in a predictableContinue reading “Memorial Stones. Deuteronomy 27.”
Category Archives: The RAMPS to Discipleship: READ the word, Apply the word, Memorize the word, Pray the word, Share the word (then start over).
DISCIPLESHIP: Grow With G.R.A.M.P.S. Deuteronomy 2.
“Steven, you got a telephone call,” my dad announced one Saturday morning. He was oddly excited about it, eager to tell me the whole story. I had just crawled out of bed, a college student coming in the kitchen at 9 o’clock looking for some cereal. “Why didn’t you wake me up?” “Well, he calledContinue reading “DISCIPLESHIP: Grow With G.R.A.M.P.S. Deuteronomy 2.”
Civil Engineering: All Hands on Deck! Nehemiah 3:1-31.
Image: Golden Gate Bridge by Joseph C. Filer and Jason W. Filer. Many of the biggest projects on earth are civil engineering projects. The Great Pyramid at Giza is the height of a fifty-story building and built out of “bricks” that weigh 5,000 pounds. How did they do that in 2560 B.C.? The Great WallContinue reading “Civil Engineering: All Hands on Deck! Nehemiah 3:1-31.”
Lord, Teach Us to Fast. Ezra 8:21,23.
Every Sunday morning my father doled out an allowance to me of $3.50. I then put two quarters into an envelope for the offering plate. The envelopes (similar to the one pictured) were pre-printed with boxes to check off. As a child, I could not check all the boxes, but they reminded me of theContinue reading “Lord, Teach Us to Fast. Ezra 8:21,23.”
Lullaby and Goodnight: What’s Your Bedtime Routine? Micah 2:1.
My childhood music minister Gerald B. Ray died at 92 recently and I was pleased to be able to attend the service celebrating his extraordinary life. His daughter Kristy shared that her father was in the habit of reciting the 23rd Psalm each night as he went to sleep. While he was in hospice care,Continue reading “Lullaby and Goodnight: What’s Your Bedtime Routine? Micah 2:1.”
The Trail of Tears. Jeremiah 27:12.
Image: “The Flight of the Prisoners” by James Tissot, 1896, a painting of the people of Judah being driven from Jerusalem to Babylon, a Biblical “Trail of Tears.” Americans love the Bible. We print Bible verses on our tee shirts and coffee cups, stencil them on our walls, bumper-sticker them on our cars. The BibleContinue reading “The Trail of Tears. Jeremiah 27:12.”
Replace Self-Affirmations with God’s Affirmations. Psalm 139.
Are you familiar with self-affirmation? Merriam-Webster defines SELF-AFFIRMATION as “the act of affirming one’s own worthiness and value as an individual.” An article[1] online reports real-life examples of celebrity self-affirmations: Lizzo says, “I started talking to my belly this year.” Every day she tells her belly the following: “You deserve all the space in theContinue reading “Replace Self-Affirmations with God’s Affirmations. Psalm 139.”
“My People Are Destroyed for Lack of Knowledge” Hosea 4:6.
On the day you were born, our society began pushing knowledge and education on you: Knowledge is Power. Readers are Leaders. Teach a Man to Fish … But to whom does that apply? Does everyone need education? Yes. Everyone needs an education appropriate to the culture in which they will live. A Tibetan proverb says,Continue reading ““My People Are Destroyed for Lack of Knowledge” Hosea 4:6.”
The Fear of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 28:15.
Image: the famous “Earthrise” photo captured by the crew of Apollo 8 on Christmas Eve, 1968. Part One: a Challenge to Put Some Effort into Your Bible Reading. Most of us believe we ought to read the Bible. Many of us start. But finishing is a real challenge and a significant accomplishment. The Good Book,Continue reading “The Fear of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 28:15.”
How Do I Get My Children to Follow the Lord? 2 Chronicles 24:24-25.
What do most immigrants to the United States want their children to do? Go to med school, of course! The idea has become such a stereotype, standup comics make millions telling jokes about it. But the stereotype is not untrue. Parents of every stripe, of every American ethnicity and culture have imagined their children asContinue reading “How Do I Get My Children to Follow the Lord? 2 Chronicles 24:24-25.”
Household Words: 