The RAMPS to Discipleship: READ the word, Apply the word, Memorize the word, Pray the word, Share the word (then start over). – Page 2

THAT’S PRACTICAL. My Johnny Derouen Story. Psalm 27:4.

Image: Johnny Derouen’s first day at FBC Houston, spring of 1984. Also pictured, Joel Nettles. Photo courtesy of Lance Vinson. The story goes that in the early ‘80s, Associate Pastor Felix Wagner interviewed 70-some people before he found the right man for the job. Let’s call it 77—the perfect number. After a two-year quest, FirstContinue reading “THAT’S PRACTICAL. My Johnny Derouen Story. Psalm 27:4.”

Introduction to Psalms: The Song Book That Teaches You How to Relate to God. Psalm 23:2.

As a young college student, I once had a conversation with both an Old Testament professor and the dean of our humanities department. I wanted to build a research paper around the works of C.S. Lewis. The dean spoke up: “Well, I don’t know.” He looked at the Old Testament professor. “I think Lewis isContinue reading “Introduction to Psalms: The Song Book That Teaches You How to Relate to God. Psalm 23:2.”

David Wrote 72 Psalms: Claim God’s Promises. Psalms 4 – 16.

David is named as the author of seventy-two psalms, or nearly half of the book of Psalms. That is an impressive collection for a man as busy as he: shepherd, warrior, fugitive, king. And the idea that one of the manliest men in Israel was also a shepherd, composer, poet, and harpist is hard toContinue reading “David Wrote 72 Psalms: Claim God’s Promises. Psalms 4 – 16.”

THE ART OF LANGUAGE. Psalm 46.

How powerful are WORDS? Visual art can capture scenes and moods, whether an epic war or a domestic still life. Music uses sound to capture emotions, and it runs the gamut from light comedy to epic drama. Art, music, dance, and even the art of cooking can convey emotions and some simple ideas. But onlyContinue reading “THE ART OF LANGUAGE. Psalm 46.”

READING LEVITICUS. Leviticus 5-7.

Leviticus shows how blessed we are today to rely on the atoning work of Christ on the cross. The sacrificial system was INTENSE! First, if anyone sinned UNKNOWINGLY and later discovered it, “he is to confess…. He must bring restitution for the sin …, a female lamb or goat as a sin offering” Leviticus 5:5-6.Continue reading “READING LEVITICUS. Leviticus 5-7.”

Jump the R.A.M.P.S.! Joshua 1:8

Boys in the ‘70s and ‘80s loved to jump ramps. We would lay a post on the ground and nail one end of a piece of scrap plywood to it, and voila! a ramp. Most of these were rudimentary, made from found wood that we dragged home from someone’s trash. Some of the ramps wereContinue reading “Jump the R.A.M.P.S.! Joshua 1:8”

The Bible is the OWNER’S MANUAL for Life. Proverbs 1-4.

When you have car problems, the answers are in the owner’s manual, right? Everything is there: how to change a tire, battery maintenance, oil changes, weather issues, repairs, everything. The Bible is the OWNER’S MANUAL for life. Consider Proverbs: That is so much good advice! I read all of that this morning in the firstContinue reading “The Bible is the OWNER’S MANUAL for Life. Proverbs 1-4.”

INVEST IN YOURSELF BY GROWING YOUR FAITH. James 1:2.

There’s a great old joke that may be new to the youngest among us: A man stops a musician on the sidewalk in New York and asks, “Sir, can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?” The musician answers, “Practice.” How does a runner increase his speed? By practicing. How does a weightContinue reading “INVEST IN YOURSELF BY GROWING YOUR FAITH. James 1:2.”