Five of my favorite things this week... I've been thinking about this quote a lot this week: Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. Weak men create hard times. In light of this news, I've spent a LOT of time reading and watching the history of the … Continue reading Five Favorites Friday (11/2/18)
Bible Encounters
Guiding principles for students of Scripture
Today, I am working on material for a teaching series that I am going to give at Church180. We are going to be studying a letter that St. Paul wrote to the Christians in Colossae around 60 A.D. As I am working on this material, I keep thinking about basic principles that guide my approach … Continue reading Guiding principles for students of Scripture
Stop worrying about your clothes
Right now I'm really busy. This weekend I will officiate at a wedding, preach a sermon, and then carry out my pastoral duties at a funeral... the funeral of a friend. This busy weekend comes right in the middle of a teaching series I am doing at church called, "Making Space." As I am preparing to … Continue reading Stop worrying about your clothes
If there is a God… why does he allow evil things to happen?
I hear this question a lot. I've even wrestled with the "why God?" question myself. This morning, while reading St. James I had a thought about this matter. Let me show you what I read and then I'll share the thought: Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it … Continue reading If there is a God… why does he allow evil things to happen?
Be someone (#plantwhatyouwanttopick)
Here is a sampling of the conversations I had last week with people who are experiencing tough times... A man who survived multiple affairs and is working to put his marriage back together. A lady who is going to die any day now. A dad whose young son has cancer. A man whose wife wants to leave … Continue reading Be someone (#plantwhatyouwanttopick)
Don’t lose what you’ve gained
Last night I was reading the little letter that St. John wrote to a friend of his. He said something really important in this letter: Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. (2 John verse 8) You work hard to gain: spiritual vitality, physical strength, intellectual capacity, … Continue reading Don’t lose what you’ve gained
3 ways to develop spiritual strength
Strength is something that I want in every area of my life: physical, emotional, financial, mental... and spiritual. Mark Bell, a powerlifting coach, always says that, "Strength is never a weakness." I'm sure that some might argue that... but I think that fundamentally he is correct. Strength is the antidote to so much pain and … Continue reading 3 ways to develop spiritual strength
How to pray
Recently I've been reading a version of the Bible called "The Message." I like to read through this version of the Scriptures every couple of years because of the fresh way it presents classic ideas. Today I read something about prayer that made me stop, pull out my pen, do some underlining, and make some … Continue reading How to pray
Evolution of a dream
Starting this weekend at Church180 we are going to learn how dreams go from beginning to end... and what happens in between! I'd bet that at some point in your life you had a dream... a vision of what you wanted to be or do. But somewhere along the line your dream met reality. Then … Continue reading Evolution of a dream
Words
This coming weekend at Church180 we are starting a four week conversation about words. This series of conversations is going to revolve around this key idea... "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (Proverbs 18:21 NIV). The next four weeks we are drilling … Continue reading Words
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