After all His inflammatory statements in chapter 10[1], it is nice to see Jesus taking some time to reflect and pray. Perhaps Jesus will realize that He has been a bit harsh, and maybe, just maybe, He will make some key adjustments to His tone and style of communication so as to avoid grossly offending […]
He went every week. He went religiously. Did he enjoy and endorse everyone who attended? Nope. But that didn’t stop him from being thoroughly involved. Bottom line, it was chalk-full of complexities and bewilderments, AND it was his custom to actively attend. For instance, one time he went to the synagogue (as was his custom) […]
[follower] “What’s on the agenda for today?” [leader] “Today we dine with uptight self-righteous people.” [follower] “That’s gonna be awkward.” [leader] “Yup.” Later that day, during dinner… [uptight self-righteous people] “Why do you flagrantly break God’s rules?” [leader] “I don’t.” Awkward silence… [leader] “I got a story for y’all. Once upon a time there was […]
Once upon a time God hosted a huge party. A lot of ‘important & impressive’ people were invited, but none of them came to the party. Some of the ‘important & impressive’ people declined to attend because they were preoccupied with renovating and decorating their houses. Others didn’t show up because they were busy with […]
Do me a favor and read Psalm 119. As you read through this Alef to Tav 176 verse poem, underline or highlight the words “love” “meditate” “whole heart” “consumed with longing” “law” “precepts” “rules” and “testimonies”. If you do this, approx 1/2 a dozen pages in the middle of your Bible will be almost fully […]
When Jesus confronts His friends about their argument regarding which one of them was ‘the greatest’ (Mark 9), He is forcing them to see that their underlying ambitions are all about compensating for their deep sense of inadequacy. As the prophet Samuel said to King Saul, “You are little in your own eyes” (1 Samuel […]
Everyone has values. And our values are conspicuous. Our values are apparent in our spending, our attentiveness, our habits, our vigilance, and our concern regarding appearances. For instance, if you shadowed me for 5 days, you’d see that I value my iPhone, YouTube, rock climbing, running, audiobooks, “me time”, tidiness, doodling, and people’s perceptions. A […]
We hear words like “marvelous” and “greatness” and “excellent” and “holy,” and we presume to know the definitions and chief manifestations of these words. For example, in 2 Samuel 7 king David presumes that God wants a more “impressive” and “stable” dwelling place on earth, but God says, “Hold up! I actually prefer living in […]
My buddy David has a stressful job. He is the leader of a hyper-dysfunctional non-profit organization. A major dimension of the dysfunction has to do with the fact that David’s predecessor was fired, but the predecessor refuses to step down. Moreover, the predecessor is extremely upset about David being named the successor, and subsequently David […]
She knew she was right. She had Bible proof texts to back her up! This had to stop. She was the victim. She was being abused. The burdens always fell on her. It was oppressive. She had been longsuffering, accommodating, and uncomplaining; but now it was time to call in the big guns! She had […]