Our life group has been percolating on, and navigating, the reality of spiritual warfare (see Ephesians 6:10-11; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5; 1 Peter 5:8-9; James 4:7; Colossians 1:13-14; John 16:33; 1 Corinthians 10:13), and we recently discussed Screwtape Letter #9. The discussion was lively and constructive, and I decided that it would be […]
Every January Jon, Justin, and Tyler gather to discern what our top priorities should be for the upcoming year. We observed that one of the top areas needing attention in 2022 is equipping and mobilizing men [see 2 Corinthians 1:24 and 1 Corinthians 16:13]. So Justin set up a face to face meeting with our […]
On February 13th (the day before Valentine’s Day) I was chatting with Paul J. about Gilbert Keith C., and subsequently I read “Heretics” and came to the conclusion that GKC is good for my sanity and joy. GKC provoked me to perceive that majority of humans are dominated by the imaginary, which means they suffer […]
A close friend of mine has been telling me my whole life, “Make the best use of the time, because the days are evil. …Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer […]
What’s your criteria for “a good time”? For example, on any given day, if you have an unexpected hour of free time, what would you need to do in order to endorse and esteem that hour as “time well spent”? Here’s one recommendation… Google quotes by GK Chesterton on goodreads, and ponder them. If you […]
I was chatting with some friends recently about Jesus Freaks. And of course you cannot discuss Jesus Freaks without talking about John the baptizer. John was obsessed with Jesus! Before John was even born, he was leaping with enthusiasm for Jesus in his mother’s womb! He was always saying stuff like, “Jesus infinitely outranks all […]
The smartest person to have ever lived said, ‘The true paradigm for growth and health is as follows: unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.’ We most typically, and most vehemently, tend to believe that the picture below better represents growth and […]
Samson “served” as President of Israel for 20 years. #ThatHappened! This begs the obvious question, “What kind of leader was Samson?” Was he a master diplomatist? Was he organized, clear-headed, and poised [like Deborah]? Was he – at least – reliable, and steady (e.g. did he keep regular office hours)? …None of the above. Samson […]
[Matthew 11] John’s starting to have second-thoughts about Jesus of Nazareth. John asks, “Are you THE ONE who is to come, OR SHALL WE LOOK FOR ANOTHER?” *Imagine your boss comes up to you & asks, “Should I look for another person to do your job?” That stings! Jesus says, “Tell John that I’ve befriended […]
Let’s think about the motion picture Nacho Libre. The film is loosely based on the story of Fray Tormenta (“Friar Storm”, a.k.a. Rev. Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez), a real-life Mexican Catholic priest who had a 23-year career as a masked luchador and competed in order to support the orphanage he directed. There are a few things […]