Have you heard that Christmas is Jesus’ birthday party? We use that idea often with children. It’s not wrong, but it always seemed slightly off to me. First of all, the biblical Gospels say nothing about the day on which Jesus was born. The Gospels don’t mention the year, month, or the day of week. Continue reading “The Weirdness of Christmas – Honest Advent Week 1, Part 1”
Monthly Archives: November 2020
How to avoid your boss getting angry at you – Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:20, Part 5
One of the worst feelings is when your boss is angry at you. Here’s how to avoid it. In our final section of Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:20, the Teacher (the author of Ecclesiastes) writes a proverb in verses 18-19 that is connected to the illustration he previously used of to help us determine if a leader isContinue reading “How to avoid your boss getting angry at you – Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:20, Part 5”
How to discover the character of a leader (and why it matters) – Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:20
Does a leader’s character matter? Just about everyone would say, “Yes,” but what if their character is sketchy, and maybe their personality and tone really rubs you the wrong way, but you agree with their policies, or at least some of their policies? Is it okay, then, to overlook their character? These are difficult questionsContinue reading “How to discover the character of a leader (and why it matters) – Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:20”
How to identify a fool – Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:20, Part 3
How do you identify a fool? It sure would be nice if fools and foolishness had their own costume, like the court jester in the picture above. Unfortunately fools and foolishness most often look normal. Worse yet, people can have sharply divided views on what is foolish. Thankfully, the Teacher (the writer of Ecclesiastes) writesContinue reading “How to identify a fool – Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:20, Part 3”
Pursuing wisdom and avoiding foolishness in leadership – Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:20, Part 2
What is wisdom? In the previous post, we started a five-part series on Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:20, in which the Teacher (the writer of Ecclesiastes) gives us a series of proverbs about how to live wisely. In that post, the Teacher described a bit of what wisdom does not do, or what it does not look like. Continue reading “Pursuing wisdom and avoiding foolishness in leadership – Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:20, Part 2”
How are you using your influence? – Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:20, Part 1
Influence. How are you using your influence? I’m writing this in 2020 amid a global pandemic, political turmoil, racial tension, and many natural disasters. It doesn’t seem like most of have enough influence to affect change. Rather it seems the events of this year have surrounded and battered us like a tidal wave. It seemsContinue reading “How are you using your influence? – Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:20, Part 1”
God wants you to experience joy (and gives you a method to be more joyful) – Ecclesiastes 8:16-9:10, Part 5
How do we become more joyful in this life? We begin answering that question by noting that the human experience and expression of joy is deeply rooted in God’s desires for us. How do we know this? Look at the middle of Ecclesiastes 9, verse 9. I love how Dorsey translates the final section ofContinue reading “God wants you to experience joy (and gives you a method to be more joyful) – Ecclesiastes 8:16-9:10, Part 5”
An antidote to despair – Ecclesiastes 8:16-9:10, Part 4
If we aren’t supposed to succumb to worry about the future, is there an antidote to despair? Again, the Teacher, the writer of Ecclesiastes, is ready with more wisdom for us. Look at chapter 9, verses 7-9a. Dorsey’s Translation: “7 Therefore go, eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a joyful heart,Continue reading “An antidote to despair – Ecclesiastes 8:16-9:10, Part 4”
Why the Teacher in Ecclesiastes wasn’t concerned about heaven or hell – Ecclesiastes 8:16-9:10, Part 3
If you’ve been following this blog series in Ecclesiastes, you have probably noticed that the topic of death has come up…a lot. So what does the Teacher (the writer of Ecclesiastes) believe about the afterlife? Notice what the Teacher says at the end of verse 4: Dorsey’s Translation: “But even a live dog is betterContinue reading “Why the Teacher in Ecclesiastes wasn’t concerned about heaven or hell – Ecclesiastes 8:16-9:10, Part 3”
God has you in his hands? (Is that just Christian mumbo-jumbo?) – Ecclesiastes 8:16-9:10, Part 2
What do you think about the title of this post? God has you in his hands. Christians have been saying that kind of thing for centuries. Is it true? Or is just Christian mumbo-jumbo, feel-good nonsense? As we continue our study in Ecclesiastes, the Teacher (the writer of Ecclesiastes) has some ancient wisdom for us,Continue reading “God has you in his hands? (Is that just Christian mumbo-jumbo?) – Ecclesiastes 8:16-9:10, Part 2”
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