I was recently talking with someone about their spiritual journey. They said that they grew up in a Christian family, and they didn’t remember having what some people call a “moment of decision,” which is a distinct memory of their willful choice to believe in and give their lives to Jesus. You might hear someContinue reading “How to know if you a truly a follower of Jesus – Honest Advent Week 2, Part 2”
Tag Archives: church
How to find power when you feel powerless – Honest Advent Week 1, Part 3
Being powerless is a terrible feeling, isn’t it? Do you know what I mean? It’s that helpless feeling when life is bulldozing you and there’s nothing you can do about it. In today’s post we find out a very powerful man became powerless in order to access true power, and how we can learn fromContinue reading “How to find power when you feel powerless – Honest Advent Week 1, Part 3”
Vulnerability means saying, “I don’t get it.” – Honest Advent Week 1, Part 2
For Advent 2020, we are following the themes in the book Honest Advent as we think about the gifts we can give Jesus in celebration of his birthday. As we saw in the previous post, in Week 1, we are giving him the gift of our vulnerability. To understand what vulnerability looks like, and howContinue reading “Vulnerability means saying, “I don’t get it.” – Honest Advent Week 1, Part 2″
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”
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”
How to have and express joy in the difficulties of 2020 – Ecclesiastes 8:9-15, Part 3
It can seem almost wrong to say that we should have joy in 2020. This year has been a nonstop slog of hardship. And yet, in the previous post we learned that God is and always will be actively involved in the world. As a result, it makes perfect sense how the Teacher concludes thisContinue reading “How to have and express joy in the difficulties of 2020 – Ecclesiastes 8:9-15, Part 3”
What to remember when life seems unfair or hopeless – Ecclesiastes 8:9-15, Part 2
Sometimes life DOES seem hopeless. How do we live wisely then? This week on the blog, we’re studying Ecclesiastes 8:9-15, and yesterday we saw how the Teacher (the writer of Ecclesiastes) suggests that life can be so unfair. Let’s follow the Teacher’s logic: Here are verses 12-14 in Dorsey’s translation: “12 Nevertheless, although a wickedContinue reading “What to remember when life seems unfair or hopeless – Ecclesiastes 8:9-15, Part 2”
How Christians need to be like the Human Carpet after the election – Current Events 2020 Q4, Part 5
Have you heard of the Human Carpet? He gets paid to go to parties where people can walk all over him. They can jump on him. Sit on him for hours. Surf on him. One time he did this for 11 straight hours! He wraps himself in a carpet, lays down and has never been hurtContinue reading “How Christians need to be like the Human Carpet after the election – Current Events 2020 Q4, Part 5”
How the surprise vine in my garden taught me about how Christians should live after the election – Current Events 2020 Q4, Part 4
This year we had a large vine growing in our garden. It was a vine we did not plant. I wondered if it was a weed, but it looked familiar, and it didn’t strike me as a weed. So we let it grow, and as the weeks went by we watched as this plant tookContinue reading “How the surprise vine in my garden taught me about how Christians should live after the election – Current Events 2020 Q4, Part 4”
How a unique surgery helped me know what to do after voting – Current Events 2020 Q4, Part 2
An acquaintance of Michelle and mine recently had a terrible accident at his work. He is a contractor and was operating a cement mixer, got his hands caught in there, and the machine did serious damage to both hands. One hand was far worse than the other, and for that hand surgeons are attempting aContinue reading “How a unique surgery helped me know what to do after voting – Current Events 2020 Q4, Part 2”
Engaging Scripture 