During spring break of my freshman year in college, I traveled to Guyana, South America, and my eyes were opened. I met Guyanese Christians for whom it could be said their whole lives were rotten from birth, at least compared to American standards, and yet they were praising God with joyful hearts like nothing IContinue reading “One Sentence That Changed My Life – Ecclesiastes 12:9-14, Part 5”
Tag Archives: ecclesiastes
Revival happens when the bottom rots out – Ecclesiastes 12:9-14, Part 4
I grew up in a Christian home, and I am so grateful for the way my parents raised me and my siblings. Throughout high school and in my first year of college, though, I really had allowed myself to become selfish. I was terribly unkind to my brother for years, I was selfish in datingContinue reading “Revival happens when the bottom rots out – Ecclesiastes 12:9-14, Part 4”
Wisdom that cuts us open – Ecclesiastes 12:9-14, Part 2
When I was 17, as part of my punishment for a horribly tragic car accident, in which I was at fault, I did 150 hours of community service in a local hospital’s emergency room. There I saw some nasty wounds. The most difficult was an elderly woman who got a nasty gash on her foreheadContinue reading “Wisdom that cuts us open – Ecclesiastes 12:9-14, Part 2”
How the aging process can help us evaluate the past year – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 3
Years ago, one of the home-bound members of my church family, who has since passed away, described for the me the process of her ever-decreasing eyesight. She said that it was only during the bright sunlight of the day that she could see around her room. As the months and years went by, the darknessContinue reading “How the aging process can help us evaluate the past year – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 3”
How do we evaluate the dumpster fire that was 2020? – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 2
How do we evaluate 2020? As I mentioned in the previous post, it could be very easy to just say it was so bad that there is nothing to learn. Instead, we should have the posture of learners, no matter the situation, and the next passage in Ecclesiastes is a wonderful guide to help usContinue reading “How do we evaluate the dumpster fire that was 2020? – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 2”
Not so fast 2021…why we needed 2020 – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 1
A new year is upon us! Are you excited? On one hand, the switch from December 31, 2020 to January 1, 2021 this coming Thursday night is the same as any old Thursday night. It is one day, then the next day. Sure, we get a long holiday weekend, which is nice, but New Year’sContinue reading “Not so fast 2021…why we needed 2020 – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 1”
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”
Let's Talk About Sunday 