I had a difficult time finding the picture above, the one with a man holding an umbrella for another guy. My difficulty didn’t have to do with the photo, but with the fact that I couldn’t figure out how to get the search algorithm to give me what I wanted. I use Unsplash for freeContinue reading “For love to be love, it will cost you – Honest Advent Week 2, Part 4”
Tag Archives: god
What it means that “God is Love” – Honest Advent Week 2, Part 1
During Honest Advent we are looking at what gifts we can give Jesus. Last week we learned that one of the gifts he wants is our vulnerability. What we are starting to find in this Advent series is that the gifts Jesus wants are gifts that he first gave us. Think about how Jesus gaveContinue reading “What it means that “God is Love” – Honest Advent Week 2, Part 1″
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 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 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”
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”
Engaging Scripture 