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: wisdom
What “the fear of God” means – Ecclesiastes 12:9-14, Part 3
After graduating college, I worked at our County’s youth detention center for three years as Michelle and I started our family and began the process of becoming missionaries in Jamaica. Then called Barnes Hall, and located in a building that has since been torn down, I was employed as a youth care worker. My roleContinue reading “What “the fear of God” means – Ecclesiastes 12:9-14, Part 3″
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”
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 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”
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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