https://odb.org/2017/05/16/being-a-true-friend/ I want to stand by the way, waiting for weary travelers. To look for those who have been battered and wronged by others, who carry the burden of a wounded and disillusioned heart. To nourish and refresh them with an encouraging word and send them on their way. I may not be able to “fix”…
https://relevantmagazine.com/slice/if-you-think-about-it-this-spectacular-bmx-fail-is-a-metaphor-for-life/ And yet, when all is said and done and we take a step back to survey the results of our catastrophic endeavors, we may be fortunate to see that the impossible has truly been accomplished. The work of our hands may not be what we envisioned or wanted, but it has its own sort…
We live in an accomplishment obsessed culture. We tend to judge ourselves and our lives on checklists. How much did we do today and how well did we do it. Did we get a ton done today or were we a failure? The sign of an accomplished person is how busy and successful they are,…
It is a question that Jesus asks on a number of occasions in the Gospels in different ways. Do you want to be made well? Do you want to be healed? 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic[a] called Bethesda,[b] which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a…
https://blog.logos.com/2017/05/theres-devil-details-day-atonement/ The second goat was not sent into the wilderness as a sacrifice to a foreign god or demon. The act of sending the live goat out into the wilderness, which was unholy ground, was to send the sins of the people where they belonged—to the demonic domain. With one goat sacrificed to bring purification…
https://relevantmagazine.com/article/what-to-do-when-your-dreams-dont-happen/ Contentment is learned. And like most things that do not come naturally and we have to learn, contentment is hard. Finding contentment in whatever circumstance is learned. And I would argue that it’s something that, through discipline, must be continually learned every day for the rest of our lives. And gracious contentment is something…
In the Old Testament, God requires the Israelites to choose only certain special animals to offer to Him. He lays out in surprising detail in Leviticus which type of animals they are to pick and which are forbidden. Those that are without spot, blemish or deformity are acceptable. Those that are marred by some sort…
What if one color in a beautiful painting decided that they did not need the others? We would start with an amazing masterpiece like Monet’s “Water Lilies” with all of the colors of the palette worked together wonderfully through the skill of the artist. We may even have one of the colors featured more prominently,…
One group of protesters was filled with anger and disgust as they shook their signs and yelled. They were sure of their cause and outraged that anyone could possibly disagree. The second group were just as passionate and just filled with righteous indignation. What sort of vile human being could disagree with what they know…
“God’s messengers are to remember that they are messengers from a King, holding the word that brings life and turns back hell.” David Guzik
http://rzim.org/global-blog/torn-emotions-a-visit-with-nabeel-qureshi/ I do not ever recall being part of a meeting like this one: the love, the healing, the soul-wrenching heartache, the unstoppable tears, and finally the hugs, the prayers, and the farewell. My colleague Stuart McAllister summed it up in one sentence: “It was a moment in church history to remember.” It was the…
