Photo by Mohamed Awwam on Unsplash The BIG Deal About Fatherhood It is a BIG deal. B - We recognize the BEST of manhood in a good father. It is the best of manhood because it is an expression of the image of God in Him where he exercises the gifts that flow from the Fatherhood of God through his life and into the lives of his children. When a man is connected to the best God has to offer, he can give his best to others. Men were built for fatherhood and challenged in that role. I - We... Continue reading

Some days I weary of having a point of view. All truth, even undeniable, indisputable, universal truth is filtered through our perspectives, shaped by experience, knowledge, language, and understanding over a lifetime. I can change my vantage and expand my view, but I haven't figured out how to -unknow what I know, -unsee what I see, -unhear what I hear, ... or unshackle myself from the compulsion to cry out and invite others to know, see, hear, think. So I comment, cry out, question probe, agitate, irritate, and think out loud for myself, for others, for what I sense is... Continue reading

Every forlorn and desperate psalm is an invitation for us to come to God in very honest prayer. Continue reading

Indeed, we must dream - we must do so wide awake, alert, eyes focused, never wavering, always pursuing, moving, stepping up and stepping forward, joyously embracing each tomorrow and those with whom we share those tomorrows. We must dream. Continue reading

Another hashtag from a year ago was #WhatIDontNeedIn5Words. It propelled several thoughts from me. It might be fun to revive it. Here were mine: Continue reading

Another hashtag from a year ago was #WhatIDontNeedIn5Words. It propelled several thoughts from me. It might be fun to revive it. Here were mine: Continue reading

We need more than ever before and we lack more than ever before. Continue reading

Last year, someone started a trending hashtag o Twitter, challenging everyone to sum up an important truth about life in three words. I saved the one I contributed and here they are. #Just3Words - but nine sets! Make it count! #Just3Words Give with liberality. #Just3Words Live with passion. #Just3Words Let peace be . #Just3Words Accept God's acceptance. #Just3Words Embrace your pain. #Just3Words Love without reservation. #Just3Words Drink grace deeply. #Just3Words Live life fully! #Just3Words Continue reading

In worship, we acknowledge real strength – that it is God’s and not ours. Continue reading

Curly was asked, in "City Slickers," about the meaning of life."One thing," he replied. Continue reading

Who are these for whom light dawns? They are those who stand up straight in a twisted world. Our job is to keep on in the light that is dawning for us in the darkness - no matter how dark it gets. Continue reading

The pot is being stirred and there is a lot of spillage. The church is struggling with its identity in a rapidly changing world. Everyone, inside and outside, has an opinion - maybe more than one. Sometimes we are fighting the world. Sometimes we are fighting each other. Sometimes we put our collective feet in our mouths. Sometimes I get sick of Christians. Sometimes I get sick of myself. Many recent conversations have not brought out the best in me. It is hard to hang out with people who have more answers than questions. This has been building up. Others... Continue reading

Draw me closer to You and not my own critical opinions. Divorce me from my entanglement with my own views. Liberate me from dependence upon my own inclinations and preferences. Turn my heart to Jesus and through Him, to others. Continue reading

It is time to kick some protoplasm. Continue reading

Our heart problem is this: We do no heed the heart of the matter and hurt ourselves and others as a result. But, there is a cure. Continue reading

Vain hope will devastate. Riches will fail. Set not you hearts on them. Continue reading

God is whispering in our ears, “Give me your hands and let me move them in my rhythm.” Continue reading

Medieval western illustration of the Pentecost from the Hortus deliciarum of Herrad of Landsberg (12th century) “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.”– Acts 2:3 The tongue holds a prominent place in scripture – sometimes for the evil it can do and other times as a tremendous force for good. In the New Testament, it is the purveyor of the good news of Jesus Christ. By the foolishness of preaching, the gospel is spread throughout the world regardless of the languages of the people. Fire burns away dross and... Continue reading

This is a day of unity and mission. We remember so that we may look forward. Continue reading

The advantages to smiling are both documented and anecdotal. Yet, they are very real. Continue reading

Originally posted and revised from October 20, 2006 A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way? - Proverbs 20:24 (New International Version) The very steps we take come from God; otherwise how would we know where we're going? - Same verse (The Message) γνώθι σεαυτόν (Greek Proverb inscribed at the entrance to the temple of Apollo at Delphi) - Translation: "Know thyself." There is a conflict between what the Oracle of Delphi prescribes and what the sage of Jerusalem decrees. The Greek proverbs adjures us to know ourselves and the Proverbs tell... Continue reading

Well managed forgetfulness. Continue reading

"The LORD is my portion;" When life and life's goods are divided like a fat inheritance, one signs the distribution papers gladly with YAHWEH as one's portion, leaving the fading things behind. "I promise to keep your words." Some meditations on Psalm 119:57-64 I feel a bit bold, audacious, and, frankly, hypocritical, praying along with these words since I know my own failings and leanings toward sin and self. Then a voice comes to me and says, "It really is not about you and how pure your own heart is. It is about this moments intention toward me where I... Continue reading

I've been noticing that if I am alone and I spill something, break something, cut myself, do something stupid or have something stupid happen to me, my reaction is .... {drum roll} ... SILENCE ... ... loud, audacious silence I say nothing, grunt nothing, shout nothing. That tree fell in the forest and no one heard a thing because there was nothing to be heard. Which means ... I guess when I grunt and shout over such things, I must be playing to the audience and there must be a reason I do. When I am alone, I just stop... Continue reading

It is always almost safe to say things from a distance that could apply at any time but cannot be confused as current endorsements or the opposite. I found these on a memory feed from another year. I can hardly ever get to sleep on election night. It is worse than Christmas Eve. So, thank you all for running. Stay engaged. Stay positive. Be kind to each other in a tough-love sort of way. Keep leading us to think and ask hard questions. You have to admire candidates. It is a vulnerable and frightening role to play. You have to... Continue reading