Call this a coincidence, call it a divine hint. Frankly, I’m not sure which, although I lean to the latter. But this topic arose twice in one day, both hitting me hard, and the repetition seemed to multiply the impact. At our North Coast Men’s Conference last Saturday, Rickie Jenkins, pastor of Southwest Community Church in Indian Wells, spoke on “The Missing Fruit,” referring to two facets of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 that we often ignore. We focus on love and joy, but our energy seems to run out by the time we get to kindness and gentleness. They’re important because they…
Read MoreLife...Relentless and Valuable
When moving back to our home we had rented out, we discovered some huge pampas grass clumps. Three days ago before this pi, the small tan clump in the foreground looked like the abundant and green tower of pampas grass in the background. Then two days later, it got shaved to a significantly smaller “stump.” But by the next day, it had begun to grow again. Look carefully, six inch pale green shoots demonstrate the relentlessness of life. I hope the generous application of Round Up will kill the roots, but several doses might be required. Why? Life persistently…
Read MoreWorshipping Worship: The Ultimate Adultery
A while back, a Facebook friend and fellow writer, Steve Hutson, posted an article that critiqued much of modern worship. Some valid points, some not. The resulting discussion motivated me to further explore worship. If we are to follow Jesus, what we worship and how we worship will drive the depth of our faith. At its core, worship celebrates the reality that…
Read MoreFresh Cliches
Fresh clichés. An obvious paradox, right? Maybe not. I wonder about some clichés that often get ignored. Sunday worship as a fresh start on the first day of the week. A chance to get lost in worship, to acknowledge our shortcomings, to gain forgiveness. So true it’s become a cliché. But as a cliché for that, Sunday’s not enough. If I wait until Sunday for refreshing, I can accumulate…
Read MoreDeep Water Trout
Big Pine Creek in California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada ranks among the prettiest streams I’ve ever fished--shaded by big pines (duh!) with large pools and abundant trout. I can still visualize the first time I came around a bend, and found one of those signature holes.
A five-foot waterfall dropped into a green pool, a good six feet deep. Shallower and slow water along the banks framed a strong current that went deep and swift through the center. Just where big trout feed.
I threw in at…
Read MoreFollowers Follow Jesus' Words--Challenge 4
None would doubt Morgan’s love of Jesus. His depth of scripture knowledge powered his teaching in an adult Bible study, he served as an elder in an evangelical church, and loved to talk to unbelievers about God. But what began as a casual conversation opened a new dimension. Morgan told of a Hindu friend, a person as full of goodness as he had ever seen. He told Sager of Jesus, but Sager saw no need…he thought he was on the path already. My surprise came when Morgan said he couldn’t imagine a person as good as Sager as not going to heaven. Yes, we had some discussions about that as I…
Read MoreBe Kind to Be Godly
I met her when she was in the college group I led, decades back. We've stayed in touch over the years and I appreciate how she thinks. And one of her Facebook posts struck quite a chord with a number of readers.
”I am having breakfast at a cute place...A nice little family just came in. They have not acknowledged the wait staff once. No 'good morning' or 'thank you' when seated. No eye contact or acknowledgement when given coffee. No eye contact or thank you after placing their order with their very sweet server. I hate it when…”
Read MoreWhen Life Interrupts
Sometimes, an event, or several together, interrupt the life we’ve crafted, the life we enjoy. Sometimes, one that involves our bodies. One that can bring negative and positive changes. Maybe you can identify. For 75 years, my body has treated me well, much better than I have on occasion done to it. A decent athlete—rarely picked first on choosing teams, but usually second or third. Decent strength—a USC football offensive lineman couldn’t pin me in arm wrestling. Decently healthy and functional, playing competitive football and softball into my late 50s. Riding 1,080 miles on a motorcycle in 16 hours at age 70. Honestly, I felt more pity than empathy for those not with those attributes. Yeah, a sin that I feel no pride about. Then, in a few months, life interrupted with…
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