Do you struggle with God's desire that we be righteous, even as you face the reality of your fallenness? I've asked a good friend, Dan DeWitt, to be our guest columnist this week to explore that. I have been wanting to get rid of my lawnmower for several months now. It would cut the grass, but ...
Read MoreTwo Kinds Of People?
Many divide people into 2 groups: old-young, smart-stupid, lazy-motivated, and more. Kind of like the above quote, which I have no clue what he means. While sounding profound, these distinctions typically provide a simplistic view of life and humanity. BUT, God himself places people in numerical categories, so let's explore that just a bit...
Read MoreSuck It Up
Life can suck us dry. Home life. Work life. Economic life. Family life. Yeah, the list can go on. We get exhausted and have little to give. We need a break, some rest, like the lion above. A time to refill spiritually, emotionally, physically, relationally. But we can't seem to find, or create, a break in the fast pace. Even so, sometimes we need to suck it up. Not always, but sometimes. Here's why...
Read MoreThe Duel
The hopeful Republican and Democratic Presidential candidates have become quite testy with one another just before the New Hampshire primary, eagerly pointing out character flaws and ignorance and incompetence, which merely confirms the disgust many of us have toward the politicians in Washington. But the worst of this cannot match the first levels of political disagreement in our country.Aaron Burr served as Vice President ...
Read MoreVoting Our Values
Immigration. Terrorism and war. Welfare and entitlements. Abortion. The economy. Crime. Drug legalization. Gay marriage. These topics dominate conversations and the airwaves. Yep, another election year. And I'm sure you're eagerly awaiting my input on how you should vote...not. But I will anyway, because ...
Read MoreJesus. Who Was He? Really?
Before beginning, or getting immersed, in a relationship, we're better off knowing as much as we can about a person's nature, character, values, and beliefs. Haven't we all been hurt, or betrayed, by someone we thought we knew? Or, pleasantly surprised? For us, who want to follow Jesus, knowing who he is becomes even more critical. Our lives, our eternal destinies, depend on that.
Read MoreThe Worth of a Person
The time arrived to sell my first car, a yellow 1964 Falcon Futura, much like the one above, so to save every cent for the next vehicle I consulted a friend in the car business. I wanted a dollar figure on its worth, but he surprised me, "Tim, the car is worth as much, and no more, than you can get a person to pay for it." The implications of that concept have followed me for decades, and they directly impact the level of our intimacy with God. Our intimacy directly connects to the depth of our connection.
Read MoreOut of Darkness
OK, it's time! A few weeks ago I did a humorous tongue in cheek rant about how early some began to celebrate Christmas. Two weeks before Thanksgiving is too soon for outside lights and Facebook posts! So now that we've finished the Thanksgiving weekend, it's time for Christmas to begin. But why now? I mean, why do we celebrate thebirth of Jesus on December 25? Most of us know ...
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