Disciples make disciples. Seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it? Yes, we’re disciples; yes, our goal is to make disciples. But let’s reverse engineer that process by examining how Jesus describes a disciple. Full disclosure warning—this concept first touches current followers. Future followers are, well, future followers. Let’s first deal with our present.I explored some absolutes from Jesus that express the essence of following. Requirements. If we reject these, we reject ...
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image by haruth.com
Passionately Pursuing Worship
Forget Judge Judy—even though reports claim she’s the highest paid woman on television. Forget Judge Wapner—even though he was the first TV judge on the old “People’s Court.” Why? Put me in a worship service, and my church seat miraculously transforms itself into a judge’s bench. Just replace Judge Judy’s pic above with mine, and you get the idea. Well, skip the best paid and the gender, but you get the picture.
I judge the music—is it loud and strong enough, too loud, or too hymn-like?
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image by risqfountation.com
Total
Our pastor has embarked on preaching through the entire book of Matthew. Usually, he handles a chapter at a time, hinting at over half a year just on this one admittedly fine book. But today he examined only six verses of chapter six, covering just one topic in the Sermon on the Mount. At that rate, the century may end before we complete Matthew! But that’s OK, it’s God’s word.That projection intrigued me, so while he preached...
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Caught
A common fallacy is bifurcation, also known as false dichotomy or being caught on the horns of a dilemma. Basically, this gives only two options, forcing the reader to choose one. Obviously, a fallacy when more than two alternatives exist. But this can also be a good argument—some issues yield only two choices. I’ve found this concept abounds in growing closer to Jesus. How do we start our day with God? We have an abundance of options; let’s just find what works best for us. We explored this in a recent post. But some other options are limited.
Only with pain did I learn that.
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image by chrishefner.com
Coexist?
Quite a popular bumper sticker lately, particularly in our relativistic age which encompasses many paths to God. Some take it to mean coexist peacefully, disagree without killing one another. I can support that. But if it means, as one image proclaims, “God is too big to fit into one place,” equating all belief systems, then I take issue.
Easter is the reason.
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Setting Your Spirit
The church building required refurbishing. Multiple decades had aged it, and minimal remodeling spoke of bygone eras. Even worse, the entrance was on the opposite side of the parking lot, well hidden to first time visitors. Many people drove in, saw no entrance, and drove right out. So we embarked on a major project to cut into a retaining wall to install steps, remove vegetation, craft a new entrance by the parking, and paint the entire interior. One of our leaders, an Air Force officer, led the painting crew, and I struggled ...
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A Passionate Pursuit--2
Near death experiences fascinate us. Whether it’s the recent books and movies Heaven is for Real or the earlier 90 Minutes in Heaven, we yearn for evidence for eternal life. Although the Bible says that, we often want more. But. Consider with me that we may short change the essence of eternal life.
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Mark Twain cabin by Wikimedia.com
Last Legs
Mick and I left the rest of the riders in Sisters OR and headed home. Mt. Shasta provided a motel room, then we rode together the next morning until he split off to Susanville, to return the bike he borrowed from his son-in-law. I headed to Placerville as the starting point to cruise along Hwy 49, through the Gold Rush towns scattered along the Sierra foothills. Windy roads, finding Mark Twain’s cabin (above in the pic), and exploring the funky towns made it a long day until I found ...
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