How Our Imperfections Help Us
I was out running this morning and saw a strange sight. As I was running up a really steep hill in our neighborhood there was a perfectly round bead on the road. It looked like a pearl shining there in the sun contrasted with the asphalt. That wouldn’t normally be a strange thing but it […]
What Does It Mean To Lay Down Your Life for Your Brother? 1 John 3:16-18
“16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be […]
I Can Do It Myself
One of Elijah’s favorite lines is, “I can do it by me-self”. It might be a glass of milk that he normally drinks without a problem but says that phrase and then proceeds to spill a bunch down the front of his shirt, pooling up on his shorts. He wants independence but he isn’t ready […]
Ten Reflections on the Importance of Scripture
I really do love the Bible. It has meant so much to me in both the peaks and the valleys of life. It is like a long standing relationship that just gets better and better with age. I have had the times when the Bible fell open to just the right text at just the […]
Jonah Brings New Meaning to the Term “Entertainment Center”
And we thought we would get hours of entertainment from this thing…
A Great Weekend
Not much blogging this weekend. We started it out going to Gainesville for a youth group/college reunion of people from the University City Church of Christ. Friday, got in a round of disc golf at Northside Park and shot par. Watched the Gator game in the Swamp…from the bull gator box seats, 50 yard line […]
What Are the Results of Sin?
We usually are quick to point out death (Romans 3:23) and that is a correct answer but what is interesting about sin is that this death can be a very slow, gradual process. This is very much in line with the song “Slow fade” by Casting Crowns. Death yes, but in the meantime sin takes […]
Living Without Really Living
This weekend I was helping a friend clean out a house that had been used and abused by renters. Windows were smashed, the inside was dirty, piles of clothes were strewn about the backyard. Someone had been living in the shed out back and there were maggots here and there making a stench. What is […]
Romans 8:1-17 – Life in Step with the Spirit
21 of 35 instances of the word “spirit” in Romans occur in chapter 8. Some have taught that the Holy Spirit is not active today. There are two extremes that have caused a rejection of the Spirit’s operating in the life of the believer today. The first extreme are those who have made a big […]
Life or Death Decisions – We Make Them More Than We Know
When I was a graduate student in psychology we had a health psych rotation that dealt specifically with transplantation and gastric bypass. The hospital felt that before someone could be approved for an organ transplant they had to pass a psychological screening in order to make sure that the organs were going to the people […]