Learning
Growth
Unity
Sin
This morning we heard a good, no, great message by Jason. His message left people squirming in their seats - as it should have. He talked about sin.
But what is sin?
Memories of Dad
The other morning, I woke early and got out of bed. In reality, Dorene kicked me out of bed for making too much noise. I removed myself to the recliner and being the week before Father’s Day, I began to reflect on memories of my dad.
Looking Back
My friend Bob Schuur once told me a quaint, but poignant Pennsylvania Dutch saying: "Too soon old; too late wise." What the expression says to me is that I wish I had learned earlier the lessons I now know and done the things I no longer can do.
Go Make Stuff – The World Needs Makers
It was Nanea Hoffman who said:
“Go make stuff today. Make coffee. Make a ruckus. Make a difference. Make a memory. Make time for someone or something you love. The world needs makers.”
The Mixes and the Zapotecos
In 1981 we were working in Oaxaca, Mexico with Gospel Recordings. Our job involved interacting with the tribal groups of Mexico, of which about 120 lived in the state of Oaxaca. We lived in the small village of Mitla, nestled up against the mountains at the end of the paved highway.
Pretending
This past week Claudia and I drove down to the Sacramento area for my nephew's daughter's high school graduation. We had a great time with family and lived through yet another grad ceremony, this one held in the King's basketball arena with a class of over 640 from Franklin High. Wednesday, on the drive down, we passed some of the time listening to a few Tim Keller talks from his podcast.
Can We Edit Our Stories?
About a month before I met Dan, I came across a quote from Susan Statham:
“Your life is a story. Write well. Edit often.”
It caused me to wonder how the editing process works.
One at a Time, Please!
Sometimes I love social media. I can watch a great baseball highlight seconds after it happens. I can watch baby pandas do somersaults. I can read or listen to profound messages from leaders I admire. I can be made aware of exigent news, such as the recent elementary school shooting, within minutes of the event. But that last example was a reminder to me how social media can be a real problem.
Desert Meet-Ups
The older we get the more we experience (and witness in others) days that are just flat hard. Reversals come at us in various forms from disease and death, disappointments and betrayals, dreams lost and finances upended. Life can feel like a stretch of arid wilderness where little grows on its own. Even when we strive to do our best and be our best selves trouble too often seems to show up.
Show, Don’t Tell
Show, don’t tell. This advice is great to follow if you want to engage a reader into the emotion and actions of a character rather than bore them to tears with a toast dry point-by-point narrative of how the character feels. Put the reader right in the story.
Urgent! Spiritual Friends Needed
We desperately need more spiritual friendships in the body of Christ. I consider them the glue that holds a community of believers together when times get tough.
After With, What?
At the Habitat ReStore, I work the floor. The role is part concierge ("Let me know if I can help you"), part Sherpa ("I'll load out that giant armoire and meet you at the roll-up door"), part friendly grandpa ("It's Lucky Hand Monday! Guess which hand has the fruit snack?") and part free listener ("Sure, I'd love to hear your story"). Awhile back, a regular customer, a guy I know from the store but not outside of it, and who is a Jesus-follower, came into the store followed by a dark cloud.
“I Want to Hold Your Hand”
I was recently thrust back into this piece of nostalgia by the death of my best friend’s wife. As I reminisced about our past, this song came to mind. It took me back to an old relationship.
A Tattoo on My Soul
One sentence. If you blink or let your mind wander like I did some years ago when I skimmed past it, you might miss it. After all, it’s only one sentence—one sentence in one paragraph in one section of one chapter of one book.
With
The other day while Claudia was out and I was reading/napping in my chair, the doorbell rang. Our little Annie-dog goes nutso whenever someone comes to the door, so between getting coherent and corralling the mutt, it took a bit to get up to see who was there.
Taking the Long Way Around
This past weekend, I strapped on a helmet and—putting my life in Dan’s hands—hopped on the back of his motorcycle.
He didn’t share his flight plan, but I knew our destination: a tiny country store east of town. So why was he heading in the wrong direction?
Passion
It is easy to set our eyes on what doesn’t matter. This world has a way of making things that have very little, if any, eternal value seem like they’re all that matters. We can easily be distracted from the best and the eternal by the good and the temporal. When this happens we become inward focused and can be overtaken by fear and anxiety.
What José Models
Does the name Jose' Andres ring a bell? No? Well, he's worth hearing about.
I don't know a lot about him, but here's what I discovered. Andres is a Spanish-born American chef, well known for his cooking and his restaurants, mostly on the east coast. Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, Andres chose not to just give money and use his platform as a celebrity chef to garner support, he set up emergency kitchens to provide meals and basic food aid for the poorest of the poor and went to work with his craft.
Staying Connected to the Vine
What have I been learning from the Lord lately? He has been reminding me that I don’t need to earn grace and love from Him.
This seems so simple but truly, it’s super hard to accept and even understand. When every tangible thing and every person around us has to earn love and respect and grace. But it is God who made those things.
Jesus and Women
Recently another high profile Christian leader has resigned amid accusations of improper relations with women. A flagship evangelical publication has been rocked by a past history of sexual misconduct and cover up. Political leaders who profess faith have a history of exploiting women.
No wonder the unbelieving world has labeled Christians misogynistic.