Sacrifice :: Acknowledge
Title: Deadly Cargo Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. – Matthew 10:32 Martyrdom. Not exactly a pleasant topic, but one repeatedly addressed in Scripture—including the context for this one—as well as throughout church history and in headlines today. Apparently, holding a belief that a benevolent creator has […]
Fri // Steel :: Example
Title: It can be done Set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. – 1 Timothy 4:12b A few years ago, I presided at the funeral of my closest and dearest aunt, my mother’s only sister. While she was in no way “outspoken” about her faith […]
Fri // Steel :: Passion
Title: Guarded hearts Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. – Deuteronomy 6:5 Funny. I just glanced this verse over and noticed the autocorrect had inserted “hurt” where I must have mistyped “heart.” As I pondered the “mistake,” I realized that what prevents […]
Mon // Surrender :: Confess
Title: Confess and repent Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. – James 5:16 I’ve learned much about confession over the years. Sadly, due more to personal experience than earnest study. I’ve learned that […]
Sat // Build :: Authentic
Title: Honor and Respect Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up. – Ephesians 4:29a Recently our church staff revisited several core values that shape our work environment. To function as a unified team, the need for unanimous “buy-in” on several fundamental values […]
Thu // Warrior :: Defend
Title: God is Calling “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.” – Psalm 82:3 The saying, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” comes to mind upon studying the above verse, especially in its context. God is […]
Tue // Fuel :: Spirit
Title: Third law of physics So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires ofthe flesh. – Gal 5:16 Newton’s Third Law of Physics, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction” suggests that forces always come in pairs and act equally and oppositely from each other.Few competing […]
Fri // Steel :: Passion
Title: Resilient Passion Love the LORD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. – Deut. 6:5 Gladiator. Braveheart. 300. Just a few classic film examples of men who possessed resilient passion and the steel to withstand impossible odds in battle, even at the eventual expense of their very […]
Tue // Fuel :: Listen
Title: Light Salt He says, Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. – Psalm 46:10a Ever fret over the economy? Worry about godlessness in the nation? Wonder how God can allow evil and oppression to continue?Even if you haven’t yet, […]
Mon // Surrender :: Control
Title: Our intuition Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. – Proverbs 3:5 Counterintuitive. I love writing this word on a whiteboard and asking a group what it means. After a lively discussion, it’s established . . . “to go against what comes naturally (our intuition).”We are […]