Imagine Warren Buffet’s personal assistant called your friend one day and told him that the famous investor wanted to personally teach your friend the secrets of financial success. What if the offer included personal investment advice with a guarantee that your friend would dramatically improve his lifestyle by becoming more prosperous, successful and influential? Now imagine that your friend told the personal assistant that he would be happy to learn from Mr. Buffet provided the billionaire first dressed more culturally relevant, listened to popular music, would speak common street jargon, would relate his teachings to popular television and film, and would post catchy memes on popular social media sites. Continue reading “The Warren Buffet Guide to Church Culture”
Do You Know Any Cretans?
Have you ever been called a Cretan? If so, it wasn’t meant as a compliment.
In the small, often-overlooked book of Titus, the Apostle Paul provides instructions to his young protégé. Paul had left Titus behind on the isle of Crete to complete the work of establishing and organizing the newly formed church. He was to appoint elders and establish order throughout the over 3,000 square miles of varied terrain. Continue reading “Do You Know Any Cretans?”
Carb-free Christianity
You don’t have to shop very long to discover that a lot of what is marketed as healthy is quite the opposite. New and Improved usually means same-old and less-than-healthy. Many fat-free items are loaded with carbohydrates to make up for the loss in taste. Many low-calorie items use sweeteners that make the body feel like it is starving, which causes consumers to eat much more. Then you have the psychological affect. People tend to over-indulge or cheat because they feel like they have earned it by “being good.” In the end, people often find themselves in worse shape – and further from their goals – than they would have been if they had stuck to meat and potatoes in the first place.
Votes & Vitriol
Of the many issues that have saddened me in this current election cycle, there is one that has grieved me more than any other. It is so egregious that it cuts deep into my spiritual makeup and wounds me to my very soul.
Let’s face it. Politics has always been contentious. Thomas Jefferson’s campaign accused John Adams of having, “”hideous hermaphroditical character, which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman.” Adam’s camp fired back with accusations that Jefferson was part Indian (Native American) and part African. The slander just grew from there.
Why Revival Won’t Bring Unity
Can a new Great Awakening style revival bring unity to the Church? Many are praying, crying out and prophesying it today, but I’m sorry to say it just won’t happen.
As much as we need a renewed spiritual life in the church, and as much as I believe that God is going to pour out His spirit on all flesh in the days we are living, it simply will not bring unity.
Although the word revival is a fairly new invention in the historical perspective of the church, the pattern of falling away and returning to God has occurred repeatedly throughout recorded humanity. Each “revival” brought as much division as it did restoration.
Double-Agents?
Even after all these years, there is a clear image in my mind of the Nuclear Radiation symbol that adorned the stairwell of my elementary school. I vividly remember the drills where we were told to get under our desks or to walk quickly to the fall-out shelter in the basement of the building.
During the cold-war, these events were the norm for children all across America. We lived under a very real threat that the Soviet Union or one of its allies could launch nuclear missiles at any time. Growing up a little over one-hundred miles south-west of the nation’s capital and less than two-hundred miles north-west of the largest Navel Station in the world, made us very aware of our potential as collateral damage in a nuclear exchange.
12 Scenes Where “Exodus: God’s and Kings” Misses the Mark
Okay, I know I am little late to the game, but Teri and I finally got a chance to see the DVD release of the latest Big Screen Moses movie. While the acting, production and direction were excellent, the storyline left a lot to be desired.
I understand creative license and the desire to create something unique and different. I even understand the drive to “fill in the gaps” where the historical record is silent. What I have never understood, or appreciated for that matter, is the need of some writers to change history in an attempt to create a more compelling story.
Continue reading “12 Scenes Where “Exodus: God’s and Kings” Misses the Mark”
11 Reasons Why Faith Is Not a Private Matter
How many times have you heard the refrain, “Faith is a private matter?” It has been repeated so often that it has become sacrosanct to many. The truth however is far removed from the rhetoric. It doesn’t matter how many times a lie is repeated or how profound it may sound, a lie is still a lie.
Continue reading “11 Reasons Why Faith Is Not a Private Matter”
“We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Church”
12 Biblical Reasons Why We Still Need Church
According to polls, per capita church attendance may be lower than any time in American history. Has the church-age run its course? Is church no longer needed except for the occasional wedding, funeral or concert?
If God has anything to say about it – and He does – church attendance is as important as ever.
12 Blessings Inside The House
Did you know that God establishes blessings at the same time we are busy messing things up? While it is certainly true that God cannot bless your mess, He certainly can bless you in spite of it. He can even transform your mess into something wonderful. Continue reading “12 Blessings Inside The House”