Have you ever had it happen that just as you are starting to experience some progress in life, then the critics, the mockers, and the underminers increase their sabotage? Our own growth and development threatens the status quo. When people are threatened, they push back and seek to undo our progress. This is the kind … Continue reading Don’t Be Afraid of the Underminers (Meditation on Nehemiah 4:1-20)
I confess, I always feel anxious about writing the December church newsletter article. We’re entering the annual maelstrom of activity and merriment. The Advent and Christmas seasons have two thousand years of tradition, music, stories, musings, reflections, and observations. How can write anything that will be heard above the noise? How do I say something new … Continue reading A Fresh New Word for Christmas
Every 20 years or so, a game changing productivity book comes along that becomes the gold standard. This is it. The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll Consider for a moment the gold standard books of previous eras: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Published in 1934, this book was the … Continue reading Read This Game Changing Productivity Book: The Bullet Journal Method
This question recently came in to the church Facebook Page (reprinted with permission of the questioner): There is a new book out by Stephen Hawking. Have not read it but the headline from it is that he says there is no God. I used to have solid faith, but it seems to be disintegrating. Reading … Continue reading Questions for a Pastor: How Do You Answer Stephen Hawking?
As we continue our pilgrimage through the Psalms, here is the video from the Night Owl Study (October 17, 2018). (see the link to the video below) Highlights of this week's study: One of 7 Penitential Psalms in the Psalter- but there is no mention of sin in the Psalm Discipline is thought of … Continue reading Learning to Pray in the School of the Psalms: Psalm 6
A few weeks ago, we started up a new weekly Bible Study on the Psalms. The idea is for us to use the Psalms to learn how to pray wisely and well. We'll work sequentially through the psalms, taking one a week. This is a long term project for us all to learn about prayer. … Continue reading Learning to Pray in the School of the Psalms: Psalm 1
How do we live wisely and well? What is the good life? The fulfilling life? What is our best life? This is the domain of motivational speakers, of life coaches, of self-help gurus, and any number of peddlers of worldly wisdom. I don’t want to disparage these teachers. I think most of them mean … Continue reading Pray to Live Wisely And Well: Psalm 1
