Lately, I have a question rolling through my head way too regularly – sometimes several times a day: “Do you really think God is that small?” Here is how it started: I read (the first half) of a book that wrecked me Gospel Fluency by Jeff Vanderstelt. In the first chapter of this book, Jeff […]
I caught myself thinking this morning. I was contemplating my role in “ministry” and had to stop and shake myself a bit. For some reason, I had switched my definition of ministry to “that which I do for the church” instead of “that which I do for God.” You see, I have specific things that […]
Violence seems to be on an increase in the US. Not just violence, but random violence. There have been plenty of times in history where the world has been more unpredictable, but this new onslaught is surprising many. Riots, shootings, and now crazy clowns. Then a couple of friends have huge health events and another […]
This phrase jumped out at me: Make an Impact While Making an Income Many of us are on the edge of non-existence, just running from work to home, hoping for the gym in between. We want our life to matter, but that daily uphill battle to stay awake and stay engaged seems to sap all […]
I have two books to recommend to you today, both of which were provided to me electronically for review by the publishers. Both books get five thumbs up from me, but for different reasons. Ingredients of Outliers: Women Game Changers is a fun, easy read that presents six women who have made significant contributions in their […]
Curious people make great employees. They don’t just do what they are told, they push to improve, think outside the box, and find a new approach. On a connected thought, I listened to this TEDTalk this morning by Adam Grant. It turns out that successful people leave space for creativity. After they get started on […]
I started reading Scatter this morning and almost didn’t put it down. Seriously, I read 18% of the book before I left for work. Andrew Scott gets ministry. Here are a couple of quotes: “A new paradigm is needed – one in which we recognize that all of life is where every believer gets to be a […]
“Messy is not sin.” This is the quote from 40 Days of Decrease, my devotion for Lent. The sentence keeps rolling around in my head today. I like clean lines. I like smooth emotions. I like life to not be messy – because messy hurts. Messy is a bit like pruning (or a destruction derby, […]
Do you hide the stinky parts of life because they are just too much? We can learn from John 11. Jesus and his disciples were doing their thing and a messenger came from Mary and Martha. Come quick! Lazarus is sick. Jesus sent the messenger on his way and went back to eating. Jesus didn’t […]
What would you say is your identity? Joseph might have thought he was an administrator, and probably an attractor of problem people. His people saw a leader. I suspect Peter thought of himself as a fisherman. Those around him saw someone who would go first, someone who asked the ‘dumb’ questions, a champion and a […]