Do you consider yourself a leader? When I ask a crowd to “Raise your hand if you are a leader”, it is interesting how few do. Many think that being a leader only has to do with their employment situation. If they are not in management, they don’t think they are a leader. Others think of leadership more broadly and think that leadership is bestowed as a role within an organization, being on a non-profit board, leading a committee, or teaching. The scope of leadership is much broader than these definitions.
Read MoreFaith and service go together like peanut butter and peanut butter. They aren’t different things like peanut butter and jelly. They are the same thing. I’ve always been challenged by James’ words, ‘What good is it, brothers and sisters, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him?... Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.’(James 2:14, 18)
Read MoreWhat if you could order your life just the way you wanted? Would you be more productive at work? Would you be more efficient at the ‘have-to-do things’ so you can do more of the ‘want-to-do things’? Perhaps you could ‘order’ your kids, so that you didn’t have to deal with the constant battles and frustrations.
Read MorePeople are relational creatures. We were made to thrive in intimate, healthy relationships within families and communities. In fact, we cannot live without connection. Research has found that babies who do not receive enough personal physical connection wither emotionally and sometimes actually die. We are relational at the core of our beings and need to properly nourish good relationships.
Read MorePeople have many different conceptions of God. Many think God is above them. God is so far away, that for all intents and purposes, he may as well not exist. That god is distant, uninvolved, unconcerned. Others think of God as the divine judge who is waiting for you to get out of line and whack you with judgement. That god inspires fear. Another view is that God rewards right behavior so that every blessing in life comes because you are good. That god is one who can be bought.
Read MoreIn Luke 2, the shepherds are told that in their small town, a child was born who is the long-awaited Messiah. They are told to go check it out. The specifics were that the child would be in a stable and his bed would be a feeding trough. While the shepherds responded with excitement, we might ask why that message was given to the shepherds at all. The wealthy, influential, heads of clans, and religious leaders were the people considered blessed by God.
Read MoreGod sent messengers to both Joseph (Matthew) and Mary (Luke) telling them to name their child “Jesus”. Have you ever wondered why they were to call him Jesus? Jesus was a common enough name. Didn’t seem like a great name for a child for whom there were great expectations, who shepherds rejoiced in and wisemen worshiped. Why not Abraham, the ‘Father of faith’ with whom God made the first covenant with the people of Joseph and Mary? Why not Moses, the great deliverer who saw God’s face and lived? Why Jesus?
Read MoreMary Kay and I love our leisurely Saturdays. We wake up about the same time as during the week, but the similarities stop there. We make some coffee, run the dogs, read the Wall Street Journal to each other (Peggy Noonan is our favorite opinion writer), then make a nice breakfast of eggs, pancakes, and bacon. After that, we work around the house and yard. It is such a nice change of pace. We need that each week. It is a time to let down, relax, take a deep breath, and put aside all worry and anxiety. Without that, we are behind the curve for a productive, low stress work week.
Read MoreAs a child I fantasized about being a knight and slaying dragons. I’d be part of an elite band that would protect the people of the kingdom. My best friend and I played that game when we rode horses together. We broke off branches the length of swords and brandished them as we went through the trails. We hacked at the trees and bushes that we went by pretending that we were surrounded by a terrible evil army. The nobility of it was also appealing. We would sometimes act out being knighted, tapping a sword on each of other’s shoulders and receiving an oath of allegiance to the death. We committed to be best friends throughout life with a blood oath. If one was ever in need, the other would come to his aid.
Read MoreHave you ever wondered what plans God has for your life? Sometimes there is no sense of direction and we are just staying afloat. We hold back and hesitate to be an encourager that talks about God’s work in our lives. It is much safer to pray ‘for’ a friend or colleague rather than ‘with’ that person. What are God’s plans for our lives? Surely, God’s plans are bigger than what we are experiencing now.
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