Fri // Steel :: Integrity
Title: Don’t hand it over I will not deny my integrity. – Job 27:5b I periodically utilize a method designed to reinforce someone’s resolve to resist old beliefs about themselves and begin thinking anew. It involves identifying a truth they wish to uphold and then handing them a couch pillow.“We’re going to play a little […]
Fri // Grit :: 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 […]
Tue // Fuel :: Spirit
Title: Repetition and practice So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. – Galatians 5:16 Play to win. Don’t play to lose. For anyone who’s ever competed in sports or any other type of contest, you know the difference. Think about it too long, hesitate, second-guess […]
Mon // Surrender :: Idols
Title: It’s up to us. Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. – Jonah 2:8 I believe that to the degree you and I turn and cling to would-be substitutes for God’s loving provision, we experience its absence. Conversely, to the degree we turn and cling to God Himself to […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 chosen […]
Tue // Fuel :: Spirit
Title: Third law of physics So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the 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. […]
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 […]
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 […]