Just a short note, but I had to share from my Bible reading today… John 10 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? 35 If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ bec... Read Full Story

I was reading my Bible a few days ago when this verse arrested my attention…. Matthew 12:28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. In this passage Jesus was having a lively discussion with the Pharisees about whether or not He was from God or the Devil. Interesting because Jesus would call the Pharisees sons of the Devil. But what hit me about this verse is the last phrase, “the Kingdom of God has come upon you”. Think for a moment about th... Read Full Story

There has been a run lately on simplification. Companies are simplifying their business and streamlining their organizations to get a grip on costs. People are simplifying their time and finances to get a handle on the pace of their lives. Even churches are simplifying. One of the recent popular books in the Christian world is called Simple Church by Thom Rainer. A good friend has recently published a book called Simple Discipleship (a recommended read). There is good reason for this…ou... Read Full Story

Celebrity fills our American culture. We love our movie stars, singers, American Idols and others. Each industry has its’ celebrities. Business has its’ entrepreneurs, CEO’s and super investors. Sports has quarterbacks, home run hitters and slam dunk champions. Politics has its’ president, chairmen of committees and the up and comers. These are people that are known not only in their field, but known by the general pubic as well. Famous people are looked up to, loved, ... Read Full Story

My rights. My choices. My vote. My voice. My opinion. Do these things sound familiar in our culture?  We have groups in our cutlure who are screaming for their voice and views to be heard. We have gay rights, womens rights and labor unions promoting worker rights. We have disenfranchised voters, minority groups, and political parties. We have a media that is run on polls, a web full of blogs promoting personal views and preferences. Expressnig our opionion, no matter how ridiculous or off bea... Read Full Story

Without the Big Picture of Christianity, we don’t have Christianity, we have a small business operation with independent owner/operators borrowing a brand name. We have all heard the saying, “you can’t see the forest for all the trees”.  In other words, you can’t see the big picture because you are focused on all the little details.  The church seems to be stuck in this mode today, focused on all the little details and missing the big picture of Christianity. Lis... Read Full Story

There was a TV commercial several years ago for a carpet cleaning company, can’t remember their name, but their tag line was screamed by the owner at the end of every commercial… don’t settle for less. The ad proclaimed the benefits of their cleaning system, the great price and service of the company, and if you hired anyone else, well, you just weren’t getting the best carpet cleaning.  I didn’t realize carpet cleaning was so serious. I guess to carpet cleaners ... Read Full Story

I am not exactly your greatest source for the latest news. I  keep up with the major stories and keep up with what is going on in the world, but I don’t watch CNN for hours a day and I don’t listen to talk radio everywhere I drive.  But I have really been fascinated by what has been happening in Iran. The whole situation has seemed to take people by surprise. I mean wasn’t everyone in Iran a crazy, radical, nut-job wanting to bomb the rest of the world into extinction?  Wasn... Read Full Story

We live in a world consumed by our rights. We have groups that have fought for their rights because they needed to. We have groups that think they are entitled to special rights, but are not. We have movements, seminars, discussions, arguments, legislation, protests and all manner of things, all about rights. Why? Because we are a people that love self-determination. We want what we believe should be ours. That concept also bleeds into our character. We believe that we have the right to be an... Read Full Story

As I was writing my last post on Character or Reputation, a thought came to mind that I tucked away for a part two. There is a lot of discussion about this topic today, with “character” education in our schools, sensitivity training in our workplaces and the homogenization of faith systems and their codes of conduct in society, we wonder what counts as character, Godly- Christlike character, and what is really just fluff. Having a reputation is something talked about in many ways ... Read Full Story