Outside my office building there is a courtyard where the smokers convene in one corner. Theirs is a sub-culture that non-smokers observe with curiosity (and sometimes with disdain) as the regulars gather every couple of hours at a preset time. Lately, I’ve been visiting this smoky gathering. Not to light up, but to talk and share and be part of their world. Rather than push me away, they have encouraged me to join them. They politely blow their smoke to... Read more
Please, share with a friend if you feel moved. Read all past issues at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/davidrupert Read more
“I went sky diving.I went Rocky Mountain climbingI went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.”— from Tim McGraw, “Live Life to the Fullest.”What is the one thing in life you still want to do? What’s keeping you from doing it? What are you thoughts on Christians experiencing ‘life’? Comment here. Please, share with a friend if you feel moved. Read all past issues at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/davidrupert Read more
Back in 1748, Benjamin Franklin wrote to a young tradesman about the nature of money and how his friend could assuredly earn more. From this letter came one of his famous quotes, “Remember that time is money.” His admonition to the young man was to be frugal with his time, urging him to be a diligent steward of his time in order to optimize his earnings – wasted time meant the loss of potential income. In our modern times, the... Read more
“Ambition often puts men upon doing the meanest offices, so climbing is performed in the same posture with creeping.” — Jonathan Swift, Miscellanies, 1711We all have an itch. It’s an itch for something different. This longing is what creates new inventions and drives us to discovery. It also leads us to a deeper walk with God, chasing the divine mysteries.But the ugly, dark side of that desire for something else finds its satisfaction in sin. The itch is never really... Read more
“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37). ABC news reported on a group of four women who were fired for gossiping in the workplace. The Bible says this: “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or... Read more
“forgiveness asaves the expense of anger,t he cost of hatred and the waste of spiritisHannah more True pece comes not by a retreat from the world, but by the overpowering prescen of Christ in the hearta.w. tozer It is no profit to have learnedwell if you have neglected to do wellPublilius Syrus Read more
By the time he retired, Henry Aaron had broken baseball’s home run record. After 23 seasons, he had smashed 755 round trippers. Despite this success, he was keenly aware that failure was a more constant companion. After all, his lifetime batting average of .305 was good compared to others, but it still translated into a 70 percent failure rate. But his motto was to never quit. Image by Getty Images via Daylife “Whether I was in a slump or feeling... Read more
One of the sure signs of spring is the presence of dandelions. Despite their yellow floral bursts, they are really noxious weeds. And doesn’t it seem that there’s always one lawn in your neighborhood that’s worse than others? That neighbor’s problem just might become yours, because weeds eventually germinate and the airborne seeds will drop onto any available fertile soil. Without attention, it won’t take long for your green lawn to be full of weeds, too. When one part of... Read more
“Ouch!” Flinch. Pull back your hand. Duck. These are all natural reactions to the threat of pain. No one wants to be hurt.So we avoid pain.. We deflect it. We ignore it. We mask it. Pain is nothing new – it got its start in the Garden of Eden. The serpent was cursed to crawl along ground, dragging its belly on the shards of stone. The woman was cursed, “multiplying your pain in childbearing.” And the man had to till... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In