No More Jiminy Cricket: Reflections on Conscience

November 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Jiminy

In the beloved classic Pinocchio, the puppet that wanted so to be a “real boy” was devoid of one essential component – a “conscience.” Since he did not come equipped with one, a lovable, and sometimes irritable, companion named Jiminy Cricket entered the puppet’s world and, for a time at least, assumed that role.  Jiminy was Pinocchio’s constant companion forever dictating advice on the “good” and the “bad” in the potential choices he faced. Depending on Pinocchio’s response, the benefits and consequences that ensued in the story proved Jiminy’s judgments right again … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Belief, Bible, Conflict, Conscience, Ethics, Faith, Following, Journey, Obedience, Religion, Salvation, Sin, Soul Tagged With: , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

The Most Misquoted Bible Passage at Weddings

October 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The 3-fold Cord

The Biblical value of teams over individual efforts is described in resonant and simple terms in Ecclesiastes. It is especially interesting that, although someone who held a supreme hierarchical position, namely King Solomon, wrote this passage, he nonetheless saw the wisdom and value of teams even in his day. Even from his lofty throne he thought to include these insights and the model of the triple-braided cord in his volume of wisdom. Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Church, Collaboration, Communication, Community, Faith, Friendship, Giving, God, Gospel, Grace, Humility, Innovation, Intimacy, Journey, Obedience, Relationship, Soul, Teams Tagged With: , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

The Emotional Jesus: His Ups & Downs

June 15, 2012 By 1 Comment
Jesus wept

(From The Presence & The Power by Gerald Hawthorne, Wipf & Stock Publishers, 1991) “The Gospels … stress the fact that Jesus was indeed a human being simply by recording that he, too, experienced those things – little and big – that go into making up human existence, such as paying taxes, heartily eating and drinking, climbing into fishing boats, and so on (see Matt. 17:24-26; 11:19; 9:1). They note that he was hungry, thirsty, and weary (Matt. 21:18; Luke 4:2; John 4:6-8), in fact, so weary that he was able to fall sound asleep in the cramped quarters of a small boat in a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christ, Emotions, Jesus, Journey, joy, Suffering Tagged With: , , , , 1 Comment

A LifeWord: Off the Pages & Into Your Heart

May 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment
hearing God

“The life is in the speaking words.” A.W. Tozer God wants to breathe a word into your soul and over your life.  Did you know that? It happened to people in the Bible. It has happened to people throughout history. It has even happened to me and it is a moment not to be missed. It can also happen to you. As a matter of fact, God wants it to. Of course, you may already know that God has written his words in a book, but the fact is. . .he also wants to write one on your heart. He has done so throughout the centuries in the lives of countless followers and you’re no different. God wants … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Belief, Bible, Communication, Encouragement, Faith, Following, Hope, Journey, Lifeword, Religion, Salvation Tagged With: , , , , , Leave a Comment

Was Jesus Religious?

May 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment
why-i-hate-religion-but-love-jesus-spoken-word-video

“I’m after mercy, not religion.” Hosea 6:6 The Message “Christ came when all things were growing old. He made them new.” Augustine Would Jesus be comfortable attending an average church service today? I’m not so sure. You have to wonder at least, don’t you? First, I’m not so sure he would sit still for that long. Second, in some churches, if Jesus showed up as a visitor, he would be ignored. In others, just plain bored. Even though in our church architecture we have certainly succeeded in stamping him onto our stain glass windows, I’m not so sure we could … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Belief, Bible, Cross, Evangelism, Faith, Following, God, Intimacy, Jesus, Journey, Relationship, Religion, Salvation Tagged With: , , , , , , Leave a Comment

The God I DON’T Believe In.

May 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Christian Atheist

There are many people in the world today who don’t believe in God. Even though I now believe in God, when I talk with some of these people I find I agree with them. The kind of God they don’t believe in, I don’t believe in either. Writer Brian McLaren described the God he doesn’t believe in: An uptight God who is about black-and-white easy answers and brittle, rigid logic and law, rather than about profound and many-faceted truth, self-sacrificing love, compassionate justice, and profound relationships. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Atheism, Belief, Bible, Evangelism, Faith, Following, God, Gospel, Intimacy, Jesus, Journey, Outreach, Religion, Salvation, Sin Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

Jesus Didn’t Come to Start A New Religion.

May 6, 2012 By 1 Comment
RvR

How many more minutes before the church service would be over? That’s all I could think about. Every agenda item on the scheduled liturgy was just something else I would have to endure. My mind worked hard to calculate and estimate how much time each of these “perfunctories” would demand: Invocation – two minutes. Reading from Psalms – five minutes. Hymn #124 – three to five minutes. Hymn #291 – another three to five minutes. Sermon – twenty-five minutes, if I was lucky. And on and on it went until the mental calculator registered fifty-five minutes. Fifty-five minutes?! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Belief, Change, Evangelism, Faith, Following, Friendship, Intimacy, Jesus, Journey, Religion, Sin, Soul Tagged With: , , , , , , , 1 Comment

An Atheist’s Church Envy – Atheism 2.0

April 10, 2012 By 2 Comments

Check this TED Talk out! It is not-to-be-missed! What aspects of religion should atheists (respectfully) adopt? Alain de Botton suggests a "religion for atheists" -- call it Atheism 2.0 -- that incorporates religious forms and traditions to satisfy our human need for connection, ritual and transcendence. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Atheism, Bible, Communication, Community, Culture, Faith, Hope, Journey, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , 2 Comments

Your Story is Strong!

June 17, 2011 By 2 Comments

“All Jesus did that day was tell stories — a long storytelling afternoon.” -Matthew 13:34, The Message “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” - Maya Angelou Every summer an avalanche of hardback and paperback novels flies off the shelves at bookstores across the country. Millions of buyers pick up a new piece of fiction in which to escape while relaxing on the beach or traveling on vacation. There is a reason for this — everyone loves a good story! Stories shape our lives, our world, even our souls. Stories capture our imaginations. The moment the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Journey Tagged With: , , , , , , 2 Comments

Here We Go!

June 8, 2011 By 1 Comment

It's official!  I am moving my blog over to Patheos and looking forward to writing in this neighborhood for a change.  This is Blog #1 for me at this new site.  Also, within a week or so, I will be starting a new regular column with Patheos.  If you are one of the early visitors to this site - WELCOME! Keep your eyes open for my column installments and frequent posts at this blog. I am looking forward to reflecting, interacting, critiquing, sharing, encouraging, and asking questions right here - and often. My journey of faith in Christ has gone through many changes over the years, twists … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Journey Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment