by David Rupert I was sent out on a short-term mission trip to the grocery store. “It won’t take long,” she promised. Her head tilted just so and her eyes firing rapid blinks. “Pick up some apples and I’ll make a pie.” How could I resist? The male double-helix shopping code is to “get in and get out without any complication.” So I thought this was going to be an easy assignment. Like the last time I brought home eggs.... Read more
by Robb Redman I once watched pastor and author Erwin McManus use a banana and a watermelon to demonstrate how integrity works. Peeling the banana and slicing open the watermelon, Pastor McManus explained that in fruit, the inside fulfills what the outside suggests. Fruit displays integrity. In people, on the other hand, the inside-outside consistency is blocked by sin. The inside often fails to live up to the outside, and integrity, or lack of it, is less obvious. One integrity... Read more
by Gordon Atkinson I want to bring up something that church people don’t talk about very often. Why don’t we talk about it? I don’t know. Lots of reasons. I suspect the biggest reason is that talking about it would require us to take an honest look at the lives of our ministers. And I’m not sure we want to do that. Church ministers do more than lead our Bible studies and our worship services. They do more than run... Read more
by Mark D. Roberts Mark 1:9-11 And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” — Mark 1:11 By the time Jesus came to the Jordan River in order to be baptized, John the Baptist had already baptized hundreds if not thousands of people. Yet after Jesus emerged from the water, something unique happened. A voice from heaven called out to Jesus, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me... Read more
by Glynn Young We had talked about it for months: a new electronic publication for employees. Only two companies in North America had one at the time, one in the U.S. and one in Canada. We had talked with both, and the one in Canada was our best analogy—no standardized platform for employees to read it, people scattered across several countries, and uncooperative technical staff. We planned it, designed it, found stories for it (we still called them stories back... Read more
by J.B. Wood A couple of weeks ago, my wife texted me, “Don’t forget to buy Megamillions tickets!:)” Upon learning of the multi-million dollar jackpot, we couldn’t help ourselves from fantasizing about a potential windfall. We’d quit our jobs. Pursue our dreams. Finally, we’d do what we loved. When the lottery numbers were drawn, ours, of course, did not come up. I like my job, but other creative passions run deep that I don’t have the luxury of pursuing. There are... Read more
by Nathan Roberts When I saw the film Selma for a second time, I sat next to my friend Chloe. As the credits rolled, she turned to me and remarked: “You know, honestly, I can see why DuVernay wasn’t nominated for the Best Director Oscar.” “Hmm…” I said. In the lobby, she elaborated: “I just think Twelve Years A Slave is a better film in this genre, if we can call it a genre.” “But… isn’t the acting good, at... Read more
by Mark Roberts Ezekiel 10:1-22 Then the LORD’s glory rose from above the winged creatures and moved toward the temple’s threshold. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the courtyard was filled with the brightness of the LORD’s glory. — Ezekiel 10:4 If you spend much time in church, you hear God’s glory mentioned all the time. Contemporary songs and classic hymns celebrate God’s glory. Traditional worship services often include the Gloria Patri: “Glory be to the Father, and to... Read more
by Ann Voskamp He must become greater; I must become less. — John 3:30 Matthew 20:26 “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” When that plucky Jennifer Lawrence kid in her festooning white gown trips trying to get up on that platform to get her Oscar—the world falls in love a bit more for her stumbling, blessed humanity. Because, really now, who teaches you how to hold up the piles of taffeta and take the stairs for the Oscars,... Read more
by Sam Van Eman I enjoy reading both online and offline. Subjects include advertising, small groups, Abraham Lincoln, fairy tales, “cool,” Old Testament history, augmented reality, furniture restoration and the contrasting perspectives of the NY Times and Fox News on President Obama. Can you say “variety”? In the past week, however, I’ve encountered a concentration of articles on busyness. Is it because people are catching cabin fever and need some vacation? (The snow hasn’t let me see any more than the driver’s side window of... Read more
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