God has no needs that we can fulfill Does God need sacrifices? Praise? Worship? Giving and tithes? Be at church? Service to God? No. God has no actual needs. If anything can be defined as a need it is that we love each other. Any law that we observe, such as the Ten Commandments (natural laws) given to the Hebrews, is for us, not God. Verses on what God wants ““If I were hungry I would not tell you, For... Read more
Tennis legend Serena Williams said, “”I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people,” she wrote. “Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution.” “I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other... Read more
The pure heart is led by God into the many areas that help ourselves, our families and others. We aren’t in this world to have everything our way and gorge ourselves on every selfish desire. The purer desires bring life satisfaction while also benefiting others. Often helping others brings even more life satisfaction. “… for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” – Philippians 2:13 (NASB) Our core... Read more
The crushing weight of shame and guilt can be on our shoulders for life. There’s a better way. “Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea.” I... Read more
God makes his sun to shine on everyone, but when we use money to measure people’s value we come down on the side of “things you deserve in life: nothing – you have to earn it all.” Both are true to an extent, yet we often use this attitude as an excuse not to help those who badly need it. The Bible never had much praise for the slacker. “Go to the ant, you slacker! Observe its ways and become... Read more
Feeling valued Each of us has a responsibility to make sure others feel valued, appreciated, and respected. This is participating with God in creation. Not feeling appreciated is a disaster for others. We are made in God’s likeness, not in the likeness of angels or cherubim or animals of the Earth. We develop into a mature relationship with God, participants in creation. “For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. 6 But... Read more
My first real job, besides putting up hay and driving a tractor, was radio announcer. Went to university for it. I had the first rock and roll show on a regional station, and did the morning show. Impressive? I left. Great experience and confidence builder, but it didn’t change my life – won’t go into the reasons. But radio and music are still a part of me. I regularly post music on social media and recently wrote song lyrics for... Read more
It’s been five weeks since my open-heart surgery. I look back at some of the things on my list that I was working on and hardly recognize them. I’ll get back into the swing of things, but for the moment I’m a new person. My head space is clear, and my wife thinks it’s permanent. Are we the collection of experiences that we’ve had and attitudes? Or are we like a flowing stream into which every time we step it’s... Read more
That’s not a joke. And it’s true. For the first part of my pastoral ministry, this was my message: God wants you to be happy. Happiness is not some practice of fools, some pollyanna attitude, nor is it some kind of brainwashing because we choose to be happy. It is a choice. We can focus on all that is horrible in the world and our lives, or we can focus on the good. Our focus is what our mind chooses... Read more
A society begins with some basic rules for living. So it was with most religions and especially with Judaism. The Hebrews (later Jews) would be different and they would be an example to others. Their being “chosen” was as an example, not something exclusive. It’s the same for Christians. Religion in Judaism was not a static thing, but continuous development. The Law of Moses seen in the first five books of the Bible were just the beginning. If you have... Read more
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