I get tired physically, although I feel fine until I do “too much,” which is much less too much than a year ago. I get tired emotionally from disappointments and the wounds of life. I get tired of not growing in my closeness to God in the same areas. But the film Jeremiah Johnson touched me. Johnson arrived in the trapping era knowing little, but was mentored by an experienced trapper. They met again at the end with a conversation that gave me some tips. Just below, the first two and last two lines are…
Read MoreAspen Lessons
On a hillside in the Fishlake National Forest in Utah sits Pando, a massive, single aspen tree that spreads its roots and grows, covering over 100 acres, typical for aspen trees (Populus Tremuloides), which primarily propagate not by dropping seeds, but by spreading out their root structures to send new saplings skyward. Allow me to suggest that this grove gives a delightful lesson for all of who follow Jesus. Here’s how…
Read MoreReaching Unbelievers
Call this a coincidence, call it a divine hint. Frankly, I’m not sure which, although I lean to the latter. But this topic arose twice in one day, both hitting me hard, and the repetition seemed to multiply the impact. At our North Coast Men’s Conference last Saturday, Rickie Jenkins, pastor of Southwest Community Church in Indian Wells, spoke on “The Missing Fruit,” referring to two facets of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 that we often ignore. We focus on love and joy, but our energy seems to run out by the time we get to kindness and gentleness. They’re important because they…
Read MoreLife...Relentless and Valuable
When moving back to our home we had rented out, we discovered some huge pampas grass clumps. Three days ago before this pi, the small tan clump in the foreground looked like the abundant and green tower of pampas grass in the background. Then two days later, it got shaved to a significantly smaller “stump.” But by the next day, it had begun to grow again. Look carefully, six inch pale green shoots demonstrate the relentlessness of life. I hope the generous application of Round Up will kill the roots, but several doses might be required. Why? Life persistently…
Read MoreWorshipping Worship: The Ultimate Adultery
A while back, a Facebook friend and fellow writer, Steve Hutson, posted an article that critiqued much of modern worship. Some valid points, some not. The resulting discussion motivated me to further explore worship. If we are to follow Jesus, what we worship and how we worship will drive the depth of our faith. At its core, worship celebrates the reality that…
Read MoreFollowers Hate Family: Challenge 5
God designed the family as a linchpin of his creation. Adam came first, but didn’t care for the loneliness so God brought Eve to the
dance, so the two could become one. Then he helped Eve conceive a child. Yeah, check out Genesis 4:1. 😉 And in his guidelines for people that we call the Big Ten, honoring your parents took the middle ground, the only one with a promise: of long life. And when some religious leaders tried to avoid honoring their parents, Jesus proclaimed they abandoned the word of God. Families count, so in another challenge to deepen our faith, why did Jesus tell us to hate them?
Read MoreClouds
Written in 1971 just a month after I returned to Jesus as Savior and Lord, the piece “Clouds” formed the heart of this post. Fairly compliant, I used to go with the flow. Any ambition came from trying to show I had worth. Then Jesus overwhelmed me as I grasped his value of me. No greater than anyone else, but enough that Jesus would give his life for me. Something, someone, worth giving purpose beyond pleasure to my life. Transformation: Step One.
Read MoreFresh Cliches
Fresh clichés. An obvious paradox, right? Maybe not. I wonder about some clichés that often get ignored. Sunday worship as a fresh start on the first day of the week. A chance to get lost in worship, to acknowledge our shortcomings, to gain forgiveness. So true it’s become a cliché. But as a cliché for that, Sunday’s not enough. If I wait until Sunday for refreshing, I can accumulate…
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