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Don’t Miss the Value of a Footprint in the Sand
If we are to be teachers who bring God the glory He deserves, it would be beneficial to look at the lives of those who have already done that. How did God mold them and equip them to do the jobs He gave them to do? What kind of relationship did they have with God? What held them back? What moved them forward? A great example of how God wants to work in us and through us is seen in the way God worked in and through them. Let’s look at Moses. To mold Moses and shape him from an Egyptian prince, whose idea of control included murder, to become…
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How Change Happens
On a 2010 trip to Australia, one of the topics I was asked to address at a conference featuring a redemptive view of homosexuality was “Is Change Possible?” This is a controversial question because there are some loud, insistent voices in the culture who say, “Unless you never again have a homosexual thought or feeling, you haven’t changed. And since no one admits to that, any claim of change is an illusion.” No one would apply that strict a standard to any other issue! Former alcoholics living sober and free from the chaos of their drinking for decades still would like a cold beer on a hot day, but that…
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When caring isn’t enough
This week President Obama praised VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, insisting that he should remain at his post because he cares so much for our veterans. Never mind the multiple allegations of incompetency that may well be costing some veterans their very lives. Whistle blowers from all over the VA system are finally coming forward with horrendous stories, but our president has yet to hold Shinseki accountable because the Vietnam vet cares so much. What cultural attitudes promote this kind of thinking and how have these attitudes seeped into contemporary Christianity? What are the lessons for us? As we move from a print age to a digital age, multiple shifts…
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Time to Blow Things Up
I do not like change. Unless, of course, it is something I initiate. For the most part, I am most comfortable when a certain ministry in which I am actively involved (MOPS, Bible study, small group) continues on year after year just the same. Well, maybe a few tweaks here and there, but essentially the same. One of my favorite ministry activities is getting blown up this fall. It feels very weird not to have it the same. But, it is the right thing to do. It was time to blow things up! Operation Kaboom! That is what Heather Zempel calls it in her book, Community Is Messy. In fact,…
