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A Family Gospel Devotional from 1 Corinthians 15
Holy week has commenced and Resurrection Sunday draws near. And, if you read blogs, my guess is that you also use other forms of social media and are probably drowning in Easter activities via Pinterest, Facebook, etc. I mean did you know you can even make a tomb out of a donut and an Oreo? Yeah, neither did I until everyone posted it on Pinterest. These activities bring fun and joy, but if you only do one Easter activity with your family this year, I challenge you to make it a gospel devotional based on 1 Corinthians 15. Preparation: Get your family Bible and read 1 Corinthians 15:1–8, 53–58 out…
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March Madness
March madness has ended. The NCAA tournament is over for another year. Today many will feel a little bit of sadness that the momentum of the unpredictable, drama infused and entertaining madness has concluded. Do any folks who sacrifice for the tournament ever say, “Yeah, that was so worth it?” Like this past tournament, I had my own nerve-racking experience. My March madness began with an annual trip to the breast center for a mammogram. That’s what I do to celebrate my birthday each year. It’s weird, I know, but I never forget to schedule it. So I went, complained a whole bunch, and thought nothing of it. A few…
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What Does The Bible SAY…..
By now, you may have heard the song, “What Does the Fox Say.” Yes, the words were written about a fox and the sound that it makes, or doesn’t make. According to the lyrics no one knows the sound of a fox and if you have watched the hilarious video, the vocalists make odd noises to portray the possible sounds of a fox. Two Norwegian brothers put the lyrics to a catchy beat, dressed up in fox costumes, and made one of the funniest videos ever. According to some sources this video has gained such popularity that they have over 360,000,000 people who have watched and laughed to their humor online. Old MacDonald, move…
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A Thanksgiving Dare
Did you know that thanksgiving is another definition for the word Eucharist. The meal we consume this Thursday can be a gathering that reflects Eucharist living. Ann Voscamp’s book, One Thousand Gifts, explores in poetic prose the power of this simple and biblical concept, gratitude. Ann discovered the pattern of thanksgiving that runs throughout the scripture. Not just the challenge to “in everything give thanks” (I Thess. 5:18) but how thanksgiving to God is exampled by so many biblical characters as well by the Jesus himself. Then a friend challenged Ann with a dare, “Could I write a list of 1000 things that I love. To name 1000 blessings—1000 gifts,…
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3 Disturbing Gratitude Trends
It seems like everyone is doing the 30 day Gratitude Challenge. I am all for gratitude, but I am noticing a few trends that make me just a little bit uneasy. Trend #1: “Me-Centric” posts. They may go something like this: Day 1: I am thankful for my… Day 2: I love my… Day 3: I am so grateful to have a … Is it just me, or is this over-focus on “me-centeredness” just another symptom of our self-indulgent society? What if a post went something like this? Day 4: I am thankful for apologizing to a homeless man after I ignored his question and watching God work in both our…
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Target Practice Recap!
This past weekend was very cool for me. I was given the opportunity to preach to the congregation of my church about a subject that I’m very passionate about…the family! I believe that the family is God’s greatest passion on the earth behind the heart of the individual. I preached on God First, Spouse Second and Kids Third! This topic is rather controversial to a lot of people because they believe in alternate priority patterns. Here’s a recap of the sermon: The Problem: – We are all perfectly imperfect sinners raising our families in a completely dysfunctional world and that’s why we need a Perfectly Perfect Savior with a completely…
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What A Day!!!
This is the day the Lord has brought about. We will be happy and rejoice in it. Psalm 118:24 NET Have you ever had one of those days when rejoicing in the Lord is not in your heart and far from your mind? Last night you did not sleep. You woke up at midnight sick and spent most of your sleeping time in the bathroom. As you quickly ran to the bathroom, due to a gurgling stomach, you stubbed your toe on the bed, tripped over the laundry basket of folded clothes, and almost stepped on the dog who was asleep by the bathroom door. Once there you realized…
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Missing the Mess
I try to keep my world uncluttered but as fast as I clean it up, the mess reappears. I'm not blaming people I love who don't seem concerned about their litter. They just walk around it, without a care. I wish I could do that. I wonder if I stopped my incessant organizing, sanitizing, and straightening, how long would it take for anyone to notice. Would we drown in the mayhem first? I remember reading about a woman's routine before bed time: letting the dog out, making lunches, locking doors, setting the alarm, signing permission slips, picking up clothes and toys, setting out clothes for tomorrow, fluffing the pillows…
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F-R-E-E-D-O-M!!!
On this Fourth of July, what is on your agenda?
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Overlooked…”But Worthy”
Once upon a time there lived a blended family with a father and his daughter, along with a mother and her two daughters. This family lived happily together under one roof until…the father died.
