Reveration Blog
5/2/2002 0 Comments HonestyFor nine years I’ve led an adult coed soccer league in the city of Tigard. This is the second year we have run the league without referees. The first season we tried it there were complaints and it was a rocky transition. It was clear that some players preferred refs because they could cheat. They could bend the rules to their advantage. If the official didn’t see the infraction, then that was part of the game.
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12/11/2001 LyingWhile browsing through a magazine at an X-ray clinic, an advertisement caught my eyes. The bold headlines proclaimed something to the effect of, “It is WRONG! . . . It is Nationally Televised”. The ad promoted some upcoming cable channel roast of Playboy magazine’s founder and owner, Hugh Hefner.
12/7/2001 StandardsOn Oct. 9, 2001, Old Guard 1st Sergeant Robert Watson stood rigidly at attention ready to receive a freshly folded American flag from the casket of a soldier killed by the September 11 attack on the Pentagon. But as a member of the prestigious detail moved to hand Old Glory to Watson, he refused to receive it. A small sliver of white was visible in the triangular fold. Only the blue and white stars should have shown. With his hand he could have covered the mistake and few if any would have noticed the flaw. But while the family waited and a number of VIPs, to include the Chief of Staff of the Army watched, 1st Sgt. Watson stood unmoving.
11/9/2001 0 Comments TeachersProfessor Howard Hendricks once related a story of how as a student he often walked by the home of one of his college professors. It seemed at all hours day or night the light would be on in the man’s study. One day he had the opportunity to ask him what kept him studying so much. The teacher replied, “Son, I would rather have my students drink from a running stream than a stagnant pool.”
6/12/2001 0 Comments RelevanceRelevance according to The American Heritage Dictionary means “Pertinence to the matter at hand.” It is the buzzword of evangelicals who fear that many Christians have become so isolated within their own social creeks that they have lost their connection to mainstream society and therefore the ability to share Christ. It is a noble concept when properly applied for it requires that one observe, listen and relate to what is important to another.
7/14/2000 0 Comments TestHave our brains turned to tofu? The fastest growing jungle in our world is not the triple-canopied tropical variety but rather the explosion of information that sprouts through every conceivable device. Consider the vast amount of data delivered via the internet, television, radio, and printed material and it is astounding that we are not mentally buried. How do we determine the difference between pyrite and gold?
6/30/2000 0 Comments ViewsDriving Highway 101 from Fort Hunter Liggett to San Jose, I experienced an epiphany. Whoa was it a boat rocker! It came via a clever California license plate in front of me--WIZDUMB. It caused me to reflect on the two kinds of wisdom that exist.
5/5/2000 0 Comments JustI’m making a wall. It is astounding how much work is involved in putting a wall together correctly. Home Depot sells a very nice antique-red cottage stone. I figured it would be a simple matter of piling stones across the front of my lawn for aesthetic and practical value. Ah yes, the engineers are laughing again!
1/17/2000 0 Comments AttentionHave you ever assembled a piece of furniture? I recently purchased a home entertainment center knowing my limited construction skills would be challenged. I’m not very skilled when it comes to building things. I’d be a natural guest for Home Improvement in what not to do! But I figured as long as I followed the excellent by-the-numbers directions and had help from my good friend Dan, I’d be fine. I worked late into the night and was quite pleased with the emerging work of art.
4/7/1999 0 Comments WatchmanAn amazing transformation took place in my three children after one of them was knocked down by a sneaker wave. They each became exceedingly alert to the size of the ocean waves coming in. They left the Camp of Careless for the safer land of Lookout. And one in particular became a watchman. We could all safely fly our kites knowing he would cry out if the Pacific chose to menace our positions.
11/22/1998 0 Comments Maturity Young Eric made quite an impression. This child from Tigard Oregon gave a church full of people an earful of wisdom. During a time of thanksgiving, Eric bravely stood up and waited for the microphone. The youngster explained that although he was sad his family would be moving away, they would have a special opportunity to be missionaries to the people in the city where his dad now has a new job. As most of us know, leaving friends and the comfort of home to reside in another place is tough. But Eric had a heavenly perspective that didn’t come from reading comic books.
8/3/1998 0 Comments ExpectancyGrowing up, my Dad often had to travel. The day he would arrive home was always a special event. Often we would make cool posters and cards for him—welcoming him home. Not only were we glad to see him safely returned, we also knew he would have a surprise for us. In my study today are many carvings, especially of elephants Dad brought home from different countries. They remind me of my father’s love.
7/28/1998 0 Comments ErrorI know a man who sees everything black or white. Maybe you know him too. He is zealous for the truth. He is a defender of justice who confidently speaks for God. His critical eye is the first to spot error in others and in himself. He is meticulous in his theology, mastered in the school of answers, mindful of all the rules.
4/11/1998 0 Comments DarknessMeditation
Luke 23:44-46--It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three, because the sun’s light failed. The curtain of the sanctuary was split down the middle. And Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I entrust My spirit.” Saying this, He breathed His last. 3/24/1998 TruthTen top reasons why people tell me they resist following Jesus.
9/18/1997 0 Comments CrowdsMeditation
John 6:66—Because of what Jesus said, many of His disciples turned their backs on Him and stopped following Him. (CEV) 7/11/1997 0 Comments AssimilationMeditation
John 4:34—“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work,” Jesus told them. 5/1/1997 0 Comments DoctrineMeditation
Ephesians 4:14,15--Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head—Christ. 2/13/1997 0 Comments ConfusionMeditation
Isaiah 26:3—With perfect peace You will protect those whose minds cannot be changed because they trust You (GWT). 2/9/1997 0 Comments ChristianityYou’ve undoubtedly heard someone say, “Oh I believe Christianity is just another path towards heaven. I’m glad it works for you but I’ve got my own path.” Intellectually, it is quite rational to lump Christianity as another religion in a cosmos filled with man-made roads to meaning. After all, if someone has never come into a personal and meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ than why shouldn’t he or she see Christians any different than Buddhists, Muslims, Mormons, Hindus etc.?
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Photo from Rachel Maxey Miles