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1/15/2020 0 Comments

Worldview

Ravi Zacharias wrote a book entitled The Logic of God. In chapter one, “Behind Every Question,” he notes that whether a person is religious or irreligious, everyone has a worldview. A worldview basically addresses four necessary questions: origin, meaning, morality and destiny. A well-designed worldview should have true answers to each question and the answers overall should be coherent. Ravi further shares three tests for truth which must be applied to any worldview: logical consistency, empirical adequacy and experiential relevance.[1]

1/6/2020 0 Comments

I Wait For Your Salvation LORD

Meditation
Genesis 49:18—I wait for Your salvation LORD.

The Hebrew word yšû‘āh occurs 78 times in the Old Testament and means salvation (47); deliver, deliverer, deliverance (11); savior, saves, saving (10); victories, victorious, victory (8); rescue (1); and safety (1). The word is only used once in the book of Genesis by Jacob when he pronounced on his deathbed what would happen to his twelve sons. I’m not sure if his words referred to Dan who was the seventh son he was speaking to, or if they were a personal prayer before continuing his prophetic messages to his five remaining sons. But if the latter case is true, then it would appear that Jacob possessed a belief in the afterlife.

12/31/2019 0 Comments

Time and Chance

It is the last day of the decade and a gazillion thoughts cascade through my mind:

What did I learn the last ten years that brought growth and will help me be a better leader?
What mistakes did I make that I dare not repeat?
What were the significant milestones, blessings and joy-makers?
Did suffering and setbacks shape me to be even more in love with God than ever before?
Does technology seem out of control? People spend so much time on their smart phones and devices that healthy social interaction is seriously diseased.

12/24/2019 1 Comment

Johnny's Christmas

Silently a small figure sat shivering on the soft pine-covered earth tucked away from the wind in a grove of blue spruce. His tear-filled eyes gazed out across a small meadow where remnants of snow from the last storm lingered. He opened his knapsack and took out the curved white candle and remembered the last words of his frail mother. “Johnny, I love you so much. I’m proud of you. I want you to take this candle and keep it and remember—you are to be a light. No matter what happens, you keep shining? Promise?”

12/18/2019 0 Comments

Futile or Fulfilled?

Ecclesiastes is a wisdom book written almost certainly by King Solomon. The book title in Hebrew is Qōheleth and translates “Teacher.” A predominant theme of Ecclesiastes is that “under the sun, all is futile.” Futility comes from the Hebrew word hevel which stresses that which is empty and transitory. This key word occurs 38 times and is used to describe outward, physical things as well as inward thoughts. [1] It is often paired with the phrase “a pursuit of the wind.”

12/10/2019 0 Comments

Isolated and Insecure

Meditation
Proverbs 18:1—One who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment.

12/5/2019 0 Comments

Oscar's Vision

Oscar and Queta

Oscar, in September of 2003, had a vision where he was on the beach in a messed up condition when someone approached him, took him to the ocean, and began to cleanse him with ocean water. In the vision he stopped crying and felt an incredible peace. He asked the person helping him, “Who are you?” The person replied, “I’m God.” Oscar was a 3rd generation atheist on his mother’s side and 4th generation atheist on his father’s side. His vision began a religious quest in which he sampled Buddhism, Jehovah’s Witnesses and other religions while maintaining his heavy lifestyle of partying and heavy alcohol consumption.

11/29/2019 0 Comments

The Blessing of Inconvenience

The roads were a mess after over a foot of snow fell on the Rockies so I had to be careful driving to the Urgent Care facility. It was not the way I wanted to spend Thanksgiving morning but with a sinus infection and an international trip only two days away I knew I needed to get medicine—fast! The clinic near our house was closed but a sign outside gave an address and time for the only operational urgent care in Colorado Springs. So I drove there. A friendly staff efficiently processed me and I was impressed with the care I received. Unfortunately, only one drug store was open where I could get a prescription filled and it was nowhere near home. But, it was open and that was amazing. Ninety minutes later I was home with my prescription.

11/23/2019 2 Comments

How to Overcome Challenges to Faith

George McDonald once wrote, “A man’s real belief is that which he lives by.” One of the best measurements of a person’s faith is to observe how that person responds to adversity. Here are twelve steps that I believe make all the difference in overcoming challenges to our faith.

11/16/2019 0 Comments

Live Securely!

Meditation
Proverbs 1:32,33—For the turning away of the inexperienced will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will live securely and be free from the fear of danger.

11/10/2019 0 Comments

Uncommon Kindness

Alex is a high school student in Vancouver, Washington. One day he was driving on a job when he was rear-ended by another driver. Alex took a photo of the man’s driver’s license so he could report it to his insurance company. He noticed that the man held a commercial license. In conversing with him he found out that he was married and a father and that this was his second accident in less than a month. The man was upset that he had been so careless.

10/29/2019 0 Comments

Bright Eyes

On Sunday mornings when I’m in town and able to attend church, after the service ends I stand at the front of the sanctuary to pray for anyone needing prayer. This past Sunday, a woman walked slowly forward with a slight stoop in posture. Her teeth were black and badly rotted and it was obvious she had suffered a great deal—probably from drugs. But what caught my attention was her bright eyes—they radiated warmth. I asked what I could pray for her and she said she was suffering from liver disease. After I finished praying she gave me a hug and shared how much she loved our church and how being there filled her with peace.

10/24/2019 0 Comments

Essentialism

Greg McKeown is the author of an excellent book entitled essentialism. Greg contends that the disciplined pursuit of less is a major key to success. Lin Yutang says, “The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.” From this premise, McKeown lays out a compelling case which helps us understand why it is important to: say “no” and not overextend; prioritize our lives; exercise the power of choice; discern what is important; know when to make tradeoffs; know when to play and to sleep; know what to select and what to eliminate; set boundaries and focus; etc.

10/14/2019 0 Comments

Paying Attention to Integrity

Van closed the door to his office and invited Able to sit down. After a few minutes of chatting, Able said he’d found a way to save the company thousands of dollars. It involved manipulating records in order to avoid paying taxes to the IRS. Van asked him if it was legal. Able shifted in his chair and looked down at the plush burgundy carpet before answering. “Boss, technically this is not legal, but in researching this option I discovered from several of my friends in other companies that they do it all the time. If we were to get audited, I could claim it was just an accounting error and I don’t think we would be penalized.” Van rubbed his hands over his eyes and slowly exhaled his breath before answering, “Do it.”

10/6/2019 1 Comment

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in an isolated place of spectacular beauty in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru. It sits on a mountain ridge 2,430 meters above sea level (7,970 ft) and is located 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Cuzco. Below it the windy Urubamba River flows. It is estimated that about 750 people once lived there.

9/30/2019 1 Comment

A Charge to PRESS

Recently I spoke at the retirement ceremony of my good friend Chaplain Bruce Sidebotham. Rather than focus on what he did in the military the Lord led me to address his future with a charge. A charge is an exhortation to action to fulfill an intended outcome. As an example, Paul exhorted Timothy, “I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing out of favoritism” (1 Timothy 5:21). My charge to Bruce was a message to all of us attending his celebratory event based on the acrostic PRESS.

9/17/2019 0 Comments

Strap on Our Sword

Pastor Rusty Hayes is preaching a series on “Uphill Habits.” On Sunday he spoke on “What We Think.” The habit he asked us to address is the need to control our thoughts, because: we are not just what we eat; we are what we think; everything begins with a thought; what we think determines how we feel; and, our thoughts determine our destiny. In order to master this habit, we need to find a plan to control our thoughts, a safe place to think, a person to stretch our thinking, a purpose to land our thoughts and a power to fuel what we think.

9/10/2019 0 Comments

Seven Hindrances to Piety

Lewis Bayly was a Scotsman educated at Oxford and the vicar of Evesham, Worcestershire. It is believed that in 1604 this staunch puritan became the rector of St. Matthew’s Church in London. Lewis was the Chaplain to Henry Frederick the Prince of Wales and to King James I who would go on to appoint him the Bishop of Bangor. But Lewis is most famous for his short book The Practice of Piety.[1] I highly recommend this insightful work for the author’s wisdom regarding suffering and the importance of piety.

9/5/2019 0 Comments

Establish the Work of Our Hands

Meditation
Psalm 90:17—Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish for us the work of our hands—establish the work of our hands!

Psalm 90:17 is my verse for 2019. It has dual meaning for me because of my book The Strong Leader’s Handwhere I heavily utilize the hand to illustrate six leadership principles. For example, what we put our hands to often reveals our vision. I also love the fact that the psalmist seeks the Lord’s favor. Without God’s favor life turns into a burdensome struggle. With His support life is pregnant with meaning.

8/29/2019 0 Comments

What's Your Flavor?

Meditation
Matthew 5:13--You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men.

Photo used under Creative Commons from Rachel Maxey Miles