Please use them. You represent the King of Kings. Mind your manners. Be polite. It is never right to be rude. Here are a few to keep in mind: Take your hat off inside, unless you are a lady, although even ladies should not wear “men’s hats” (like ball caps) indoors.Be on time for your appointments or call to let […]
Smile. God really does love you. Really. Yes, you have a lot going on. Plenty of things fill your day: family commitments, work deadlines, bills due, chores at home. Life is hard. But smile. Smiling may be the Christian’s strongest confession of faith. (It certainly is a lot easier than reciting the Athanasian Creed!) Look at this word from Habakkuk 3: […]
… for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ… If we are clothed in Christ, does it matter what else we wear? This may surprise you, but pastors talk a lot about what they should wear. Some wear a robe in worship; others don’t. Some wear casual clothes all the time; some wear dress […]
SHHHH… Let me encourage you to turn off everything and spend some time in peace and quiet: no TV, no iPad, no Pandora, no Netflix. I remember studying spiritual disciplines with some friends. We talked about the usual topics: Bible reading, fasting, prayer, tithing and the like. Then we talked about silence. Have you noticed how little of it there […]
When it comes to boundary management, selective neglect is a crucial club. Use this carefully. But use it. Sometimes good enough is. Sometimes you must let some things go. You cannot attend every meeting. You cannot make every game. You cannot read every book or journal. You cannot do it all. You cannot. You are a follower in the Lord’s […]
This is a touchy topic. But it is one that must be touched. By drinking, I do not mean the ubiquitous water bottle. I mean alcohol. Beer. Wine. Liquor. Make no mistake; alcohol is a gift from God. Jesus’ first miracle provided wine, a lot of it. Wine is at the heart of our sacramental union with Christ. It is […]
WHAT AILS OUR LAND? We hear more and more people calling for justice. Certainly, I am all for justice. So is God! After all that’s why he sent Jesus. But what if we focused on grace instead? What if YOU focused on grace instead? Jesus did so above all things. AND THIS This wouldn’t hurt either. Concentrate on WE instead […]
Think in outlines. To consistently communicate well, think in outlines. Proper application of this note will have wide ranging application to all kinds of communication. The skill you learned back in fourth grade will carry you through communication in every area of your life. Outlines force better organization and sharper points. Outline everything. I first came across this “outlining insight” […]
WHAT’S IN A NAME? Do you call yourself a Christian? A Lutheran? A Baptist? A Catholic? What if we called ourselves “Christ Followers?” What difference would that make in how we thought of ourselves? What difference would that make in how others thought of us? Is a rose by any other name still a rose? Or could it be something […]
Throughout life generally and ministry specifically I have fought the urge to hop on bandwagons. While new and exciting things are indeed new and exciting, stewardship of life beckons us to the tried and true. Of course, applying that too rigorously will make you vulnerable to missing fresh ways of doing things and at the same time make you liable […]