Shake yourself from the dust and arise. Loose the bonds from your neck.
Edinburgh Castle 5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.7 On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. 8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God… Continue reading Of Truer Substance: A Meditation on Psalm 62
Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. Weak men create hard times. You have probably seen versions of those sentences floating around social media. The meme implies that we are in the latter stage, hard times created by soft people. The cyclical story of Israel in the… Continue reading The Tent Stake Option
The content highlights God's constant protection and victory over His people, emphasizing that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. It stresses the importance of joyful warfare, resisting lies, embracing truth, and standing firm in the face of opposition. It encourages unwavering faith, rejection of doubt, and the pursuit of future victories despite past mistakes.
Some years ago one of our pastors recommended that my wife and I have a big end-of-the-year date where we discuss the highs and lows of the previous year and goals for the next. We call this our “Year in Review, Year in Preview” date. We have done this almost every year since 2015 and… Continue reading Year in Review, Year in Preview: How Our Annual Couple’s Date Strengthens Family Bonds
Last week I wrote that if you want to create or change culture, then you have to obey God, get married, and have babies. Another angle would be to say that to create or change culture then you have to obey God and make disciples (both physically and spiritually) who obey God. But it doesn’t… Continue reading Disciples or Defectors
In a previous post, I pondered man's resistance to authority and said that we tend to tolerate it when there is a perceived benefit. This is an example of a social contract. We have unconscious social contracts all around us in everyday life. For example, in my backyard, a solemn pact governs our family's relationship… Continue reading Chickens and Social Contracts
Tyrants are not all-powerful. History shows us they get toppled and defeated regularly. Julius Caesar was stabbed by his closest advisors. Everyone had finally had it with Nero and he was semi-forced to kill himself. Saddam Hussein was found hiding in a hole. Muammar Gaddafi was found in a drainage pipe. Adoni-bezek had his thumbs and big toes cut… Continue reading How To Topple Tyrants
Authority, Rebellion, and the Unyielding Sovereignty of Christ We all hate authority. It rankles us. It tells us no when we want a yes, we deconstruct our faith because of it, and we make an endless amount of film and music based on authority issues. That is because it is part of our DNA, rooted… Continue reading Why We Hate Authority
I recently wrote a post on the blog of The Well Community Church titled "How To Love Your Enemies," which you can read here. I felt it necessary to add some thoughts lightly playing devil's advocate, or at least, to clarify when there may be a time for justice rather than what many might feel… Continue reading Bury the Hatchet: Additional Thoughts on Loving Your Enemies
Nothing, and that’s the trouble of it. I learned—or relearned—several things about myself through trying to create a small business. First, I learned that I don’t think like an entrepreneur, and I don’t really want to. Second, I learned that I may not have the talent, personality, or strengths needed to be a natural at… Continue reading So what happened to the business?
