"Why This Waste?" - The Duty of Extravagance.

I love the account in several of the Gospels of the woman - a sinner - who breaks an alabaster box of  an expensive oil, anointing the head of Jesus.

The indignant disciples ask, "Why this waste?"

Jesus' response reveals both his tender awareness of the value of the gift to the woman and his consternation for the strict judgement made by His disciples.

Theology Without Meaning

There are two languages through which our theology can be spoken, and one root language.

We can speak through our actions and by our fruit (Ever notice this is singular?  One fruit, many manifestations.), but the root must be love.

With all that we know, and all that we've disciplined ourselves to practice in our evaluations of people or our behavior or our goals or our claims to what is right, if our theology - what we actually believe about God - is not communicated in our actions and with corresponding fruit in love, our theology has no meaning.

Q4U:  What can you do - today - to clearly communicate what you believe about God through your actions and by your fruit?

The Path of the Just

To think that I could have said to my sons (assuming they were old enough to understand my voice and I was wise enough to know), "You are going to be such-and-such when you grow up. That's all for now," is an outlandish thought.

The daily walk with them as we uncover, together, their talents and passions, likes and dislikes, failures and successes is, up to this point, one of the most rewarding parts of my life.

What Does Grant Desme Have to Do with You?

Maybe you don't know who Grant Desme is.  I didn't.

Apparently, he was a big-time, promising, up-and-coming baseball player who just announced he's leaving baseball to go into ministry.  So why am I writing about sports the day after I wrote about a politician?  And what does Grant Desme (or Scott Brown) have to do with you?  Or me?

What Does Scott Brown Have to Do with You?

It's an unusual blog title for me but, no matter what your political views, you can't escape the drama of this recent event.

It's newsy because it effects so many people and carries the David/Goliath underdog element.  But what if it effected less people?  How would that be different to Scott?  Or you?  I'm getting to my point...

Not to Condemn, but to Save

John 3:16 is quite possibly the best-known scripture in the Bible.  But God has hidden,  in John 3:17, a key for us in our walk as ministers of reconciliation.

Fear of Change

Sometimes we are afraid of a new thought or revelation because of the change it might require in our lives. How will this affect my family? My friendships? My career plans? My habits? My worship? My prayer life?

A Lamb in the House

We read John Chapter 1 at our family breakfast devotional this morning and my wife reminded us of something she had heard.

Book Review - Obstacles Welcome

With the threat of headlines and news stories that could cause the weak to cower, Ralph de la Vega's "Obstacles Welcome" is a worthy reminder of the possibilities that exist for those who will apply themselves and rise to the challenges that are sure to come.

The Best Teacher

I saw an article in the newspaper over the weekend about the "Teacher of the Year Award".

It caused me to ponder from whom I am being best-taught right now.

I've heard that "experience is the best teacher", and certainly I can see how that can be true. But what about examples?

The Love-Courage Connection

There seems to be for so many of us a great gap between what we dream to do and what we engage ourselves in doing.

Recognizing that focusing on "doing" is a risky endeavor to begin with because, improperly balanced, it could displace the work of grace that was done for us, I move ahead nonetheless because I think that, in our culture of political-correctness and emphasis on non-judgementalism we are more at risk of abandoning the responsibility we have of actually walking out, in obedience, the "doing" part of our relationship of faith with our Creator than we are of abandoning our reliance on His Grace.

Perhaps we lack the courage to "do".

Where does courage come from?

If we start with an understanding of how loved we are by God, we can secure our trust in Him for His plans for us. Sufficient trust is the platform from which we can act in courage (and faith), knowing that He will carry us through what He has called us to do.

When we realize His love, we establish our trust. From trust in Him, courage for our call is easy.

Well, easier.

The Word Became Flesh

"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us..."

The pronouncement from the Apostle John (John 1:14), like many others in scripture, can become so familiar that it loses its significance.

The Word of God, part of the "Elohim" that created everything, became something else.

What else?

Some sort of angelic being with supernatural powers?

A mind-reading entity that could discern the very thoughts of men?

A healing potion that eradicated all disease?

A powerful weapon that reached into the spirit realm to annihilate all demonic influence?

No. Flesh. Like us.

And now the same spirit that inhabited the flesh of Jesus inhabits our flesh.

God chose the medium of flesh to present Himself to the world. And the same flesh that carries the supernatural powers of God to discern the thoughts of man, bring all manners of healing, and annihilate demonic influence can be the arms, hands, and mouthpiece of God to touch a lost world, manifesting His love and sharing the good news of His coming.

The Word became flesh and dwelt in Jesus. Now He dwells in us.