“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Those words are quoted from the Emma Lazarus poem, New Colossus, inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty. While the original intent is to describe all who are welcomed by Lady Liberty, they may also sound like an apt description …
Monthly Archives: January 2015
I’m Happy He’s Growing Up
Over the past couple of days, I was able to spend some time alone with my son on a short “get-away” trip. As we were having a major water-gun war, I realized something: My son is growing up. Don’t get my wrong, he’s not going to college next year –he’s only four. Okay, four-and-a-half (the …
Why Didn’t Jesus Baptize?
John 4:2 shares an interesting side note stating, “Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples.” Why didn’t Jesus perform the act of baptizing himself? Certainly he wasn’t too lazy. And honestly, I don’t’ think he had a major theological reason. In fact, I believe he could have don’t he baptizing himself, but chose …
God Doesn’t Spill Coffee
Blame it on getting up to early. Or perhaps, blame it on lack of a good night’s sleep. Either way, what I did was ridiculously negligent and irritating at the time. But now, I just laugh thinking about it. I have one of those coffee makers that you can set to brew automatically at a …
Hidden Discipleship
Here’s a phrase you’ve never read in Scripture: “And Jesus called aside the apostles saying, ‘take up your discipleship workbooks and gather for the lesson.’” There is no doubt that Jesus was a disciple-maker and there is no doubt that He taught the apostles lessons. However, there is great doubt that he ever announced His …
What Time Is It?
My son still hasn’t grasped the concept of “rounding up.” When he asks what time it is, I might say, “1:15,” to which he replies, then “why does the clock say 1:13?” Of course, my wise reply is always, “If you can see the clock, why did you ask me what time it is?” Time …
Blind Faith?
The phrase, “blind faith,” is a contradiction in terms. So it seems appropriate that the Bible would show an example of true faith in the lives of two blind men. Matthew 20:29-34 describes what happened: And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. And behold, there were two blind men sitting …
Remember the Elevator!
My son Bryce and I joined my parents for a family vacation in the Boston, Massachusetts area recently. We were able to visit some famous landmarks and walk most of the Freedom Trail. However, Bryce’s favorite part of the vacation had nothing to do with sightseeing. Bryce’s favorite part of the vacation was pushing the …
A Costly Drink
I have a confession to make. Sometimes, when my ashtray runs out of spare change for Sonic, I drive through Chic-fil-a and order a large water. Why? Because it’s FREE! I’m not talking about a rinky-dink little plastic kid’s cup either. This is a large styrofoam cup full of thirst-quenching ice water for absolutely no …
Uniforms Don’t Make the Player
Recently I’ve been interviewing people about their experiences (or lack thereof) with discipleship. However, I haven’t used the word “disciple” or “discipleship” in my discussions. Why? Discipleship may be the most understood word in the church today. For some it means classes, for others it means preaching. Others equate it with special programs or extracurricular …