In Psalm 51:11, David prays, “Cast me not away from your presence…” Does that strike you as odd? After all, didn’t David also write in Psalm 139:7-10, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed …
Author Archives: Scott Attebery
She Still Sings to Me
My wife had a beautiful alto voice with a slight rasp and warm Texas accent. One of my favorite memories of marriage is her singing to me. February 5, 2015 would have marked fifteen years of marriage for Jill and me. I struggle to express my heart on this wedding anniversary, so I have decided to …
Never Ride Alone
It was the perfect day for a bike ride. I picked up my five-year-old son after work and drove straight home. As soon as I changed clothes, Bryce and I mounted up on our bicycles. Thanks to a lot of help from my parents, Bryce could now ride without training wheels (that’s a big deal …
Sowing and Growing
I never liked to eat corn until one year at Thanksgiving, I tried my grandmother’s cream-style corn. Wow! One bite and I was hooked. In fact, I probably ate three helpings that day. The next time my mother made corn at home, I put an extra large helping on my plate. After one bite, I …
As It Is In Heaven
The model prayer in Matthew 6 contains an interesting phrase, “On earth as it is in heaven.” Rabbis of the day believed it was their responsibility to find the heavenly pattern of things and replicate them on earth. This was a noble desire, although their approach was lacking. They attempted to replicate heaven on earth …
Keeping Small Groups Out of the Ministry Junk Yard
It was exciting news. My friend’s eyes lit up as he shared the exciting changes in the church he recently began pastoring. One of the neatest transitions the congregation had made was to begin small group meetings. Small group ministry has been around for decades now. However, it is still a relatively new concept to …
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Seeing Jesus Today
Want to look into the eyes of Jesus today? Just visit your local food pantry, soup kitchen, or homeless shelter. No kidding, you can look into the Savior’s eyes there –in a sense at least. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus describes the judgment in terms of separating sheep from goats. This is where he tells the …
Have You Created a Monster?
Fact: Some congregations chew up pastors and spit them out every 2-3 years. I don’t have a Barna Study or Pew Research Poll to verify that assertion. But I don’t think verification is necessary. We’ve all seen the tragedy of “Monster Churches.” What leads me to believe it is the church’s fault? Before I get …
Stop Raising Mules
I’m not a country boy. There, I admitted it. However, I do live in Arkansas, which means I get a few “country boy points” by default. For instance, I know that horses reproduce horses. I also know that donkeys reproduce donkeys. And, for bonus points, I know that a horse and a donkey together produce …
John the Baptist: Disciple-Maker
A great example of how human discipleship should work is provided in the story of John the Baptist. Several of the apostles were first disciples of John, who, in the words of Isaiah, came as a forerunner to Jesus, the voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord” (John …