Unreasonable Demands

Following Jesus is costly.  The grace Jesus extends to us comes at a great cost to the Lord – namely his life.  The gospel of Mark emphasizes that being Jesus’ disciples requires us to give up our lives – take up our cross daily and follow him.  Living as a...

How Not to Do Multi-Level Marketing

“I just want to paint my nails and have it not smudge within seconds,” I lamented to a friend recently. Vanity aside, smudging is something I face regularly. I’ve tried several different solutions—each to no avail. But I like having painted nails. See my dilemma? My...

Fear Not!

I have heard it said that Jesus repeated the phrase “Fear not!” (or the theme of anxiety/ worry) more often than any other phrase (theme) in the New Testament!  It does make sense—we are a fearful people…and there is much to fear!  There is natural disaster...

We Need Theologians, Not Smarty-Pants

If I’m not mistaken, our church is known around town as the “theology church.” I don’t say that to pat my own back. After all, taking theology seriously is no guarantee of spiritual fruitfulness and Christlike maturity. Being known for faith, hope, or love might be...

Using Your Gift–In Weakness

In God’s complex world, maturity often means holding two seemingly contradictory realities in tension. Freedom  and responsibility, mercy and justice, humility and leadership. One such tension relates to the best strategy for maximizing God’s work in your...