Tag: power

  • Force or Choice

    Force or Choice

    Matthew 20:20–28; Matthew 22:15–22 The author Robert Heinlein once wrote, “When you vote, you are exercising political authority, you’re using force. And force, my friends, is violence. The supreme authority from which all other authorities are derived.” There has been a transformation in our society where this seems to be truer now than when Heinlein…

  • Get To Your Seats

    Get To Your Seats

    Luke 14:7–14 When I was young, my father insisted on making sure I was appropriately experienced in “high” culture. We went to ballet and opera. My dad said that we were sitting in the Grand Tier (still sounds a bit grandiose). This was the tier above the Opera (i.e.,floor) Seats, and below the Upper Tier,…

  • Message Over Mammon

    Message Over Mammon

    Luke 10:1–9; 2 Corinthians 12:1–14 There are many people who attract attention naturally. Some do it with mere charisma. Some do it with money. Others do it with the words (positive and negative). There are others that do it out of gain. Whether it is to gain the attention of people or to feel power,…

  • Evangel

    Evangel

    Luke 1:68–80; Ephesians 4:7–16 Many years ago, there was campaign against man-caused forest fires. The campaign “starred” a little bear cub that, while burned, survived a man-caused forest fire. The tagline for the campaign was, “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.” From a strict understanding, of course, it’s not just you that can prevent forest…

  • Who Is Family?

    Who Is Family?

    Psalm 2; Acts 13:32–41; Galatians 4:1–8 I was Luke Skywalker for Halloween. I was attired like he was when we first see him in Star Wars (now re-titled “Episode IV: A New Hope”). Needless to say, I was excited to see The Empire Strikes back a few years later. Then my world was shaken. My…

  • Getting Out

    Getting Out

    Acts 12:1–12:19; Acts 16:23–34 The story of Peter being freed from prison is often used when talking about the power of praying for others. Even scientific studies have shown a correlation between a person being prayed for and improvements in health. There is power in prayer. There is also power in being freed from prison,…

  • Nope. I’m Good.

    Nope. I’m Good.

    John 8:31–41; Philippians 3:1–11 What are you relying on? This is a question that we each need to ask ourselves on a regular (if not daily) basis. It becomes easy to slip into relying on something without realizing it. In industries such as manufacturing, timber, construction where safety is a big issue, it can be…

  • Substantial Character

    Substantial Character

    Daniel 6:1–24; Philippians 2:3–16 Adventure! Drama! Let’s see the big scene! Daniel and the Lion’s Den is a dramatic story. No question about that. It’s a great one for kids. Daniel, himself, is a great character. Daniel has great character. If you read the story carefully, you’ll notice something interesting. Daniel only has spoken words…