Tag: success

  • 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,…

  • What’s The Matter?

    What’s The Matter?

    Numbers 3:44–48; Numbers 18:20; Deuteronomy 10:8–9; 1 Peter 2:3–10 Inheritance wars have long been a genre of popular fiction. Whether the fights were over business or titles of nobility or who will take over the family criminal enterprise. Sometimes, battles are fought over who gets what, or who got the most. That last one may…

  • Discipl…

    Discipl…

    Psalm 94; Proverbs 13:18; Matthew 18:15–17; 2 Corinthians 13:1–4 Discipleship is a buzzword these days. In church circles, digital and physical, there are regular (and worthwhile) conversations about discipleship. There are fancy names such as “discipleship pathway” or “growth tracks” or any number of others. All of them are one of many ways to think…

  • 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…

  • House Building

    House Building

    Psalm 127; Matthew 24:1–2; 1 Corinthians 3:1–11 Unless the Lord is in it, it will fail. This is a common adage heard in the church, and it is based on Psalm 127:1. Yet, the interpretation often is, if it is successful, God is in it. This spiritualizes (or over-spiritualizes) far too many things. The sun…

  • Self of Nothing

    Self of Nothing

    Judges 4:1–24; 2 Samuel 6:12–22; Psalm 18:20–29 Many have often condemned Barak as a coward who hides behind a woman’s skirt (so to speak). What if there is something else at play? If you read the Book of Joshua and 1 & 2 Samuel, the Ark of the Covenant was part of the army’s formation.…

  • Storied Reflections

    Storied Reflections

    Jeremiah 2:1–13; Matthew 9:35–38; John 7:37–39 Jerusalem was heading at full speed away from God and toward destruction. In many respects, this passage is God’s lament for Jerusalem. It is also, in many regards, the lament for the entire heritage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When we read, “Israel was holy to the LORD, the…

  • Domination

    Domination

    Ecclesiastes 3:16–4:3; Psalm 148; Revelation 5:13 (read online ⧉) Long has human pride (and bad interpretation) taught humanity that we were to dominate Creation. Even when this interpretation came to the forefront in thinking, Creation was pretty brutal: typhoons, hurricanes, floods, droughts, pestilence, insect swarms, disease, and so on. Humanity has, for far too long,…