“The world does not revolve around you!” “You are not the center of the universe!” “Your mother and I are the sun; you’re the moon!” I bet my wife Christy and I have said something like this to our children hundreds, if not thousands, of times—because I have five of those rascals. I’m sure your […]
Read MoreTag Archives: Luke
Encountering Jesus along Life’s Road
Luke 24:13-35 Sermon Series: Jesus: The Greatest Life of All Introduction Fantastic! Outstanding! Incredible! Thanks to blockbuster movies, thrill rides, and Madison Avenue ad campaigns, we have come to expect that if life isn’t “sensational,” something must be wrong. If we are not careful, we can apply those expectations to our spiritual journey and fail […]
Read MoreWatch Out for Fakes
A friend of mine ate dog food one evening. No, he wasn’t at a fraternity initiation or a hobo party . . . he was actually at an elegant student reception in a physician’s home near Miami. The dog food was served on delicate little crackers with a wedge of imported cheese, bacon chips, an olive, and a sliver of pimiento on top. That’s right, friends and neighbors, it was hors d’oeuvres a la Alpo.
Read MoreCool Skepticism
Nine-year-old Danny came bursting out of Sunday school like a wild stallion. His eyes were darting in every direction as he tried to locate either his mom or dad. Finally, after a quick search, he grabbed his daddy by the leg and yelled, “Man, that story of Moses and all those people crossing the Red Sea was great!” His father looked down, smiled, and asked the boy to tell him about it.
Read MoreDialogues of the Deaf
Listening. I don’t mean just hearing. Not simply smiling and nodding while somebody’s mouth is moving. Not merely staying quiet until it’s “your turn” to say something. All of us are good at that game—cultivated in the grocery store, local laundromat, or on the front steps of the church building.
Read MoreSaying Grace
Most of us did not learn to pray in church. Nor were we taught at school . . . nor even beside our bed at night. If the truth were known, we’ve done more praying around the kitchen table than anywhere else on earth. From our earliest years we’ve been programmed: If you don’t pray, you don’t eat. It started with Pablum and it continues through porterhouse. A meal is incomplete without it.
Read MoreThe Good Samaritan
A Greek class was given an assignment to study the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25–37. As is true in most classes, a couple or three of the students cared more about the practical implications of the assignment than its intellectual stimulation.
Read MoreWhy Drop Everything?
Jesus chooses not to minister to others all alone. He could, but he deliberately chooses not to. He could have rowed that boat Himself. He could have dropped those nets over the side Himself. He certainly could have pulled up the nets choked with fish. Instead, He had the disciples do it. And He specifically stated, “From now on you will be catching men.”
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