Discarding Fake Joy
Immediately, I was thankful for the many, many hours of Wee Kids Bible Songs in my parent’s old blue panel van. As the familiar tune for this verse rattled around in my head, I spouted off the exclamatory sentence lickety-split. The teacher happily gave me a golden star for my memory chart and this little line has been forever sealed in my mind. But therein lies the danger. . . .
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Sears’ Bankruptcy: an Analogy of Church Stagnancy
100 years ago, Sears-Roebuck and Co. was second to none. They defined the term cutting edge by placing their colorful mail-order catalogs in nearly every home across America. Little children giggled over the huge toy section. Moms coveted the latest Kenmore kitchen appliances. Dads stashed away their pennies to buy lifetime-guaranteed Craftsman tools. But now the former industry leader, once perched on the lofty heights of Chicago’s Sears Tower, is seeing all those warm, fuzzy feelings vanish like a bullfrog atop quicksand.
Change is essential to survival.
Making wrong, maladaptive changes = death.
Making right, adaptive changes = health.
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One Team. One Goal.
With each paddle dipping into the water in perfect rhythm, so God calls us to “contend side-by-side for the faith of the Gospel.” Each of us is wired and gifted in different ways by our amazingly creative God. No two rowers are alike. The same goes for church members in the body of Christ. So we must exercise humility, which is the Spirit-directed source of unity. . . .
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No “Yes and No”
…Yet we live in a world full of non-answers, “yes and no,” and “I’m not sure.” One very well-known politician recently said, “truth isn’t truth!” A seasoned lawyer once told me, “Justice happens by accident and the best liar usually wins.” Everything seems up for grabs lately….
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Freedom Called My Name
Years ago, in my mid-twenties (shortly before I met my amazing husband, Michael) I was incredibly entrenched in the swamp of legalism. I heard the wise-sounding lies everywhere… from many places. My life was led by fear and worry that I would never measure up to the expectations of people.
The slime of law-based, performance-oriented religion came from all sorts of directions. All kinds of well-meaning people told me what I must add to my life (and add on to the Bible) in order to become better and more pleasing to God. Looking back, I believe this environment was rooted in fear, pride, and nice people generally wanting to control the outcome of my life….
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Sweet Freedom
Freedom’s sweet flavor blows within the breeze. Yet one hardly notices its power until the distinctive taste is suddenly gone.
Despite our many malefactions, idiosyncrasies, and divisive political concerns, I’m still overwhelmed with thankfulness to God for the many freedoms we enjoy as citizens of the United States of America.
Independence isn’t cheap. Freedom is never free, as the well-worn song goes. Yet taking these gifts for granted is all-too-easy for us Americans.
When we taste sweetness every day, we’re eventually inoculated to its delight. . . . .
