In one of the years I was doing youth ministry, we ended up attracting a large group of teens from outside the church. This happened because one youth invited another, who invited another, who invited another, and so on. That year in December I had planned the last youth group of the year a week … [Read more…]
Scripture: Isaiah 2:1-5 In 1914 after a series of political alliance and maneuvering set off what would become the First World War, the fighting began in earnest in August of that year. The Advancement in technology from the last round of European wars was going to change the nature of conflict, but this did not … [Read more…]
Scripture: Colossians 1:9-20 Over the past couple of months the British monarchy has been in the news with the passing of Queen Elizabeth and succession to King Charles. With his official coronation not scheduled to next year, there will likely continued to be focus on the monarchy. No doubt all of this attention on a … [Read more…]
Scripture: Isaiah 65:17-25 I know none of us were around to experience it, but the turn of the 20th century was an age of hope and optimism. This was an era of technological breakthroughs. Innovations in mass communication, electricity, mechanization, and transportation had all happened. Humanity was on the cusp of figuring out the secrets … [Read more…]
Scripture: Haggai 2:1-9 It has been said that the restaurant business is one of the hardest ones to succeed in. In fact, about 60% of new restaurants fail within the first year. To succeed eateries often try to find ways to set themselves apart and offer something that cannot be found anywhere else. The restaurant … [Read more…]
Scripture: Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 One of my first jobs was making pizzas for Pizza Hut, and I did that for a few summers in a row. One of the things I learned while in that position is that one of the jobs that I personally would not enjoy is being the manager of a restaurant. … [Read more…]
One of the things that I quickly learned in my first semester of seminary is that there is an entire set of words unique to the seminary setting. I was introduced to a lot of words that even if I knew them, I never used them in conversation. Yet in seminary these words took on … [Read more…]
Scripture: Luke 18:9-14 The story goes that there was a woman who taught Sunday school. While you do not know this specific woman, you probably have met her type. She was quick to look down on others. She had mastered the art of saying “bless your heart” or “I’ll pray for you” as a way … [Read more…]
Scripture: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 This past week the Major League Baseball post-season started, and while this year more teams started in the playoffs the season is over for the vast majority of teams. While some teams made a run for the playoffs, other teams ended the season with a losing record. One of the things … [Read more…]
Scripture: Lamentations 1:1-6 Thanks to the Internet, the ability to travel anywhere, and the prevalence of cell phones the world feels a lot smaller and more connected than it used to. Which is why it amazes me that today there are still 7,151 active languages in use in the world today. Of that large number … [Read more…]
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