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Scripture:  Mark 10:46-52 The fad has long since faded away, but do you remember “magic eye” pictures?  These were a product of the 1990s which had some sort of brightly colored, bizarre patterned picture.  Allegedly if you stared at it then you could see the hidden image underneath.   I have to say allegedly because I … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Mark 10:35-45 Six years ago Dan Price, CEO of Gravity Payments a credit card processing company, took an action that turned his company upside down.  In 2015 Gravity Payments was like most companies where the priority was on profit first and the pay scale was highest at the top with the CEO and then … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Mark 10:17-31 P.T. Barnum is famously attributed to have said “There’s a sucker born every minute.”  In true grifter fashion, Barnum did not actually say his most well-known quote.  It was actually said in reference to his cons by a rival showman.  Even if Barnum did not say it, his greatest hoaxes proved it.  … [Read more…]

Scripture: Mark 10:13-16 If you are not much of an Internet person, then it is possible you are not familiar with the website Kickstarter.   However, Kickstarter was a revolutionary concept for bringing creative projects to life.  Previously for artists, writers, and designers the process to publication was an arduous one.  It required an investment by … [Read more…]

In the movie Jaws there is a scene when Chief Martin Brody, played by Roy Scheider, gets his first look at the massive shark and then remarks “you’re going to need a bigger boat.”   Then there is a scene in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark there is a scene where a … [Read more…]

For a lot of people, October is their favorite month of the year.  For some of these people the appeal is not just changing colors and hoodie weather.  A lot of people love October because they consider it “Halloween” month.  In Christian circles Halloween is a bit contentious.   Some believers view it as a harmless … [Read more…]

James 3:1-12 Thirteen years ago my younger sister moved to England.  Her husband is British.  They met while he was working for a church over here.  However, after they married they went back across the Atlantic so he could attend seminary and they have been there ever since.  She has now spent over a decade … [Read more…]

Scripture:  James 2:1-10;14-17 In a fast paced and even faster changing world, some churches feel the need to make adjustments to better appeal to the modern culture.  When churches want to communicate they are fully modern or contemporary, one of the ways to do this is to replace the pews with padded chairs.   For many, … [Read more…]

I like to listen to podcasts when I am doing activities like driving.  Podcasts are a bit like talk radio programs, except they are downloaded and can be listened to on demand.  There are several different podcasts that I listen to regularly and one of those is called 99% Invisible.  This is a narrative based … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Galatians 5:16-25 It is probably fair to say that for most people February 18th, 2021 was just another day.  In our family and I am sure several others, it was a day we were counting down to.   It was on this day that NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover made planet fall.   The probe had launched … [Read more…]