Last year my daughter stood in line for 90 minutes to purchase an autographed copy of Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan for me for Father’s Day. There’s something about meeting the author in person to gain a little insight to the content between the covers. So what can we learn about Matthew, the author?…
Month: July 2014
The Gospel According to Matthew
What do the following phrases have in common? Don’t cast your pearls before swine. He’s the salt of the earth. She’s been burning the midnight oil. He waited until the 11th hour. Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. It’s the blind leading the blind. The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing….
Book Review: Living in Christ’s Presence
I can’t think of anyone who has had more influence on my views of spiritual formation than the late Dallas Willard. If you’re unfamiliar with his work, I recommend that you spend some time researching his work. Dr. Willard was a professor of philosophy at the University of South California until his death last year….
Six Signs of Drifting
Yesterday I posted about the reality of spiritual drifting. The Book of Malachi provides six signs that serve as indicators that we might be adrift. 1. You begin to doubt God’s love (Malachi 1:2-3). “I have always loved you,” says the LORD. But you retort, “Really? How have you loved us?” And the LORD replies,…
Drifting
When I was in third grade my family took a trip to visit friends in St. Petersburg, Florida. The most memorable part of the trip was my first visit to the ocean. We spent a day at the beach, playing in the sand and splashing in the Gulf of Mexico. I didn’t learn to swim…
Table Manners
You probably grew up with a parent who taught you how to use good table manners. We had several in our house that were strictly observed, such as wash your hands before dinner, wait for everyone to be seated before eating, don’t sing at the table or talk with your mouth full, “clean your plate,”…
Weighing in on Mainline Decline
Here are a couple of articles from Ted Campbell and Tanya Basu regarding the decline in attendance and membership among American mainline denominations. What do you think? Does this resonate with your impression of mainline denominations in your community?
Do We Care Too Much About Sports?
Today the USA Men’s Soccer Team is facing Belgium in the “knock out round” of World Cup Soccer. Nationalism is at a favor pitch, and those who typically don’t care about soccer are glued to their television monitors. Barna Research released a new study today regarding the American perspective on sports. I found it interesting,…