the door and the 3 point shot
I think it was around 1983 when basketball’s 3-pt. shot was adopted by the Iowa high schools … thus opening a new door for an already great game. I remember going to a Coaches meeting and listening to all the reasons it should not be allowed. “It will produce less disciplined teams.” It will take away from the play of the inside post players.” “It will not be a positive influence for the game.” … these were the excuses to close the door on the 3-pt. shot. Of course, all proved overwhelmingly incorrect. Jesus offers another open door story … …
Adversity: Our Days in Adullam
One of the areas that myself and I know many others struggle with is dealing with adversity. I have read and been told numerous times that the difference between significance in life and mediocrity is how we deal with adversity and setbacks. Adversity comes in two forms: Self Imposed and Unexpected Adversity. Self imposed is simply adversity that comes from the decisions or lack thereof that we choose in our lives. If you choose to cheat on your spouse or steal from your job, obviously you created this situation and you ultimately must take the blame. It takes a certain …
Snatching The Situation From God
“Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the Word of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:2a, NIV) It’s easy to look at this verse and assume Paul is talking about the sinful behavior that occurs before we become Christians. That is, we announce our dependence upon Jesus and we renounce the sinful methods we use to make it through each day. Yet Paul is actually referring to the sinful behavior of a group of Christians who are slandering him while also manipulating other Christians. Instead of slinging mud, Paul, our prefect in …
Your Weakness, God’s Glory
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:6-7 NIV) — — — In the same way God spoke light into the darkness at creation, today he speaks light into the darkness of our hearts. He fills us with the light of the Holy Spirit, allowing us to see …
the pit family
In the midst of all the stuff we have or the stuff we are trying to accumulate, it is good to be reminded of a condition we all suffer from. All of us were born into the pit family. No not Brad Pitt. The Bible tells us that we were conceived and born into sin … … and sin’s pit is part of our nature. Psalm 51:5 & Romans 8:4 As I grew into my teens, 20′s, 30′s, and early 40′s … I dug my pit deeper and deeper. It seemed to be hopeless with no way out. Then I …
divine direction
When on a journey I sometimes get bad information from “Mapquest” and other directional services. In life I sometimes wonder if I am exactly where God wants me to be … or if I’m simply following after my own desires. Scripture teaches me that prayer, seeking wise counsel, and waiting on the Lord is the best coarse of action. Easy to read and say … but sometimes not so easy to accept. The apostle Paul had a heart and love for the Jews … but God made him a minister to the Gentiles. The Lord will not put us in …
You ‘Nervoused’ Me
Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. (2 Corinthians 4:1 NIV) — — — — My youngest son is exploring the English language and, like many of your sons and daughters, he sometimes uses the correct word but gets creative with his sentence structure. My favorite example is when he said, “Dad, you nervoused me!” (Meaning, “You made me nervous!”) I use this illustration to help you remember Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:1. Paul says, literally, that he “has been mercied” for this ministry of reconciliation. “I have been mercied by God!” …
Sacrifice Is Part Of Service
“We understand what love is when we realize that Christ gave his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers. (1 John 3:16 GW) Serving others comes at a great price. When you become a servant, you always give up something you could have kept for yourself – time, money, energy. But the greatest cost of all is yourself. Serving others exacts a personal toll that cannot be measured in dollars and cents or hours and minutes. In 2 Corinthians 6:8-10, Paul describes the price he paid for serving others: “We serve God whether people …
To Think Like Jesus Thinks
“But we can understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16 NLT) A hundred years ago, when I played golf, I thought I was doing pretty well just to get the ball somewhere on the putting green. The truth be told, my main goal was to reach the green without major-ly embarrassing myself, so I was satisfied even when my ball dribbled onto the fringes. One day, a local golf pro told me the key difference between average and excellent golf is this: The truly great players shoot for the hole, not somewhere near the …
take out the guilt-garbage
I spoke with a man on Saturday for 2 hours. Last year his best friend and long time deer hunting partner committed suicide and he’s been carrying around both grief and guilt for 13 months. It seems the devil has convinced him that he could have done several things to prevent this tragedy. So he feels responsible. He can’t sleep. He can’t concentrate. And he’s depressed. Satan is a master of this kind of garbage. But this is not the way GOD wants us to live. When our Creator sent His Son … He did so to redeem us from …
