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When feeling bad can be something good
All of us sin, myself included. When this happens, we feel bad about it. And who likes to feel bad, right? Well, today I’d like to explain how even feeling bad about sin can be a sign of God’s love for you. Let me explain—and you’ve got to stick with… Listen ⇢
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They just look that way
Note: New podcast episode link in the footnotes below – “Habits are Coordinates.” ~ In Ecclesiastes 1:8, the teacher says: “All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.” In other words, nothing makes him… Listen ⇢
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Short-term thinking
We’ve been spending some time with the book of Ecclesiastes. At first glance, chapter one seems pretty dreary. “All things are full of weariness,” the author says, “a man cannot utter it…” (Ecclesiastes 1:8). See what I mean! But the teacher is expressing frustrations, not making conclusions. He’s working out… Listen ⇢
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Under the sun, or for the Son?
In Ecclesiastes 1:3 the teacher asks a question: “What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” Let’s note a few things. First, when he says ‘man,’ he means ‘humankind.’ He’s not just talking about himself. He’s asking a question of all of us.… Listen ⇢
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Things you have, and things you treasure
The start of the biblical book of Ecclesiastes is not what I would call “positive.” “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). In case it’s not obvious, he’s thinks everything is vanity. His keyword in Hebrew is “hevel.” It’s hard to translate because… Listen ⇢
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Give careful thought to the paths
Proverbs 4:26 says: “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.” In the Bible, various writers speak about a level path. Picture a hiker on a trail making her way up a mountain. If the path is level, that’s good. If it’s… Listen ⇢
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Sunday mornings
Summer schedules can become unpredictable. When that happens, it’s easy to let certain practices slip, like having meals together, like regular exercise… And like going to church. Consider this. The average educator spends five thousand hours studying child development before they teach a class. The average paediatrician spends ten years… Listen ⇢
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Prayer and the bigness of God
Matthew 19:26 includes one of Jesus’ most famous sayings: “…with God all things are possible.” We often appeal to that verse when praying for a something super-big, like a miracle. When we want a dramatic healing, or when we want people who absolutely hate each other to reconcile, or when… Listen ⇢
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Only when the eyes are closed
Like many others, I grew up thinking Obi-Wan Kenobi was pretty cool. He was one of the good guys on Star Wars. In a recent spin-off series, he said: “Only when the eyes are closed can you truly see.”* If you think that sounds decidedly biblical, you’re right. It’s very… Listen ⇢
Meet Matthew.
Disciple, pastor, medieval modern, husband, and dad of three who lives in the psalms.
