Author and Professor John Leith describes simplicity like this: “Simplicity if very close to sincerity. It clears away the ornaments, the ostentations, the contrivances, and pretenses that obscure the real.” I like that. I like the idea of sweeping away whatever obscures “the real” in my life. Do you? In 2 Corinthians 1:12 Paul writes … Continue reading Why willingly enlist for chaos?
theupdevo
Online disrespect and technotrauma
More and more people are using the internet to communicate. It makes sense. After all, it’s quick and easy to send someone an email, text or direct message. But I think there’s a growing problem. It’s that people write things that are disrespectful. Why? First, let’s be honest. We humans are deeply flawed. Second, instant … Continue reading Online disrespect and technotrauma
What he did with his hardship
When we hear about other people going through hardship in a noble way, it can actually be a source of encouragement for us. First, we sympathize with their situation and offer help. But it can also make us think: ‘If they can do it, so can I!’ We can learn from their example. Recently I … Continue reading What he did with his hardship
Ambiguity: the enemy of action
Yesterday I talked about the unpopular and much-neglected process of repentance. In fact, since it flies in the face of our Do-Anything-That-Makes-You-Happy society I kind of wonder if some of you will actually unsubscribe to this devotional after you read this! 🙂 But since repentance is biblical, it matters. And what matters to God should … Continue reading Ambiguity: the enemy of action
If there was an x-ray of your soul
Repentance. It’s an unpopular topic. But it’s biblical. And therefore, it matters. When John the Baptist bursts onto the scene in Matthew 3:2 (ESV) he says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2 ESV). Jesus says the EXACT same thing in Matthew 4:17. Repentance is making a U-Turn. It’s being honest … Continue reading If there was an x-ray of your soul
Gooder
None of us can deny that friendships have a huge impact on us. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” How many of us can think of a time when a good friend … Continue reading Gooder
The dead faith of the living?
Theologian Jaroslav Pelikan said: “Tradition is the living faith of the dead, traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.” Let me explain. Tradition is the “living faith of the dead.” It’s a reference to the dynamic and life-changing Christian faith of those who have gone on before us, and which we remember through certain … Continue reading The dead faith of the living?
Your impact can last
Being a person of your word—a person of integrity who does their best to do what they say they’re going to do—has a positive impact that can literally last for generations. Skeptical? Think of someone from your past who had a really positive impact on you—someone who was a person of their word, someone who … Continue reading Your impact can last
When is being nice a bad thing?
My wife and I are in a small group. We meet weekly with people from our church to talk about Sunday’s sermon, the Bible passage, and pray together. One of the real benefits is hearing other people’s insights and ideas. Recently we were talking about how easy it is to over-commit. For a lot of … Continue reading When is being nice a bad thing?
Want to be steady for someone? Don’t be zig-zaggy
For the better part of a week I’ve been touching on the idea of being a person of your word. I’ve talked about keeping track of your promises, keeping your promises, what to do when you haven’t kept your word, and how your reliability can be someone else’s stability. Let me share another idea that … Continue reading Want to be steady for someone? Don’t be zig-zaggy
