A Calm and Quiet Soul

Psalm 131 “O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.  But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.  O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.” – a Psalm of David

After the last game of the regular season, all the players whose parents signed them up to be on the Little League All-Star Baseball Team…

“Be hospitable to one another without complaint” (1 Peter 4:9).

This simple instruction raises the question: Why would extending hospitality involve the danger of “complaining” or “grumbling”?

Because hospitality can be messy. Carpets or couches may get stained. Furniture or walls may get dinged. Dishes or knick-knacks may get broken. When you open your home to others, there’s probably going to be something to clean up afterward.

Because hospitality comes at a cost. It costs money — for food, or (in the case of overnight…

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves”(Matt 23:15).

In this chapter of woes to the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus is sharply critical of their evangelistic efforts. It is not their zeal that is the problem—they are willing to “travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte”—but their approach. As disciples of Jesus, we learn here how evangelism goes wrong and where our efforts must improve.

Evangelism goes wrong when we…

It’s All About Perspective

There were these two young fish swimming along and they happened to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swam on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looked over at the other and goes “What in the world is water?” In David Foster Wallace’s 2005 commencement speech to the graduating class at Kenyon College, he began his speech with this anecdote to explain that the most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are…

In Ezekiel 37 the prophet records a vision from God. In the vision, he was transported to a valley and saw that it was full of human bones. God had Ezekiel walk among them; everywhere he looked were dead, dry bones.

God asked, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

The natural answer would of course be, “No!” But Ezekiel, familiar as he was with God and His power, answered, “Lord God, only You know.”

God told Ezekiel to prophesy: “Thus says the Lord God to these…

Have you sinned? Do you feel guilty about it? What are you going to do about that?

You could try…

• Adam’s solution: Blame someone else (Genesis 3:11-12).
• Aaron’s solution: Claim that it “just happened” and that you were hardly involved (Exodus 32:21-24).
• Saul’s solution: Try to rationalize and justify your motives (1 Samuel 15:1-15).
• David’s solution: Cover it up (2 Samuel 11).
• Ahab’s solution: Attack those who are doing right in order to deflect attention from yourself…

Most books become obsolete very quickly. New, updated editions are produced. After ten or twenty years, they lose their influence. Soon the copyright is not renewed and they go out of print. In such a climate, how is it possible for a book that is 2000 years old to remain relevant? What is its secret?

The writer of Hebrews makes an extended argument from a part of the Bible that is even older. He looks back to Psalm 95—which looks back to the even older story of Israel’s wilderness wandering and the conquest of Canaan. He makes observations about the rest…

Lessons from Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel has a special place in my heart. Strategically placed along the nation's busy interstates, Cracker Barrel restaurants were a safe choice among many suspect and questionable diners that dotted the roadsides during family road trips. The food was quality, the staff was friendly, and the peg game provided hours of fun. I spent many hours in those restaurants staring at walls adorned with an assortment of antique signs and tchotchkes, drinking root beer from a frosted glass, and rocking to and fro on the front porch.

For as long as I can remember, Cracker Barrels looked…

Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. (Luke 12:51-53)

Did Jesus mean that he wants people to be at enmity with each other? Of course not. But, inevitably, he and his teaching divide people. Those who embrace him and those who reject…

“Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed”(Acts 8:13).

Philip continues to work with Simon. “Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed”(Acts 8:13). He follows Philip around, fascinated at the miracles he is performing and presumably learning from the teaching he is giving.

The apostles also act. “Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and…

Find Peace Through the Noise

Lately, it feels difficult to have a conversation that stays light for very long. It does not matter how ordinary the starting point is. Before long, it turns toward the news. A tragedy that just happened. Another story that leaves you shaking your head. Another reminder of how unsettled the world feels. Sometimes the conversation ends, but the weight does not. It lingers in our minds. You find yourself thinking about it later, replaying details you can’t change, carrying concern you do not know where to put. And over time, that quiet heaviness begins to feel…

Opportunity

Opportunity is a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something. We should never take opportunities for granted. No one else will have exactly the same opportunities you have. And, many opportunities you have today you might not have a year from now.

The apostle Paul was always taking advantage of opportunities. When Paul was in Athens (Acts 17), the Epicureans and Stoics took him up to the Areopagus to hear what “strange doctrines” he was teaching. Despite the obvious penchant of the city toward idolatry, Paul took the opportunity to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He even…

Why me? Does that ever bother you? It does me. Maybe you think that because no one knows who you are that you are not particularly important. Or perhaps you have some feeling that because of your relative insignificance, it doesn’t matter whether you live a life of holiness and goodness. After all, nobody notices anyway. Furthermore, doing evil sometimes at least brings some sort of recognition, even if it’s the wrong kind. After all, acceptance is important for all of us, right?

Most of us feel inferior at times. We have feelings of inadequacy or we feel unimportant. So much…