Category: Unum Quadraginta
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Everybody Was Kung-Fu Being Somebody Else
NOTE: On Thursdays, I will try to provide a preview of what I will be teaching on Sunday. Usually, I will post what I am going to teach in TGSC KiDS, but about once a month, I’ll also preach to the TGSC EM adults. I had an opportunity to watch the third Kung Fu Panda…
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Know Your Role
As I read through the book of Esther (and many of the books of the Bible), I am always amazed at the role reversals. Those who think highly of themselves are brought down. Those willing to sacrifice themselves are lifted up. Haman, who sought to annihilate the Jews, because of the disregard of Mordecai, ends up…
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PMS Part 2
With this latest trip, it felt like we were really living out the Gospel (Mark 6:7-13). We were ministering to the homeless, the elderly, orphans, widows/widowesses, prostitutes, , and children . . . lots of children. We trusted in God for food and lodging. We prayed for healing. We prayed for removal of evil spirits.…
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PMS Part 1
Post Mission Syndrome. Post Outreach Syndrome? Semantics. Most career missionaries wouldn’t call a 10-day trip to a foreign country missions. So, “outreach” is probably a better term. Either way, PMS and POS are pretty negative acronyms used to refer to the feelings one has after serving others outside of one’s own home turf. They say…
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Expectation Versus Reality
Here’s another I started two years ago after reading 21st Century Pastor by David C. Fisher for seminary. Did anyone else have long discussions in high school English about “appearance versus reality?” After undergraduate/graduate education, you come up against “expectation versus reality.” As young professionals, we believe (with our newly acquired knowledge) we can take on the world.…
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Perspective on Suffering
Here’s another one I started two years ago after reading Living Life (“Do the Wicked Really Suffer?”). In Job 21, the protagonist is responding to his “friend” Zophar who is certain that Job is suffering because of unconfessed sin in his life. Job, though, argues that God does not operate in such a fashion. Such wisdom. As a contrasting…
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Idolatry
This is actually a post I started two years ago around this time. I had just finished reading Living Life for the day and I felt compelled to write a post on it, but never got around to it. The devotional for the day was entitled “The Dangers of Idolatry” (Exodus 32:1-10). It’s the passage…
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Can You Hear Me Now?
Here’s the last TED-related post for the week. Julian Treasure recently gave a talk back about speaking so people will listen. He should know. Companies pay him to for his input on how to use sound. Yeah. That’s a job. Anyways. He shared about seven deadly sins of speaking: gossip, judging, negativity, complaining, excuses, embroidery/exaggeration, and dogmatism…
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Do It Yourself
Recently, my daughter got a huge kick out of watching Disney XD stars make “Build a Superhero” videos. One guy (Jake) built himself up as a superhero named “Butterfly Net.” His catch-phrase? “Do it yourself.” This week, all my posts will be related to recent TED talks that I’ve viewed. I’ll probably reference them a ton in…
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Graduation or Promotion or Whatever
My daughter is graduating . . . sorry . . . “promoting” from 6th grade today. Already? Seriously? Is anyone ever ready for these various stages of life (or the stages of life of their loved ones). Dan Gilbert, in a recent Ted talk shared about this. He explained that we all succumb to “an illusion…