What’s a pragmatic idealist? I’ve been trying to answer that question for way too long now and the reason is because that is how I’ve always defined myself. Breaking it down it seems as so simple. I try to be practical about life and yet at the same time, my goals are lofty and seemingly impossible. Here’s my conclusion. Continue reading ‘Pragmatic Idealist!’
Monthly Archive for July, 2006
July 23, 2006 - Jesus was a wisdom teacher among other things; however, he was not a conventional wisdom thinker. Jesus was a subversive wisdom advocate. He didn’t rest on Sunday, He healed on Sunday, He didn’t wash His hands before eating, and He ate with sinners and prostitutes. Worst of all, He said that prostitutes and tax collectors would inherit the Kingdom of God before the Pharisees did. What’s that do for your religious paradigm?
Life is a matter of inhaling and exhaling!
We also see this principle in so many other things, like the stock market (bulls and bears), cycles (sun, moon, seasons, etc.), and of course in spiritual matters (priest goes in and he comes out). And with Jesus we come and we go. We have to be a people who take time out to enter IN, and then we have to take time to go OUT!
One of the things that we’ve missed, that’s still living from an Old Testament view is the Sabbath rest. Last week, I attended a meeting where the man who was speaking did so from his past experience of having a mental-spiritual breakdown due to NOT observing the Sabbath rest. So, he was encouraging people to take a day off.
If you want, why not?
Continue reading ‘Inhaling and Exhaling’
What’s the church have to say about women? Wrong question!
What did Jesus have to say about women and what was His interaction with them? That’s a far more important question. Unfortunately the church does not have a very good track record in that area, among others. One has to remember that it wasn’t until about 90 years ago that we living in this nation, the land of the free, would even allow women to vote! The 19th Amendment to the constitution corrected that. The church though still places great restraints on women.
Continue reading ‘Restraints on Women’
Just seeing the word causes one to rapidly keep right on reading, skip over it, or ignore it altogether. Who needs adversity in their life? We all do and studies have shown that those with a high AQ will do far better in life than those with a high IQ. Here’s why. Continue reading ‘Adversity & The Adversity Quotient’
Hello.
I said that yesterday morning. More often, I write in my journal, Good morning Father, sometimes Abba, a few times Dad, but strangely on this day I simply wrote HELLO, and then stopped writing after one word. The tears flowed with the realization that I was talking to Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth. More importantly, He was hearing, smiling, waiting.
And He was HERE, sitting with me- within me.
Continue reading ‘Good Morning’
There are numerous fault lines in Western theological thinking.
Primarily there is the unconscious referencing of and to Jesus as Jesus Christ (first and last name), rather than Jesus “the” Christ. Big difference. When you grasp the major difference this makes, you can then begin to comprehend some deeper aspects of His Life.
Secondarily, Jesus was Jewish and not Christian. He did not see Himself as starting “the” Christian religion as we know it today. If one tries to take Jesus out of Judaism and the times and culture that he lived in, you miss the big picture.
And thousands of denominations do!
Continue reading ‘Western Thinking’
We have become too familiar with the Bible, the Scriptures, the Gospel.
It almost seems like an oxymoron to say we are too familiar with Jesus and yet we need intimacy. Most Christians have knowledge of the main stories of the Bible: the creation, flood, Job, Jonah, and other mental pictures. We can even recite a few Beatitudes; name most of the ten commandments. I could add several more thoughts but let’s back up and analyze what’s already been said.
What does any of the above have to do with our Spirit man?
Continue reading ‘Spirit Man’
The opposite of love is not hate- it is CONTROL! And therein we find the government and church making the same mistakes over and over again. Here’s the reason why. Continue reading ‘Are You Free To Be?’
WWJD
It all started in 1989 at the Calvary Reformed Church in Michigan. The youth leader was inspired by the book, In His Steps, by Charles Sheldon. What is the “IT” that I am talking about? I’m talking about Americas fascination with pop religion, instant spirituality, and slogan-driven lifestyles.
I am talking about WWJD?
How easily we can trivialize God! WWJD became a cottage industry overnight: bracelets, books, audiotapes, T-shirts, billboards, bumper stickers, commercials, and of course seminars to make the speakers money talking about what they themselves don’t do. Is America a good place to live and make money or what? Of course the answer is YES; however, is America a place of maturing spirituality? Doubtful at best.
Continue reading ‘WWJD’