Four Words that Defeat Worry
Worry. We know we shouldn’t do it as much as we do. But we do it anyhow. Almost anytime the topic of worry comes up in conversation someone (usually with really good intentions) will toss Philippians 4:6-7 into the mix: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (NIV) Good verses. I believe them. However…sometimes hearing them is a bit like someone telling you to not think about a pink gorilla....
Read MoreGood Friday is for Everyday
“This I know, that God is for me.” (Psalm 56:9 ESV) (Yes… This was written last Friday. However, this is a reminder we need every day.) Today is Good Friday. The best — and worst — Friday in the history of the world. Some of you reading this know the meaning behind Good Friday. Some do not. Simply put: Good Friday is the day we pause and remember that Jesus gave up His life to say to each one of us… “I would rather die for you than live without you.” For those of you who KNOW this is true…let it humble you. For those of you who WONDER if it is true…nothing has ever been...
Read MoreKing Solomon on Twitter
Sunday we looked at the whole book of Ecclesiastes. It has lots of nuggets in the midst of about 35-40 uses of the word “meaningless.” [Insert heavy sigh] Several people were wondering about the King Solomon Twitter handle. Actually, I made up @Wisest_Guy_Ever and all the tweets. It was my way of summarizing the nuggets of truth/challenge/encouragement I found as I read Ecclesiastes. (I also had one person let me know that @Wisest_Guy_Ever is available in case anyone wants to start posting as King Solomon!) Today I thought I’d simply share these tweets as pictures…and...
Read MoreWorship Lived Out
Sunday we kicked of a 3-week focus on Justice. The next two weeks we will look at the very specific issues of slavery and sex-trafficking. This week, we took more of a “30,000 Feet View.” For those of you who weren’t there, we hung out in Isaiah 58. The essential question was: Are we going to simply “do” justice, or are we going to “be” justice people? If we are going to be the church God calls us to be, justice can’t be a once-a-year-for-the-month-of-January focus. It needs to be an every-day-and-all-the-time identity we live out. Are you in? By the way … the amazing news...
Read MoreWhy? … or Who?
On Sunday, we kicked off the new year by diving headlong into the happy-go-lucky Book of Job. (wink, wink) Bottom line: We all have unanswered “Why?” questions. We all struggle. We are all confused by God’s plan and God’s timing. We all want to know what He’s up to and why He does what He does. We turn to Job – a man who suffered mightily – and hope we’ll find answers to our “Why?” questions. But we don’t. God doesn’t answer the “Why?” questions of Job. (Even though has asks it 19 times!) He only answers the...
Read More9 Psalms That Help You Examine Your Heart
I have shared several times why reading chronologically is my favorite way to do a Bible Read Thru. One reason is the positive impact reading chronologically has on the way we experience the Psalms. Some people love the Psalms and can soak in its pages for hours on end. Truth be told…I’m not one of those people. Since most of the Psalms are poems or song lyrics, I find that reading a few – or even one! – at a time works best for me. Enter chronological reading. When you’re reading chronologically, the Psalms show up as “seasoning” in the overall meal...
Read MoreWhy I Love This Place!
“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” (Hebrews 10:24) I left church on Sunday with a smile on my face. I love this place. I didn’t just start loving it. I’ve loved Creekside for a long time. More than a decade actually. On Sunday, I was reminded why I love this place. Here are just three of the reasons. (You’ll want to keep reading. I put the best one last.) Reason One: People actually like each other. I have never seen a church that likes to simply “hang out” as much as Creekside. Old people. Young people....
Read MoreA Necessary Nearness
“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him …” (Nahum 1:7) Is it just me, or is there a ton of hard stuff going on right now? Globally – we have wars all over, medical epidemics in Africa, and jetliners mysteriously disappearing then crashing 1,000 miles off course. Locally – we have the huge mudslide impacting hundreds of families. In our own church we have so many who are struggling medically, relationally, spiritually, and vocationally. Ugh. In the midst of all this, my 2014 Bible Read Thru has me smack-dab in the...
Read MoreWant to get the “Big Picture” in the next 4 months?
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful…” (2 Timothy 3:16) Happy New Year! Seems like this time of year, the two most common resolutions have to do with exercise and Bible reading. Goes something like this: Resolution 1: I’m going to exercise every day until I lose 25 pounds. Resolution 2: I’m going to have a quiet time every day. The problem: Most of us make the resolution, but we don’t make a PLAN. Many of you know this, but every year since 2010 I have spent January through April doing a “Bible Read Thru.” (And yes…that’s the whole Bible in four...
Read MoreHow Doing Something For My Kids Surprised Me (In All The Right Ways)
“We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.” (Psalm 78:4) Last month, as school was about to start, I wrote this post on my blog: “5 Simple Ways to Connect Your Kids with the Bible as School Starts.” If you decide you want to read it, I would LOVE to hear your ideas as well. Kari and I decided to implement #1 right away: Tape a verse smack dab in the middle of the bathroom mirror. We haven’t done it every day, but most days the kids wake...
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