Arrogance
The Time for Boasting is Now
Few things are as off-putting to me as arrogance, the smug superiority that constantly looks down upon “lesser beings.” I recently finished reading Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice. As I read, I was repulsed by the self-importance and snobbery reeking from Lady Catherine de Bourgh in almost every scene in which she appeared. Lady Catherine was…
Read MoreThe Two-Sided Coin – Pride & Idol Worship
One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from Randy Alcorn, the founder of Eternal Perspective ministries. Speaking of popular or notorious leaders, Randy said, “The greatest danger of notoriety is you start thinking about you. People, then, exist to serve you, exactly the opposite of what Christ modeled.” Succinct and powerful. Aside from the…
Read MoreDangerous Egos in the Pastorate
Some speakers who bear the name of Christ are so excellent at presentation that they hold us spellbound as they speak. We are mesmerized by their eloquence, their ability to articulate complex ideas in captivating ways, moving seamlessly from one point to the next with skill and ease. So enchanting is this grandiloquence, that the…
Read MoreA Celebration of Weakness
I am about halfway through Eric Metaxas’ biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It is a fascinating read, one filled with tidbits of information I did not previously know, as well as fuller explanations and backstory regarding things I did know. Metaxas is walking through Bonhoeffer’s life chronologically, and I have read as far as the mid-1930s.…
Read MoreKeeping Your Focus on What Matters
A while back, I was in the Oakland California airport, working my way through TSA security for my flight home following an event sponsored by West Coast Christian Writers. As I shuffled through the security cattle stalls, I noted that the screening process was significantly slower, and more stringent than anything I had previously experienced,…
Read MoreSpiritual Trophies
“I led Ignatias Fibwitz to the Lord last week.” I hear this line, in various forms, quite frequently. Indeed, I heard it just last evening. “I led this person to the Lord,” or “I led that person to the Lord.” I get it. I understand what the person saying this means, yet, I confess that…
Read MoreArrogant Ignorance
The Dunning-Kruger effect, so named after David Dunning and Justin Kruger of Cornell University, describes a mentality wherein someone rates their knowledge or skill as being well beyond what it actually is. Think of it as the self-assessment that drives men and women completely lacking in musical skill to audition for American Idol, and then…
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