Discipleship
The Calling of Matthew
The confrontations we noted last week wherein the scribes and Pharisees were incredulous that Jesus ate and drank with tax-gatherers and sinners stemmed from (on one occasion, at least) Jesus’ invitation to Matthew to follow him.1 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, ‘Why…
Read MoreThere Are No Priorities
Originally, the word “priority” was a mass noun, meaning it cannot be modified by an indefinite article and it cannot be made plural. There is only priority, not priorities, and not a top priority with lesser priorities beneath it. From the purist vantage-point, “priorities” is an oxymoron, an incongruity. It is self-contradictory. That said, I…
Read MoreThe Christ-Follower’s Response to National Rioting, Looting, and Outrage (Part 2)
Last week we saw how we are in a battle, and that even though the battle is waged against enemies in the heavenly realm, it is very much ours to fight. It is an unfamiliar battle, one fought not with arrows, bullets, or even rhetoric. Neither is it a struggle engaged on the field of politics or…
Read MoreThe Peril of Willful Disobedience
Some people are oblivious. Or perhaps they are aware but simply do not care. Or maybe it is that they are aware but don’t believe X, Y, or Z applies to them. For months, now, our local Safeway store has had arrows on the floor designating one-way aisles. I have been diligent to observe these…
Read MoreThe Importance of Understanding Hyperbole
We could argue at length regarding what is the most misused word in the English language today, but I do not believe we could argue that one of the top ten misapplied terms is the word, “literally.” It literally drives me nuts! Well, no, not literally. I am still quite sane. “I literally died laughing.”…
Read MoreWill You Forgive Me?
While attending a speaker conference in Arizona, I made a request of a friend and in doing so, unknowingly put her in a difficult, awkward position. When I realized what I’d done, I pulled my friend aside and began apologizing, tears in my eyes, genuinely sorrowful for what I’d done. When my friend saw how…
Read MoreRejoicing, Not as an Emotion, But as a Duty
I’m writing this blog posting with just a bit of a grumpy spirit. I’m dealing with some pain issues and trying very hard not to take pain pills. A short time ago, I was leaning over the edge of the hot tub sucking debris out of the bottom when I felt a huge CRACK in my lower-left…
Read MoreListen Well / Hear Well
Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.Eyes and ears and mouth and nose.Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes. Fess up! If you have kids you’ve performed that aria. Indeed, many of you read it with the melody playing in your head as…
Read MoreThese Things (Part 2)
This week, we take our second look at the apostle Peter’s repeated use of the phrase “these things” – ταυτα. By way of reminder, this is a single word, “these,” in the Greek text, but the various translations will append “things,” or “qualities,” or some other phrase-completing word because it feels awkward in English to…
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