On March 23, 1989, the colossal oil tanker Exxon Valdez, carrying 54 million gallons of Alaskan North Slope crude oil, prepared for its journey south to California. In the course of 8,700 previous voyages, heavily laden oil tankers had safely made this same journey out of Prince William Sound. Surely the crew of Exxon Valdez would do the same. Sometimes I find it helpful to take events like the Exxon Valdez oil spill, pull them apart, tease them in my mind, and see what spiritual lessons … [Read more...] about Avoiding Spiritual Shipwreck
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The Spiritual Olympics
Every four years we see the best athletes from around the world come together to compete against each other in what is known as the Olympic Games. Athletic prowess can be used to highlight our approach to spiritual development. The Apostle Paul certainly appeared to have been well acquainted with athletic achievement. The Olympic Games were established well before Paul’s time, so maybe due to his travels and familiarity with the area of Greece he was aware of the games being held in … [Read more...] about The Spiritual Olympics
Holy Days Pinpoint Priorities
The world has become a decidedly edgy place. There is tension and anxiety in the air. This is particularly observable in the political arena - especially in the realm of international relations. If we look at just one marker – political elections – the unease is clearly evident. In reaction to the developing of negative social conditions, there is often a trend to turn to “hard-line” leadership in the search for remedies. In Europe, and Germany in particular, the current leadership has suffered … [Read more...] about Holy Days Pinpoint Priorities
Glorifying God
After Samuel had been established as a prophet replacing the disgraced Eli, God allowed the Philistines to have a military victory over Israel. The Philistines captured the ark of God. After a lengthy period, King David prepared a place in the City of David to accommodate the ark. As the ark was returned to the tabernacle, David celebrated and wrote a psalm to thank and praise God. In this psalm is the direction that God’s people are to “Give to the Lord the glory due His name” (1 Chronicles … [Read more...] about Glorifying God
Choose Life
As God prepared Israel for its occupation of the land of Canaan – the land He had promised them – He firmly reminded them of the centrality of His law to their existence. He told them that His commandments were near to them – in their hearts (Deuteronomy 30:11-14). God’s law set two clear and distinct ways of life before them. On the one hand was life and good, while on the other was death and evil. The law defined these two ways, so they were clearly discernable. The assault on God’s law … [Read more...] about Choose Life
A Positive Outlook
We can learn a lot from what God has designed in nature. Take the honeybee for instance. A close observation would reveal seemingly tireless workers. They routinely will carry dirty foreign matter out of the hive to keep their product clean and pure. Some of them faithfully take care of the one queen bee that is responsible for laying the eggs that will hatch and ensure the growth of the colony. Most of the bees spend their daylight hours flying as far as three miles in one direction to find … [Read more...] about A Positive Outlook
Pull Up Tent Pegs and Move Forward!
Ambiguity is one of our greatest challenges because, as a rule, we like structure, routine, and the ability to know what’s coming next. When we find ourselves in ambiguous situations, our trusted reference points seem to move, and we become disoriented. We may even question the basic principles of truth, causing us to struggle with decision making and become paralyzed by inaction. Leonardo da Vinci put it this way, “Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation...even so does … [Read more...] about Pull Up Tent Pegs and Move Forward!