I have been more and more mindful of the changes in our world around systematization and corporatization. I had a front seat to the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, and I’ve been very mindful of the trends since then. The collective response in my industry to the 2008 financial crisis was a greater degree of government involvement, consolidation of financial institutions, and stronger regulations. The banking system was more systematized through regulation. What we saw was this regulation … [Read more...] about Systematization, Powers, & Living Apart
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The Pharisee in Us
After Solomon’s Temple was destroyed and the Jews were hauled off in the Babylonian exile, they could no longer come together at the temple in Jerusalem to worship, so they began to develop these local meeting locations where they could come to gather throughout the Babylonian Empire for prayer, to read scripture, and to receive instructions in God’s ways. As we move forward in time, by the third and second century BC, synagogues had become widespread throughout Judea, Asia Minor, Egypt and … [Read more...] about The Pharisee in Us
Why Dress Up for Church Services?
Most of us have heard the phrase, “God doesn’t care what you wear.” In one sense, that’s absolutely true. Scripture makes it clear that God looks at the heart, not outward appearance. Faith is not measured by fabric, and righteousness is not stitched into a suit jacket or pressed into a dress shirt. So why, then, do some people still choose to dress intentionally for church? For me, the answer came from an unexpected place: Psychology. Researchers studying a concept known as enclothed … [Read more...] about Why Dress Up for Church Services?
Out of Egypt Again: A Spiritual Pattern of Escape
The Days of Unleavened Bread are seven days of stepping away from leavened bread to step more fully into a life without sin. And more importantly, into a life of conscious dependence on God to make that possible. To the outside observer, it may seem odd, even extreme. But to those who keep it, the meaning runs core-deep. It's a living metaphor. Yes, the Israelites walked out of Egypt in one night. But the “Egypt” inside them took much longer to leave. The Days of Unleavened Bread … [Read more...] about Out of Egypt Again: A Spiritual Pattern of Escape
From Transaction to Transformation:
The Invisible Framework We Inherit: How Scripture Frames Law, Grace, Faith, and Salvation I’m sure most Christians assume they understand the relationship between law, grace, and salvation, yet few of us ever pause to examine the framework through which we interpret these concepts. There are, in fact, multiple ways of viewing these theological ideas, and like a pair of invisible glasses, this framework quietly shapes how Scripture is read, how the gospel is explained, and how discipleship is … [Read more...] about From Transaction to Transformation:
Christ and Moses – Parallel Prophets
Australian author Mark Robertson wrote The Enlightened Law of Moses, about the Old Testament. Most people think of the Bible in two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. And in thinking of the Old Testament, they think of that as the Law of Moses, a collection of old Jewish stories, obsolete statutes, sort of anachronistic, legalistic, and harsh. The New Testament, by contrast, is where all of that is done away, where Christ introduced grace and cast aside Israel to build a better … [Read more...] about Christ and Moses – Parallel Prophets
Subject Matter Experts
Today I want to go through a story about a fictitious, company, but with real-world events. At Acme Solutions, growth had stalled, projects dragged on. Compliance audits revealed gaps, and customers began losing confidence. The leadership team realized the root cause was a lack of deep expertise. Decisions were slow, errors were costly, and innovations was nowhere in sight. One day, the CEO posed a question, “What if we invest in knowledge instead of patching problems?” The answer came in the … [Read more...] about Subject Matter Experts