The Surest Way To Work Up A Crusade
“The surest way to work up a crusade in favor of some good cause is to promise people they will have a chance of maltreating someone. To be able to destroy with good conscience, to be able to behave badly and call your bad behavior ‘righteous indignation’–this is the height of psychological luxury, the most delicious of moral treats.”
–Aldous Huxley
“for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” James 1:20
You might also like: The Article About Anger That Might Make You Angry
The Consequences Of Ignoring Jesus: God’s Way, Your Way, And Your Crushed Spirit
(From the archives, an article that’s been trending lately: The Consequences of Ignoring God)
Guilt, Fear, And A Crushed Spirit
Continuing our series on suffering, today we’ll look at how ignoring God can crush your spirit.
Proverbs 28:1 says,
The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, But the righteous are bold as a lion.
Why is that do you think? Why do the wicked flee when no one is pursuing?
The proverb is a reference to Read More
The Article About Anger That Might Make You Angry
Cain and Abel by Josep Vergara, 18th Century
The Article About Anger That Might Make You Angry
I have to confess, I was reluctant to write and publish this article about anger, because I’m concerned it will make people angry. But maybe in spite of my better judgment . . .
Jesus Nerd
If you follow my Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ accounts you know I put up scripture on these almost every day. More than one person has criticized me for it, but what can I say — I’m a Jesus nerd. I’m completely fascinated by this ancient Jewish Rabbi, so much so that I just can’t help myself. I want to learn all that I can about him, and I want to share him with others. Anyway, recently, on Facebook, I posted the words from Jesus, “. . . I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment…” (Matthew 5:22) And a friend of mine, Danny, asked in the comment section, “What do you think is meant by ‘brother’?” Read More
What It Takes To Be Glad About Jesus: John 6:16-21
“I AM” Walking On Water
In our last post from the book of John we left off with Jesus withdrawing into the mountains to escape the crowd of 5,000 who wanted to make him king by force, after he fed them. And around this time, Jesus tells his disciples to take a boat to Capernaum. So that’s what happens. Jesus heads to the mountain and the disciples jump into a boat and start to row across the Sea of Galilee toward Capernaum. I don’t know if you’ve ever rowed a boat before, but if you have you know Read More
Monty Williams’s Words At His Wife’s Memorial Service
Wise Words
Last Tuesday, in Oklahoma City, a car crossed the centerline and collided head on with the vehicle of Ingrid Williams, the wife of Monty Williams, an assistant coach for the OKC Thunder and former head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. Monty’s wife was killed in the crash. They have five children.
Last night on TNT’s NBA halftime show, rather than talk about hoops they aired this video of “what Monty Williams had to say in the wake of unspeakable tragedy.”
What Happens When You Forget Eternity
“When you forget eternity, you tend to lose sight of what’s important. When you lose sight of what’s truly important, you live for what is temporary, and your heart seeks satisfaction where it cannot be found… Let the values of eternity be the values that shape your living today, and keep telling yourself that the difficulties of today will someday completely pass away.” —Paul Tripp
So we do not Read More
Martin Luther King–And Anger
“I had spoken hastily and resentfully. Yet I knew that this was no way to solve a problem. ‘You must not harbor anger,’ I admonished myself. ‘You must be willing to suffer the anger of the opponent, and yet not return anger. You must not become bitter. No matter how emotional your opponents are, you must be calm.” –Martin Luther King
I’m reminded of Jesus’ words when he said, “…go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.'” (Matthew 9:13)
He quoted this scripture from Hosea–twice. (Hosea 6:6, Matthew 9:13, 12:7)
God loves mercy, and more than that, God wants us to Read More
Myra Thompson, a relative of one of the Charleston shooting victims said this:
Myra Thompson, a relative of one of the Charleston shooting victims:
“I forgive him and my family forgives him. But we would like him to take this opportunity to repent” and “give your life to the one who matters most: Christ.”
.
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References:
Powerful Words of Forgiveness, Washington Post, June 19, 2015
Joseph And The War Vet: How Both Were Forgotten
It’s Memorial Day weekend, the time we take to honor those who died while serving our country. In today’s post we’ll look at the life of Joseph and what he had in common with one U.S. war vet who died much later than you would imagine.
Genesis 40:8-23
Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer and baker each have dreams on the same night. Joseph, their fellow prisoner, sees they’re dejected because they recognize the dreams as having meaning, but they can’t figure out the interpretation. So Joseph asks them the rhetorical question, “Do not interpretations belong to God?”
So the cupbearer decides to share his dream with Joseph.
The cupbearer, says, In my dream I see Read More
But I Thought This Was A Hotel
I recently read about a gym where actors go to get in shape for movie roles. Read More
Easter And Your Fear Of Death
The Fountain
Kathy and I just finished watching The Fountain, starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. IMDB describes the movie this way: “As a modern-day scientist, Tommy (Jackman) is struggling with mortality, desperately searching for the medical breakthrough that will save the life of his cancer-stricken wife, Izzi (Rachel Weisz).”
Jackman’s character Tommy is obsessed with finding a cure for his wife’s cancer to the point where he devotes nearly all his time to his research, often at the expense of his relationship with his dying Izzi. He’s consumed with finding the answer to the problem of death.
Death, Dying, And Easter
I think Easter is one of the most relevant times possible for us to explore our anxiety over our own mortality. I know there are some this Easter who are struggling with the fear of death. And there’s a logic to it because the reality is, despite the amazing progress of science and medicine, one statistic about death remains completely unchanged: 100% of us die. And that inspires fear.
Life insurance companies know this. We see them play on this fear in advertisements on TV and on the internet. The content creators of mass media also recognize our fear of death. When they feature articles about health remedies that promise to help us live longer, they know they’ll attract readers, listeners, and viewers (which in turn attracts advertisers–some of which might be life insurance companies).
But what we fear, I think, is not death itself, but Read More
