Consider this

  Sometimes people say things like, “If I win the lottery, I am going to be really generous”, or “When I retire, I will make time for what is really important. I will look after others and take care of them”. When I hear these statements, I often think, “Ok, but what are you doing now?”   It is easy to have good intentions. It is great to dream about what might be someday. However, the real test is not “What might you do?”, but “What are you doing right now?” If you are not being generous with the time or money you have now, you are unlikely to start later.    Jesus said, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20). When this verse is taught, often the focus is on the “moving mountain” part. We want to be part of something big, notable and impressive. However, that is not the starting point. The starting point is the small, mustar...

    When I was young, it seemed that everything was getting better. I graduated from high school, went to Bible college and felt more independent and grown up. I started making my own money and had some financial freedom. I got married, bought a house, and had kids. Life was not perfect, but it was moving in a good direction. Lately, that has changed. Now, things feel like they are going the other direction. My kids have grown up, and the house is a little emptier. Friends I enjoyed hanging out with have moved away. People I looked up to and respected have passed on. My health, something I never gave a second thought to when I was younger, takes up more of my attention these days. People I care about are facing the prospect of selling their home and downsizing, or moving to an assisted living facility. Instead of gaining, it feels like life is going backwards. One aid to navigate these transitions is the Book of Ecclesiastes. In it, elde...

 Dreams are fine. Good intentions are great. However, nothing happens if we never start.  https://youtu.be/VC_z58zeycQ  

  “You must learn to enjoy life without needing an audience to see that you are enjoying life” – Unknown Source.   One of the lost arts is knowing who you are and how you are doing without outside approval. Of course, social media does not help this problem. It seems we cannot do anything without telling everyone how talented we are or showing how much fun we are having.   Honestly, I get it! Celebrating achievements with friends and family is important. We all want to be seen, and the desire for external validation is real. However, there is a thin line between healthy sharing and competition that makes each person better, to comparing ourselves with those around us in a way that undermines our relationships.   In 1 Corinthians 13, we find a list of what love does and does not do. Consider this part, “(Love) does not envy, it does not boast” (verse 4). Envy focuses my attention on what others have that I do not. Often, this produces feelings of shame and emb...

Things change. Always. The question isn't "How do we stop that?", but rather, "What are we supposed to learn from it?"  https://youtu.be/ECxnQwRFyXI  

  The Bible did not come with chapters and verses. They were added later to help people find specific sections more quickly. One unintended consequence, though, is that sometimes those chapters and verses break up portions of scripture that were meant to be taken together. The end of Mark 6 and the start of Mark 7 is a good example.   First, we get a description of Jesus at the height of his popularity. “Wherever he went – into the villages, towns, or country – they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed” (Mark 6:56).   Next, because the religious leaders, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, wanted to investigate what Jesus was doing, they too went to the marketplace. However, their reaction to being with the common people was very different than Jesus’. “The Pharisees… do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing… When they come from the marketplac...