Humble Boldness

 I was surprised recently to learn what the most common command is in the Bible.  Go ahead and guess what it is.  My first guess was: worship God.  Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to love God and the second greatest is to love our neighbor as ourselves.  But this is actually not the most repeated command in Scripture. The most common, most repeated, command in the Bible is "Do not be Afraid."  As someone who has struggled with anxiety recently this really struck me.  A lot of my anxiety comes from a fear of not being able to control the future.  What if this happens... What if that happens... And what if it's my fault.  But God repeatedly throughout Scripture commands us to not be afraid. I've been working on some Christmas messages lately and you find this command to not be afraid even in the Christmas story.  Joseph, Zechariah, Mary, and the shepherds are all told "do not be afraid."  There is something about the Chris...

I've been reading a really good book lately called "The Land Between."  It tells the story of the Israelites in the desert as they are between Egypt and the promised land.  Over and over again they long to be back in Egypt where they had food and were comfortable, even though they were slaves.  They complain, gripe, and lash out to Moses and God.  But, they are also on a path toward the promised land.  A land flowing with milk and honey and God's blessings.  They are in this strange in between place. I can relate so much to this analogy.  I miss 2019 and life before Covid.  I've complained a lot to God about how my church and job have changed overnight.  I hate social distancing and not being able to see people's faces because of masks.  Church is so different.  And we're not out of the woods yet, we're not through this pandemic thing.  We haven't reached the promised land of the "new normal."  For the Israelites, God used...

    The holidays will be different this year.  Back in March I think many of us were glad that Covid hadn't hit during the winter and during the holidays.  I don't think any of us expected it to go on this long either.  But, here we are.  About to enter the joyous holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's with Covid hanging over our heads.  For many, holidays can be hard by themselves: loss of loved ones the past year, stress of traveling, difficult family dynamics.  And this year we throw on top of all of it the stress of Covid, not being able to be around family, or having to do a zoom get together.  Fun!       As I was reading my Bible this morning I was struck by Paul's prayer in Colossians 1.  I love how Paul prays.  He always challenges my personal prayers for my friends and family.  But it was vv. 11-12 that really struck a chord with me.  Paul prays that the Colossians may be strengthe...

       I’m working this week on a sermon comparing guilt to shame.  Shame, as I’ve come to understand it has to do with who we are. Yes, we feel shame and are shamed by others, but shame is an identity. Whereas guilt is about something we’ve done.  Guilt has to do with being guilty over a crime or sin I’ve committed.       All of this has brought the issue of racism into my mind. Racism is about shame.  Racism attempts to take a person and identify them with negative stereotypes.  It becomes about who they are.        It may also have to do with guilt.  We make people feel guilty for their skin color.  We say “all such people do this.”  It also becomes an issue of what someone does, i.e. guilt.        Why? Why do we do this to other people? Why do we make someone feel bad for who they are?      I grew up in a majority white neighborhood and went to a majority...

    Recently, I was introduced to the Enneagram Test.  There's a great website that explains what it is and a pretty simple test to take to figure out your personality type.  Here's how they explain what it is: The Enneagram (Ennea=9, Gram=Diagram) is simply a map (GPS) for self-discovery and personal growth based on 9 basic personality types. The Enneagram accurately and clearly describes why you think, feel and behave in particular ways based upon your core fears and core desires. The power of the Enneagram is in its ability to harness and transform self-limiting behaviors into life-enhancing personal empowerment. The gift of the Enneagram is that through self-discovery, one can create and sustain meaningful and lasting relationships with others, God and themselves. When I took the test I came out as a Type 5 the Investigative Thinker.  Although I was pretty equal with the Type 3 the Successful Achiever.  Both fit me pretty well!  Here's th...

  For many years I thought that I had one great sin.  Something I hid, was ashamed of, and didn't tell many people.  This post is about lust and pornography.  I'm not going to get into gross detail about this topic, but if you want to skip this post I completely understand. But this is a topic that affects everyone. It has invaded our culture and effects so many people today.   I was introduced to pornography in elementary school, probably sometime around fourth grade.  My friend found his dad's playboy magazines. I still remember him pulling them out of his backpack in secret when he brought them to school. Or going over to his house and finding his dad's stash.  In middle school I found it online and was introduced to the playboy channel on TV by a babysitter.    It was a secret struggle for years.  I didn't tell my youth pastor, or my high school friends.  I didn't even tell my college friends, even though we were in an accountab...

     I thrive on routine. I love to get up early, drink coffee, finish good books, and be in sunlight. Vacations are really hard for me. Sure, I love to work, but vacations are also hard for me because my schedule and routine are thrown out the window. And I have great hobbies. Indoor hobbies like reading, coffee, music, and drawing. Outdoor hobbies like gardening and bike riding. But in all this, I struggle with boredom.   Routines get boring. Habits get dull. I sometimes just want to sleep rather than do anything good for me. It usually hits me toward the end of a week. Monday I’m great. Motivated. Ready to accomplish things. But by the end of the week I want something different. Adventure.  To go somewhere new. To experience something unexpected. Sometimes I'll go to Taco Bell or Taco John's late at night just to get away and something I shouldn't.   I love mission trips and traveling. There's this sense of adventure and seeing something new.  I lov...