Walking The Walk

"Do not conform to the pattern of this word, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. " ~Romans 12: 2 On Sunday, I shared a story about Gracie-- a German Shepherd puppy Valerie and I got when our youngest daughter Katie was little.   German Shepherds are strong even as puppies.   Gracie was stronger than most.   We had a cable lead we let her out on when she needed to go outside.   It was tethered to our flagpole in the backyard.   Gracie didn’t like that lead in the beginning.   She didn’t like being chained up.   And she’d pull on that lead, and strain against it, and yank on it.   She was so strong, even as a puppy, she’d shake that entire flagpole.   Eventually she learned she couldn’t break that lead and she quit trying to. But things changed.  Gracie grew to over 100 pounds—she became a very big and powerful dog. But w e never...

If corgis could read, I'd have Emma read Mark 10: 32-45 because she always thinks somebody should be serving her night and day! I lead a weekly Bible study at a local coffee shop on Wednesdays, and this week we were looking at Mark 10: 32-45.   This morning, w e had a really remarkable conversation about our tendency to put ourselves first.   In these verses, we find Jesus walking with his disciples toward Jerusalem, and two of his closest friends, James and John, come to him with what might be the boldest request in history. They say, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask." Then they drop the bomb, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."   Can you imagine that? These guys wanted the VIP seats in Jesus' kingdom! They wanted to be his right-hand men, the ones with the most power and prestige. It's like walking up to your boss and saying, "Hey, when you get that promotion, can we be your vice presid...

This morning I stopped to fill up my gas tank and couldn't believe my eyes—gas was 30 cents cheaper than last week!   After I filled up, I went inside, and the coffee was on special for just $1. With Thanksgiving approaching, I felt that was a good example of something to be grateful for, so I shared it on Facebook. And do you know what the response was? A few people got upset about it, because of the politics of the fuel prices coming down.   And that’s sad to me.   We've become a society that complains about high prices AND also complains when the prices go down. We've trained ourselves to find fault with everything, even good news!   And we wonder why we’re so unhappy! Scripture reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to "give thanks in all circumstances." Not just when everything's perfect, but in all circumstances, including when gas prices drop and coffee costs a dollar. I've made it my practice to actively notice and celebrate when things go righ...

I don’t know what you imagine a pastor’s life is like.   You probably imagine I spend a good deal of time in quiet contemplation and study as I prepare my weekly messages.   And when I’m not dispensing wisdom and radiating spiritually-driven leadership, I live a quiet, dignified and somewhat uneventful life. That couldn’t be further from the truth. We have somehow accumulated three dogs who have made it their personal mission to remind me daily that dignity is overrated. I usually blame my wife Valerie for this pack of chaos we live with, but the truth is, it's usually me.  One day I will learn to stay away from puppies. There's Daisy who is an eight-year-old chocolate lab (Valerie's baby).   She weighs about as much as a small refrigerator and has the enthusiasm of a toddler on Christmas morning. Then there is Scooter (he has certainly become my dog).   He is a three-year-old corgi, and thinks of himself as a four-legged comedian who specializes in physical...