Why Joshua?

Joshua already had the preparation for ministry of having been Moses’ servant since his youth (Numbers 11:28). He had faith to be one of the two spies who believed that Yahweh was capable of fulfilling His declaration that He would give the descendants of Jacob the land that had belonged to the descendants of Canaan (Numbers 14:8). In Exodus 33:7-11, […]

Testing Your Effectiveness

When Jesus instructed that someone could be known by their fruit (Matthew 7:16 & 20) He was referring to false prophets. When He taught about pruning, He was referring to branches that were in Him (John 15:2). Branches that don’t produce fruit are removed, and branches that produce fruit are pruned, so that they produce more fruit. In Acts 14:8-20, […]

Preparing for the Race

1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13 The text for this blog is in the Book. Reading it will likely give you access to encouragement and advice about how to prepare for your work and your purpose. 19-23 Lay down your life 24-27 What matters most is at the end of the race, not during it 1-5 Learn from Israel how to partake of […]

Defragging the Church

If you have a laptop or desk model personal computer, it has a hard drive. That’s the place where what you save is stored and where the information that makes your programs run is stored. If you save a picture, or a music file, or a letter or other document, the hard drive spins through its list of unused space, […]

On Being Awesome

Being well rounded with regard to your education and social preparation for life may make you less offensive, or better equipped to converse at parties, but it doesn’t lead to awesomeness. It is really maybe just being mediocre at many things. In order to attain awesomeness, you become offensive on days. Challenging on days. You can’t even stand yourself on […]

Skeletons

You have a skeleton. A beetle has an exoskeleton. If someone tried to install an exoskeleton on your body, it would range in effect somewhere between a space suit and an iron maiden. Structure in a building gives it strength and shape. While a building is being constructed, a system of scaffolding is frequently used around it. As we build […]

Leaving Something

Most of the people who are remembered after they die are remembered in terms of what they built. All building isn’t measured in terms of “buildings,” but sometimes in terms of what was happening that needed to stop, or a process that was created, or a freedom that was established. I haven’t counted, but it seems that the percentage is […]

The Focus

  We should be focused on Jesus. That shouldn’t be news. While we stare at His face in wonder and love, we should note what He is focused on, though. One day His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, like John had taught his disciples to pray. He responded with a model prayer. One day, He was looking […]

Authorization

When and how does someone get authorization to tell you what to do or not to do? What are the limits of what they can say and on what subjects? Somewhere between the bookends of the Shepherding Movement and the idea that even Jesus shouldn’t be trying to run my life, is the liberty found in the law of the […]