Monthly Archives: July 2017
Q(uiet) T(ime) M(using)s for 7/28/17: 2 WAYS TO THROW BACK FLOUNDERING FAITH
Your life as a Christian should make nonbelievers question their disbelief in God. I’m not talking about your philosophy of religion or your preferences for worship or your favorite spiritual guru. Your philosophies and beliefs and membership in this or that church don’t amount to dryer lint if you don’t have a personal relationship with … Continue reading
2nd Cup for 7/26/17: YOU HAVE TODAY. DO SOMETHING WITH IT!
Today is the day where EVERYTHING changes if you want it to. There won’t be any perfect day in the future. Today is the perfect day–if you’re willing to use it. If you want it bad enough, what seems impossible up to now will one day become your warmup. “Strength isn’t given to you or … Continue reading
2nd Cup for 7/22/17: THE PASSWORD TO MY CIRCLE OF QUIET
Psalm 94:12-13, 18-19 puts it like this: “Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law; you grant him relief from days of trouble . . . When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy … Continue reading
QTMs for 7/18/17: “SO YOU’RE RETIRING, HUNH?”
I am. After 34 years of combined pastoral ministry and hospital chaplaincy, tonight at 7 PM the Kansas District of the Church of the Nazarene will confer upon me the title of Retired Elder. “And what does that mean? What changes does that bring?” None. My ministerial credentials remain the same. We’ll drive back … Continue reading
2nd Cup for 7/17/17: AS IF . . .
I don’t know any other way to live than by faith. I grew up with older parents who’d had three grade-schoolers during the Great Depression. Those three siblings are almost 20 years older than I. I never knew them as traditional siblings at home. They were gone and married before my birth. Their values, priorities, and … Continue reading
2nd Cup, 7/15/17; 6 WAYS TO SUNDAY
“Oh, man–they scattered six ways to Sunday!” Yeah. I wondered about that, too. There aren’t six ways to Sunday; there’s one, beginning with Monday. Tuesday follows, and like that. No matter how hard you try, you can’t bypass Thursday. And Friday? Fuggedaboudit. The idiom’s origin is unclear. Consensus: one way or the other, we will … Continue reading
Sunday Stroll, 7/9/17: 9 THINGS THAT MAKE THIS A TALL ORDER
This devotional prayer about Galatians 5:22-26 was in this morning’s inbox. “Dear Father, grower of spiritual fruit, “Let the fruit of the Spirit blossom, mature, and ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these. Let me possess them! “Since I belong to Christ, I … Continue reading
Granger: THE BLESSING
“You up for some breakfast? My treat.” Granger sat motionless for a second, staring at his cell phone as if it had grown nostrils. Sparks was a giving man, but had never yet offered such a treat. Smiling to himself, he agreed that was a spiffy idea. “Meet at Jimmies?” “Mm-hmph. Get a Rizzo table … Continue reading
100-Word Stroll, 7/4/17: FACING THE THREAT
The devil caught me with my head down and got excited until I looked up and said, “Amen.” I’ve been down before. It’s during those times I take comfort in 2 Corinthians 4:7-12. There’s a reason God leaves me on my own. I rarely know at the time what it is. Thankfully, I don’t have … Continue reading
2nd Cup for 7/3/17: TWO OLD FRIENDS, OVER COFFEE . . .
They sat comfortably sort of sideways from each other, letting silence say as much or more than their conversation. On the little table between them were two steaming mugs of fresh-ground coffee they’d bought in the Peets kiosk. Freedom and Responsibility went back a long ways. Their desultory chatting was of the type two old friends engage … Continue reading