Not Ready

For decades, music played little role in my long rides. Most bikes didn’t have the technology then, or the wind drowned out the sound. For three years I did listen some with earbuds to Pandora on my Goldwing, but to be frank, I loved the sounds of silence more than the distractions of other people’s thoughts in music. Silence gave time to ponder, to examine my past and myself, both good and bad. Often the topic of why I made various choices came up. Why did my romantic relationships only last three months? Why did I not pursue some options for marriage, ones that sometimes came close? I always had jobs and paid the bills, but no jobs captivated me.

But the silence of the road…

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Love All

Back in July, a good friend and fellow pastor Dan DeWitt put up this quote from Dr. Mark Sandlin, and as our 2024 election approaches, it gives a fine reminder of the prime directive of all who follow Jesus. We often describe those on the opposite side of the fence as our enemy, and this comes from both sides. Dr. Mark Sandlin’s conclusion makes the issue pretty simple: people are either our neighbors or our enemies, but both are to be loved. Loving a person doesn’t mean…

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When God Pushes

Jesus last words to his followers commanded them to make disciples of all nations. Disciples make disciples. Seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it? But let’s reverse engineer that process by examining how Jesus describes a disciple. We can’t make disciples if we’re unclear about the goal. Remember, the Son of God has the authority to...

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Why Are We Here?

Hints of God appear everywhere, sometimes even in Parade magazine. Marilyn vos Savant, whom Guinness proclaims as having the highest recorded IQ score, responded in her column to a question from a Mensa member, “Why are we here?”

Savant replied, “I think it depends on your spiritual beliefs. If you have a religion, it provides the answer. But if you don't believe in a god, the question contradicts your thinking. Having a reason implies having a purpose, which...

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Be Careful of What You Ask For

Driving with Dad up Highway 395, along the imposing eastern face of the Sierra Nevada mountains, seeing their peaks piercing the sky, their almost plumb plummet from the crest to the valley floor, and exposed granite, intrigued me. Yeah, “God created it all,” but the how did more than puzzle—it astounded. Some decades later a good friend, Dick Markano, a UCLA geology grad, led a group from our church into the Sierra backcountry, and an unintended geology lesson emerged with my questioning. That tantalized me, and I yearned to take a night course on basic geology. Yet that desire was too far down the priority list to punch through into action.

Then, almost by chance...

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A Time to Leave?

“A perfect God has chosen to use imperfect churches to bring imperfect people to the perfect God.” So, how do we handle imperfect churches? And trust me, all are imperfect. I’ve been on staff at 5 churches, one that I planted, and none of them were all I yearned for. So let’s look at two questions: when might it be time to consider leaving a church, and how should we do it?

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God: Mystery and Certainty

Our perception of God drives our connection with him. View him as legalistic—rules and fear of failing will consume us. View him as gracious—we may take advantage and miss obedience. View him as distant, and we never discover intimacy. Understanding his nature motivated a long search, attempting to determine how he can be personal and immediate and simultaneously present in every cubic centimeter of the universe. Was he…

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