What Makes You Valuable?

The world is loud and clear that what makes you valuable is your ability to help or advance the person assigning value. If you can advance their career, benefit their family, or assist someone in something valuable to them, then you have value. Bottom line – your value is based on my perception of your [...]

Detroit Church Fasts and Prays for a Bailout for Automakers

The Greater Grace Temple in Detroit had a Sunday service devoted to God moving Congress to grant a bailout to the auto industry. With 3 SUV’s on the stage Charles Ellis organized a service to encourage members, many of whom have pensions from the auto industry and to pray that God would work things out. [...]

The Gospel Doesn’t Need Spin

We live in a culture of spin. We saw it in the presidential debating. We also see it in commercials. I saw a commercial today for Progresso Soup that made the claim 7 out of 10 people prefer Progresso Soup over Campbell’s in a national taste test. On the bottom of the screen the fine [...]

Addiction, Blessings, and the Book of Job

One of the best definitions of addiction I have come across is someone who treats objects like people and people like objects. People become something to be used rather than someone to have a relationship with. Objects transform from something to be used to someone to have a relationship with. Funny thing is the way [...]

Tide to Go and the Talking Stain

This has to be one of the funniest commercials I have ever seen. Thank you Tide to Go and the Talking Stain. You made my day! What kind of awkward or embarrassing interview experiences have you had?

When I interviewed at the University of Florida for the doctoral program in clinical and [...]

Practical Christian Living – From Consumerism to Contentment

We are experiencing technical difficulties with our email due to a website server switcharoo and so I am posting the content of our next LIFE group lesson here. Feel free to give feedback.
Icebreaker: What would have been your favorite thing about living in the Garden of Eden?
Last week we talked about sin in the garden [...]

Kingdom Consumerism

In talking about Kingdom Consumerism Philip asks the question, “does the 1st Corinthians passage about unity (“I’m of Apollos, I’m of Cephas, I’m of Paul, I’m of Christ…”) bring anything to bear in addressing this issue? That is, in terms of churches making the statement, “I’m of Rick Warren, I’m of Bill Hybels, I’m of [...]

Just When You Thought You Owned Everything But a WordPress Hoodie…

After you purchase your new WordPress Hoodie here is something for you to consider…It is a nifty cover for your laptop for those sunny days on the beach. It is called, get this, “Lap Dome.” If I saw someone with that I would have a hard time not laughing. I am really sorry about that [...]

Losing our Sense of Wonder – John 2

When I read the story of Jesus clearing the temple I often wonder about how all those money changers got in there. Certainly no one walked up one day and said, “I have a great idea…let’s fill this place up so full of merchants that we will forget why we came here in the first [...]

Catching #756 & Finding Our Value

Barry Bonds hits home run 756 and the man who caught the ball, Matt Murphy, finds value. On the Today Show this morning Matt Lauer made the comment that this would change his life. Why is it that as a culture we find value in everyone else’s accomplishments? I think it was Tony Robbins (yes [...]