April 26, 2012
We spend a lot of our time teaching that words matter. When it comes to the Word of God, each individual word matters. Sometimes as we strive to walk in a manner worthy, we can actually get tripped up over an interpretation of God’s Word. We read a verse, then “claim” it for a particular circumstance and later become very confused when the outcome doesn’t match our expectation.
Let me give you an example that may be painfully familiar. Two verses – two wonderful, comforting promises from the New…
April 21, 2012
While it is true that a myriad of factors might motivate proper behavior (like a grandmother reminding us to “Be Pretty!”) our deepest reason to live a life above reproach is so that we may please Christ in all respects. This is far beyond a list of behaviors one should or shouldn’t do. In fact, 1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” To bring God glory means we RE-present him to those around us…
April 14, 2012
One of my favorite questions to ask when I teach a concept is, “What would that look like?” To phrase it another way, “How can I live out this truth in my life?” Because our heart’s desire is to pour “Words of Worth” into your lives, we often blog about our words and how to use (or not use) them as we go about our day and business. But what would it “look like” to walk out what we are learning about God’s Word? How can we “WALK the…
April 6, 2012
Not much beats reading a good story! At least that is what Cammy and I believe, even though our reading interests and tastes vary from time to time. However, one thing we agree makes for a good book is a storyline that is redemptive. And apparently the “experts” on powerful storytelling also agree because they list redemption as one of the key elements of a great story.
According to the “story authorities”, a story is powerfully told when it touches and moves people in such a way that it…
March 31, 2012
The Easter season always conjures up a childhood memory for me—dyeing Easter eggs while watching The Lawrence Welk Show. I’m not sure it is a good idea to admit that I watched The Lawrence Welk Show. I’m not sure it was cool to watch it. I’m not sure if any of my friends watched it or would even admit it if they did. But I am sure that I colored eggs and watched the Lawrence Welk Easter Show on Saturday night, on ABC. And I am…
March 22, 2012
Since the beginning of 2012, we have blogged on Joy Makers and Joy Takers. From “Being Found a Pencil” to “Great Expectations”, we hope our weekly posts have brought you great joy! Now we would like to hear from you. What are the Joy Makers in your life? Please comment by clicking on the “leave a comment” phrase. We look forward to hearing about what brings you great joy.
March 15, 2012
A friend of mine and I often joke about lowering our expectations. “Expect nothing,” we say, “and then you might be pleasantly surprised!” For some reason, that always makes us laugh, although sometimes a bit ruefully if we have had our hopes dashed or we are facing a difficult situation. But one morning, these words from the book of Joshua leapt off the page at me:
“Then Joshua said to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.’” Joshua 3:5
The word for “consecrate”…
March 10, 2012
Happiness is finding a pencil. Or so sings Charlie Brown after he realizes how human the little red-headed girl is:
“I’m so happy. That little red-headed girl dropped her pencil.It has teeth marks all over it. She nibbles her pencil. She’s human! It hasn’t been such a bad day after all.”
I’m partial to that part of the song because I am extremely partial to pencils. My most preferred writing tool is the mechanical pencil. One reason I prefer pencils is because they best showcase all the hours of Palmer…
March 2, 2012
If Dr. Suess were still alive, he would be 107 today. In case you missed that bit of news, I only knew because my 5th grade daughter went tearing through the house last night trying to find her stuffed elephant Horton, from “Horton Hears a Who”. But if she had forgotten, the parking lot attendant dressed as the Cat in the Hat would have clued me in this morning when I drove to the elementary school.
My favorite Dr. Suess book (written under the name Theo LeSieg) is “I Wish…
February 24, 2012
My most favorite math skill, and probably the only one I truly enjoy and use every day of my life, is the skill of counting. I love to count things and I love for things I do to count. For example, I love to count how many days there are until Christmas vacation and I like for my good deeds to count. In other words, I like for my neighbors to notice when I scrape the ice and snow off their cars. At those times, I’m tempted to…
We spend a lot of our time teaching that words matter. When it comes to the Word of God, each individual word matters. Sometimes as we strive to walk in a manner worthy, we can actually get tripped up over an interpretation of God’s Word. We read a verse, then “claim” it for a particular circumstance and later become very confused when the outcome doesn’t match our expectation. 
