Thanking God at mealtime is “saying grace.” This comes from the New Testament’s word for gratitude. It means “good grace.” When you say grace you’re saying, “Lord, this meal is grace and your grace is good! Thanks!” The New Testament also teaches us that saying grace in the sense of thanking God isn’t just for […]
Words work wonders or woes. They’re penicillin or poison, scalpel or shrapnel, friend or foe. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). You agree, right? After all, who among us hasn’t struggled with PTSD—post-traumatic speech discomfort—after being hammered with criticism or slammed with sarcasm? Or driven for days—top down, sunglasses […]
History knows England’s King James I as “the wisest fool in Christendom.” He was personally intelligent but politically inept. In a different sense, every Christian is a wise fool. That’s because the wisest thing in the world is being a “fool for Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:10). The Mary who was sibling to Lazarus and Martha […]
She was one of those out-going, easy to be around people who never make you feel like a pair of brown shoes in a room full of tuxedoes. She’d have been a great ambassador for America. I’m sure she’s been one for her husband. He needed one. He became a pastor. She graced us with […]
I’m a Grace Focused Optimist. I live with The Christian Attitude toward life. That’s optimism . . . the optimism that through Jesus my life is a grace G.O.O.D. A God orchestrated opportunity for development (into Christlikeness) through disposition (optimism) for doxology (giving God glory). Today we conclude our series on the O in our […]
As a Grace Focused Optimist I face life with The Christian Attitude of optimism that my life is a grace G.O.O.D.—a God orchestrated opportunity for development, disposition, and doxology. In the last two posts we’ve examined the truth that O is for Orchestration by answering the questions “Why do bad things happen to Christians?” and […]
In last week’s post, we looked at the Bible’s answer to the question, “Why Do Bad Things Happen to Christians?”. The Bible says, “Because God orchestrates them.” His DNA’s on every one of them. This answer raises another tough question: “How can God love us yet subject us to pain?” A 19th century preacher advised […]
The Christian Attitude toward life is the optimism that through Jesus my life is a grace G.O.O.D.: a God orchestrated opportunity for development, disposition, and doxology. Having looked at the “G” (“G” is for God) in the acronym, we move now to the first “O.” It stands for orchestration. Orchestration means arrangement. Arrangement involves two things: first, it involves a goal; secondly, it involves […]
One of my all-time favorite people is the late, great baseball Hall of Famer Dizzy Dean. Diz was a piece of work in the best sense of the phrase. He loved to talk. Especially about himself and his brother Paul. Many a Dizzy sentence began with the words, “Me and Paul.” I know, I know. […]
In a previous post, I shared with you the “how” of a prayer lesson I learned from the Old Testament man named Nehemiah. Our ancient cousin taught me how to pray my way through my day with brief, pointed prayers. Now I’d like to share with you what Nehemiah taught me about the “why” of […]
