A book with 500 pages can be daunting. If I have a book of this nature recommended to me I will most often look to Amazon for an executive summary. If I’m really honest, there are times I’ll read that, a few of the reviews and then decide to stop. The idea of wading through the whole script seems just too daunting a task.
Read More relationships, ScriptureOur local town had the dubious honour of being selected for Oprah’s Million Dollar Neighbourhood reality show. The show is based on the premise that it will encourage and teach people how to get out of debt. The first show of the season is designed to reveal just how bad people’s finances are. Houses are about to be lost, hoarders are revealed, extreme shopping habits are exposed, etc. Watching this, the temptation for me was to self-righteously ask, “How could they?”
Read More wisdomIt’s settled—give your tithe (10% as determined elsewhere), do that first and you will have more than you’ll ever need (prosperity, wealth, success etc.).
Well, maybe.
Read More compassion, titheIf we look at life as being a journey that happens under the grace and provision of a loving God who provided a personal Saviour and a sustaining Holy Spirit, we can view pain and difficulty as a learning experience or as course correction.
Read More correctionThe synopsis of this scripture passage could be put in the form of a question. Do you want “stuff” or would you rather a long, happy, pleasant life full of wealth and honour?
A friend tells the story of his mother and aunt who ingeniously developed a way to navigate the stampede for Black Friday deals.
Read More wisdom, wealthThroughout the book of Proverbs the author exhorts us concerning the merits of a life lived with wisdom at the core. In these verses he stops and presents us with examples of how God used wisdom, knowledge and understanding. It might appear obvious that God would use these tools to create the majesty of the mountains, rivers of earth and the far flung reaches of space with its spectacular displays. And of course the complexity of the natural laws and the systems in our human bodies would require immeasurable wisdom and knowledge.
Read More wisdom, knowledge, understandingImagine sitting in a venue of unimaginable size, with an audience made up of the peoples of all the ages. The buzz in the crowd is electrifying as anticipation reaches a climax and the God of the universe, the alpha and the omega, steps forward and in a booming voice announces, “Use common sense and sound judgment”. That’s it?!
Read More common sense, sound judgmentCanadians enjoy the benefit of receiving a generous income tax deduction in return for charitable giving. As a leader of a Canadian charity, I recognize how important this is. But I recall chatting with a peer of mine from a Christian International Development charity in Europe. Their country did not provide tax incentives. When I explained our system he said, “You can’t call that charitable giving.”
Read More compassion, selfishnessFriendship—women gravitate to it and thrive with it. Men shrink from it but without it shrivel up and die. And for teenagers having friends is right up there with breathing.
We have the incredible privilege of friendship with God, not just an invitation to arrange for an audience with him at his pleasure.
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