Monthly Archives: December 2010
Is The Perfect Family Size Really 3 Kids?
Here’s a question for you, “How many children would you like to have?” This question was asked by Rick and Jan Hess to a group of singles in a survey they gave to four evangelical churches (Berean, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Evangelical Free, and General Conference Baptist) and one Bible College. The average answer? 3.2 …
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Christmas Eve on the Piano, from my Fireside to Yours
As you enjoy time with your own families this Christmas, and as you sit on the hearth sipping a cup of hot chocolate next to a warm, crackling fire enjoying a good book, here’s something else to add to the ambience: From my fireside to yours, a few carols on ye olde grand piano. Oh …
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Challenging Status Quo, from the Bride Rebekah to the Bride the Church
Safety, comfort, and stability are basic goals for all civilizations. Here in America we’ve perhaps attained those goals closer than any other civilization, past or present. Here’s my question, “For Followers of Jesus, should safety, comfort, and stability be our goals as well?” I’ve been struck with how flippantly I treat characters in the Bible. …
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Lifeless Christmas Lights Symbolic of Relational Shallowness in Middle Class Suburbia
Have you ever thought about the three bedroom house, the literal cornerstone of modern civilization? … Today a housing tract of 3,000 houses is planned and built, then 10,000 people come out for the grand opening, buy up the houses and, almost like programmed robots, move in with their matching furniture, draw the drapes, turn …
Hope for Even the Biggest Losers
Can The Worst Become Best? Ever notice how the worst often becomes the best? The kid with worst teeth gets braces, making his the straightest on the block. Saul, the persecutor of Christians, becomes Paul, the Christian Apostle. Granted, sometimes the worst stays the worst. Some kids have terribly crooked teeth with no opportunity to …
Some Christmas Audio For You!
I love this rendition of the Christmas Story, read by Steven Curtis Chapman’s daughter, Shaoey: [audio:http://simplefollower.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/01_-_Luke_27-14_As_Told_By_Shaoey.mp3] And this song by Michael W. Smith always gives me chills… [audio:http://simplefollower.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/07_-_All_Is_Well.mp3]
Verses Supporting the Trinity in the Bible
Gen 1:26, “Then God Said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…” So who is the “us” this verse refers to? My friend Jay explained to me the three common positions: It’s a reference to the Trinity It’s a literary technique showing glory through what’s known as a “majestic plural” (yeah, news …
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What Legacy Will We Leave?
Recently I overheard a man on the phone talking to a funeral home. The conversation went something like this: "My sister died Friday. No, we weren’t very close. Yeah… it’s a strange story, haven’t seen her in years. We’re estranged. Sure. Now, you need to understand our family is very small so I want to …
The Dangerous and Beautiful God
Jay is a friend of mine. He gave a message recently verbalizing a vision of the might and majesty of the God of the Bible and to help us understand better his awesomeness, his mightiness, his beauty, and his fierceness. It’s really worth hearing, listen to it here. If nothing else, listen to the first …
Sharing Christmas Cheer (i.e. some recent articles)
Sparring With a Bell Ringer Every day Will Miller tells a story from his life. This post describes a run in he had with a bell ringer at the mall. William is quick on his feet, quicker than I. He explores the question, "Should we be giving out of guilt?" 1 Simple Strategy to Save …
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How to Make a Big Difference in This World
I’m going to start with a random question: What makes a story newsworthy? What type of events do the press pick up on? Here’s my answer: 1) Stories that affect one or a few people a lot – Headline Examples: "Hiker falls in volcano" "Miners trapped after explosion" 2) Stories that affect many …
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Can I Recommend Irresistible Revolution?
The book, Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne challenges nearly every aspect of American "churchianity." The revolution Shane describes is nothing less than a call to follow Jesus literally in the way He lived and taught. Shane’s interpretation of what it means to be a Christian looks far different than we …
Being a Follower of Jesus Means Praying
Picking up from yesterday’s post about what Christian’s can and can’t do, I want to suggest that perhaps the foremost activity which should characterize a Believer’s life is PRAYER: "As is the business of tailors to make clothes and cobblers to make shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray." -Martin Luther For …
Christians Can’t DO Anything? Wrong!
Was talking with an older man recently who was bemoaning the fact there is nothing for Christians to do. "It’s a problem now, it was a problem when I was a kid, it’s always been a problem. If you can’t watch movies, can’t dance, can’t do anything bad, what can you do?" There was a …