bondChristian

New, new, new, new, new.

First, a new year.

2009.

Amazing. 2008 is gone. No more Beijing Olympics in the middle of the night. No more Obama/McCain commercials in the middle of everything. No more economic meltdown. Well, I’ll leave that alone…

As I write this, it’s three days before Christmas. I’m still considering what to give. I have Christmas Eve obligations, so that cuts my shopping days down to two.

More importantly though, I’ve been considering how to give rather than what to give.

God gives gifts differently than we give gifts. God doesn’t expect a gift in return. God doesn’t worry about how much the gift costs. God doesn’t…

You’ve likely heard these definitions of grace:
Grace = unmerited favor
In simpler terms:
Grace = getting what you don’t deserve
Or applied biblically:
Grace = a gift from God
While I like each of these definitions for what they offer, I’d like to present a slightly different definition:
Grace = more than effort
I’ll come back to that. First, let me explain [...]

It’s a shame that so few of you ever consider how to ruin your reputation. Let’s remedy that.
photo credit: Mr. J Doe
Over the past week or more, I’ve become somewhat of an expert in this subject. So like any self-respecting self-reputation ruiner, I thought I’d share this knowledge with you.
I’ve personally pushed each of [...]

How’s it going? Do you have the first five verses down pat?

I don’t. I know all but 3 John 1:2. Once I have the Scripture reference, I can quote it fairly easily. But I have to think…

“A problem well stated is a problem half solved.” - John Dewey
You can’t solve problems because you don’t understand them.
There you are. You’re stressed. You’re irritable. You’re trying to solve a problem.
Take the classic problem of running out of sugar. To go along with the classic problem, the classic solution is to borrow extra sugar [...]

“Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” - Corrie ten Boom

Do you belittle the power of prayer?
I do.
Most of my Christian friends do.
Most of my other friends don’t.
My other friends attach a sort of superstition to prayer. They don’t want to hear you pray. That makes them feel itchy.
But they sure appreciate when [...]

You know the feeling.

You woke up early, dressed respectably, and drove to church - on a Sunday morning no less - to hear a sermon. Now, only a few hours later, you can’t recall even the slightest detail of what the pastor said…

This could also be called the incomplete, small slice of the pie list of blessings. Or it could be called the massive “stream of consciousness because I’m thankful for almost everything” list.

Take your pick.

Most of you won’t do anything this article says. You’ll remember Part 1. Part 1, as you recall, was about why Christians should quit boycotting. The title bluntly calls for a boycott of boycotts. You’re on board for that.

This second part, however, is about supporting. Most of you don’t like supporting…