Metaphors motivate. Metaphors are memorable. Metaphors helps us talk and live (George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, Metaphors We Live By). The Bible is full of metaphors, and many metaphors are used to describe God’s people. Years ago Paul Minear traced the many images of the church in the New Testament (Images of the Church in […]
Back in the day youth groups sang, “I’m really livin’ since I met my Lord.” Ongoing verses would substitute other words for “livin” (e.g. lovin’, servin’, prayin’, etc.). If sung with smugness it is the height of religious arrogance, but if sung with humility it highlights that the Christian life is life lived at the […]
School has started. While some schools begin in August, most all are in session following Labor Day. For decades the overriding purpose in going to school was to acquire knowledge. While acquiring skills for future education and the work place and helping students to be physically, emotionally, and psychologically healthy were also desired outcomes, the […]
It is providential to have this lesson this weekend. Labor Day is a holiday, officially recognized in 1894, to honor the American worker. Toward the end of the 1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution, the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks just to eke out a basic living. In some states, […]
Ecclesiastes is full of sound advice: know what really matters in life, redeem pleasure, use time wisely, be judicious with your words, think properly about wealth, act well toward government, think eternity, give generously, and enjoy work, food, and friends. In our digital age where people are addicted to their screens, thinking rightly about friendships […]
