Undercover Pastor
Botox poisons the brain?
You’ve heard about Botox – the toxin (poison!) that people use to minimize the appearance of wrinkles – to look younger. Well, there’s a new twist. A recent study in rats shows that the toxin that people inject into their foreheads may travel to the brain, damaging the brain stem! There have also been human … Continue reading
Dr. King’s legacy – The work continues
Today is the 40th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. I think everyone in this country owes him a debt of gratitude for raising the consciousness of a nation that has always prided itself on being the land of the free. Well, it’s not over. Since I’m a white man, people … Continue reading
It’s not your battle – Stand still!
Jim Edwards, one of the speakers at the West Coast Presbyterian Pastors’ Conference this week, spent some time this morning talking about various virtues and about how we can make a decision to act in ways that we might not feel yet. An example for me might be to help clean up the kitchen even … Continue reading
“I Am With You”
At our conference today, Jim Edwards has been speaking on a list of Greek words he’s selected from the New Testament in its original language. One of them is a word “proserchomai” (since I don’t have a Greek font), which is the word for people approaching God. He notes that Matthew’s gospel uses this word … Continue reading
Getting Real
I’m sitting here in a huge group of Presbyterian Church pastors, and I’m struck by how real these people are! If you’ve heard me preach or have come to my Bible studies, you know that being real is a biggie for me. I think that one of the biggest problems that the Christian Church faces … Continue reading
Giant robot to rule International Space Station
OK, I may be exaggerating a bit, but this is how a lot of bad sci-fi movies start out. A 12-foot tall, 3400 pound robot with 11-foot arms “rose like Frankenstein” to be installed at the International Space Station. Watch out, guys! In space, no one can hear you scream. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2008-03-15-space-shuttle_N.htm
Love and Discipline
I was just holding my 6-week-old daughter in my arms. It was actually a pretty special moment. She was almost smiling as she gazed into Daddy’s eyes. But then she started to get sleepy. And she hadn’t had her pink eye drops yet. So I held little Lydia as her mother dosed her with the … Continue reading
Guns, Germs, and Abs of Steel
OK. There are no guns in this post, but it sounded much cooler with them. I have found the easiest way to get the abs you’ve always dreamed of, and you’re in on the ground floor. Introducing, Cold and Flu AbsTM Yes, all you need to get that sixpack you’ve always wanted is a preschooler. … Continue reading
Toddler Syndrome
“Can I have some apple juice?” my son Joshua asked. “Sure,” I responded. “DAD, HE ALREADY ASKED MOM AND SHE SAID NO!” my older son Johnny yelled. Yes, Joshua has discovered the fine art of continuing to ask until you get the answer you want. Dave Barney, a system software director I worked for for … Continue reading
Baby Lydia has arrived!
Our daughter Lydia arrived in an unexpected way (surprise!) When we arrived at the hopsital for the scheduled c-section – a bit disappointed – we learned that Eleanor was far enough along that they could induce labor after all. (We thought that was impossible because she had had a previous c-section.) Sixteen and a half … Continue reading
Letting Go
If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you know that this is the time of year when I get worried about the church finances… But if you’re expecting me to write about that, you’re in for a surprise.
Time – Too Much and Too Little
Well, baby Lydia is due in two days. We are really looking forward to seeing her, and we’d love it if Eleanor would go into labor right now. Also, we’re buying a house and I’d love to start getting it ready to move into. There’s just too much time. But there are so many things … Continue reading
Distracted
We’ve got a baby coming and day now and are also planning to move into a new house. It’s gotten much harder to do simple things… Continue reading
Jesus’ mother and portable data storage don’t mix
Just when you think you’ve seen it all, a Virgin Mary USB flash drive with glowing red LED ‘heart.’ Continue reading
Come to Jesus
“Come to Jesus” are powerful words. But often they’re powerfully negative. Do you know the expression “come to Jesus meeting”? When someone is way off track and needs to be straightened out, a supervisor or colleague will often say that they need to have a “come to Jesus meeting.” Presumably the idea is that the … Continue reading
E*Trade is e*vil
OK, so I had an old E*Trade account from my computer industry days. It still had $126 in it, and E*Trade started charging me a fee of $40/quarter for the privilege of possibly doing business with them in the future. So I decided to close my account and transfer the money out. Today, three weeks … Continue reading
Feel the “leadership burn”
Wooooo! Lately, I’ve been doing a decent job of doing some light weight training on a semi-regular basis (boy, that sentence don’t claim a lot, does it?) Anyway, every so often, I bump up my weights, and I can really “feel the burn” as my muscles work harder than they’re accustomed to working. There’s something … Continue reading
Satisfy the crowd, crucify Jesus?
Mark 15:15 says, “Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.” Last spring another pastor said that he had a word for me: ”God has your ministry on hold until you can stop worryign about what other people think.” OUCH! Do I really … Continue reading
Evangelism in 2007
I’m on my way home from the Presbyterian Church’s Evangelism Conference. It’s clear to me that evangelism has really changed since the days when you could follow a script or hand people a booklet and they would make a decision to be a Christian. These days it’s all about having relationships with people and about … Continue reading
Mark of the Beast to Be Illegal in California?
The Bible’s book of Revelation is a tough nut to crack. To figure out what it meant to its readers, you have to understand all kinds of allusions, several literary genres, and a ton of historical context. I will not be doing that today Instead I’m looking at a popular interpretation of Revelation 13:16-17 “He … Continue reading