Church Posts

The Scariest Thing That Happened to our Kids

Our kids are old enough to be home alone while we are out for short periods of time. We bought them a kid-friendly phone to have in case they need to reach us. Earlier this week, Michelle and I came home to our kids telling us an alarming story.

A few of them were playing an online game called “Among Us.” The game randomly pairs people together and includes a chat feature. In the game chat that night, one of the people they were playing with started to tell one of my kids that they were hot (they can’t see their appearance in the game). She said her name was Ashley and that she was a thirteen-year-old girl. In the chat of the game, she gave my kids her cell phone number and said to text her when they were done playing the game. Thinking they were making a new friend, they did.

When we got home our kids knew something about this didn’t feel right and handed over the phone. I read through the text exchange for myself. Here are a few highlights that stood out to me:

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What Do Your Scars Show?

I attended the Men’s Challenge at Central Christian Church last weekend. They had an opening contest to see who in the room had the craziest scar. I saw things that night that I’ll never be able to unsee, like how one guy moved something inside part of his leg with his finger. Thankfully, I’ll likely never learn the story of that thing.

The winner—unanimously cheered to victory—stood with one artificial leg and scars covering his other leg. By his quick recounting of a horrendous motorcycle accident, he likely shouldn’t be alive. It was a scar to celebrate.

It’s interesting how a bit of context can change the way you view a scar. I doubt the winner of the scar competition is hesitant to talk about how his body is now permanently marked. It’s a story of life that he carries with him. Yet we don’t always view our scars that way.

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The Most Profound Question for Voting

I’ve been praying through what I should do with my vote this election. I don’t feel any obligation to vote one party or another, nor do I feel an obligation to vote. That’s because neither political party fully embodies the values of the Kingdom of God. My allegiance to Jesus allows me to navigate my personal involvement with the government as a citizen of another kingdom (Philippians 3:20). As just one example, my stance on being pro-life from the womb to the tomb (which I get from Jesus) puts me at odds with different parts of each party. This has meant that in the past there were times I voted Republican, times I voted Democrat, and times I intentionally chose not to vote.

I don’t decide how to vote until after I’ve prayed over it and felt peace with the result (I’d highly recommend this rather than assuming one option only). Recently, I’ve found much clarity in thinking through one question in particular.

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Bible Enneagram

Bible Enneagram

Like most people, I’ve taken a number of personality tests over the years. One of my favorites is called the Enneagram. While I don’t necessarily hold the same passion for it that many in the Christian community do (I’ve never done a sermon series on it), I find it helpful. More than the obvious strengths and weaknesses, it shows you what you look like when you are healthy, when you are stressed, and when you are unhealthy. The goal isn’t to be a different number, it’s to be the healthiest version of yourself.

My friend Tyler recently asked me what numbers I’d guess for different people in the Bible. It’s a fun mental exercise that challenges both your Biblical understanding as well as your understanding of the Enneagram system. For those of you who are familiar with the nine different personality types, I give you my very subjective list with an example or two for each number:

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2020 Reading List 3/4

2020 Reading List 3/4

Contrary to how it may feel, we are actually moving our way THROUGH 2020. A lot has happened. Now at the 75% mark, it’s time to get ready for decorations for the holidays. Our family is back in Arizona this year which means we won’t get to enjoy all the changing trees that have dazzled us in recent years.

Here are the books I’ve read since January of 2020 with my rating for them (5 being the best) along with a brief review. Any book without a number rating has been given to me by the author or publisher.

In addition to this list, you might also check out:

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Misquoted Verses of the Bible (Lk. 22:36)

This post is part of a series looking at misquoted verses of the Bible. Click here to see others.

I decided to dust off an older series and share my take on a significant passage that is often misquoted. I’m prompted to blog this after I recently received an email from someone asking for help understanding this passage.

The misquoted passage says: “If you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one!” (Luke 22:36).

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