You know some things about Jesus. I mean, you have a picture in your mind. A visual image, perhaps. A sense of what Jesus was like. How he treated people. His tone of voice, maybe. Certainly, the issues that he cared about most. As a follower of Jesus that mental picture is vital to you. […]
An Apprenticeship with Jesus: Something More than a Relationship with God
I grew up in the church, and did all the church things you do when church is your natural habitat. Church school through 8th grade. Attended and later worked at Christian summer camps. Countless VBS’s, sermons, prayer meetings, and discipleship classes. I don’t share that to brag. I learned lots of ideas about God and […]
Why wouldn’t you pray?
I recently took an online course. The teacher is someone I look up to and have learned a lot from. The lessons were a combination of reading, watching video, doing exercises at home and sharing with other students in a forum. This works well for me. I can structure my time, do the work at […]
The overlooked key to spiritual growth
Learning to ride a motorcycle taught me about the commonly overlooked key to spiritual growth. In Oregon now you can no longer just go to the DMV, take a test and be on your way. Now you have to take the Team Oregon Basic Rider Training course. (I learned a lot about myself in the […]
Let Go. Then Let Go Again.
The new apprentice blacksmith was excited. He’d found a master blacksmith to learn from. The master had willingly taken him on as a student. He’d begun to assemble his tools and started showing up every morning at first light when the master started working. That’s when things fell apart. The master blacksmith had asked him […]
Learn from Jesus. Live in the Gospels.
A good ol’ boy and his 5-year old son were out fishing early one morning. As usual the boy couldn’t be quiet. He was full of questions. “Hey dad, how come the dragon flies hover like that?” To which dad replied, “Don’t rightly know, son.” A minute later, “Hey dad, how come the water’s blue […]
Have you decided to learn from Jesus?
I’ve been a guitar player for 21 years. In that time I’ve hung around more musicians than I can remember. One particular type of guitarist was surprisingly common. They had a guitar, maybe two. They noodled around from time to time. They knew a handful of chords. Every now and then they’d get a group […]
Jesus calls us to be what?
God has a plan for your life, but it might not be what you think. God’s plan for you is not that you’d be real good. It’s not that you’d join a certain religious club. It’s not that you’d travel to Burundi to be a missionary, or go to a certain college, or marry that […]
I believe in Grace but is effort legalistic?
Am I sounding legalistic yet? If you grew up in the church, this post is probably important for you. If you didn’t, you might skip this one. In the past two posts I challenged a common perspective. Following Jesus is not just about believing. It’s actually something you do. Maybe following Jesus isn’t just about […]
Following Jesus: It’s Something You DO.
Something was different about those first followers of Jesus. They didn’t have slick advertising campaigns, Christian concerts and famous speakers. They didn’t have brochures or tracts. They didn’t have beautiful buildings with big signs out front. Yet, somehow, they managed to make an unprecedented mark on the world. Instead of doing marketing, they lived their […]
Following Jesus: It’s Not Just Believing
What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus? Maybe you grew up in the church and for you that meant believing a certain list of doctrines or behaving in a certain way. Maybe it was the religion of your family and you just followed along. Perhaps at a concert or camp someone got […]