Comedian Brian Regan has a great bit about the “Me Monster.” Don’t be that person! John Maxwell wrote, “The problem is that interrupting translates to ‘What I want to say is more important than what you are saying.’” We probably can all do better at this.
“To bear the burdens of others we need to be careful to maintain an attitude of humility, coupled with a readiness to serve, according to the gifts and opportunities God gives us at any time (Romans 12:3-8). Even if it’s true that our fellow believers are acting like children, or like people who just need to ‘grow up’ in their faith, our responsibility is to humble ourselves and be ready to show them the love of Jesus however we may (Romans 14:1-18).” —T.M. Moore
“A cosmos one day being rebuked by a pessimist replied, ‘How can you who revile me consent to speak by my machinery? Permit me to reduce you to nothingness and then we will discuss the matter.’ Moral: You should not look a gift universe in the mouth.” —G.K. Chesterton [see Job 38:1-4]
“Moral principles do not depend on a majority vote. Wrong is wrong, even if everybody is wrong. Right is right, even if nobody is right.” —Fulton Sheen
Your gratitude blesses future generations. When you talk about the ways God has blessed you—and you are continually grateful for His provision—you are fortifying future generations as well.
“Wherever men are still theological, there is still some chance of their being logical.” —G.K. Chesterton
“We must not be too hot upon cold matters, but even this is better than to be cold upon matters that require heat.” —Charles Spurgeon
Clinton Manley says, “Although the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 5–7 is often called a sermon, these words are closer to Henry V on the battlefield than to a pastor in his pulpit.” Before you read the Beatitudes again, check out this background to this battlefield message from Jesus.
“The ping of a notification, the silent vibration in a pocket, the ambient awareness that something, somewhere, might require a response: these are not incidental features of modern life. They are now its architecture…. The mind never fully settles. It hovers in a state of anticipatory vigilance, perpetually primed for the next interruption.” —Carl Hendrick
Is it possible for you to accurately judge whether or not you are being honest with yourself? Probably not. You need something or someone else to help you see yourself clearly.
“The Christian optimism is based on the fact that we do not fit in to the world. … That is what makes life at once so splendid and so strange. We are in the wrong world. When I thought that was the right town, it bored me; when I knew it was wrong, I was happy. So the false optimism, the modern happiness, tires us because it tells us we fit into this world. The true happiness is that we don’t fit. We come from somewhere else.” —G.K. Chesterton
“It is easy enough to remove the particular kinds of graft or bullying that go on under the present system: but as long as men are twisters or bullies they will find some new way of carrying on the old game under the new system. You cannot make men good by law: and without good men you cannot have a good society.” —C.S. Lewis
Del Tarr’s life “embodied a simple conviction: to preach Christ well, one must first listen and learn well.” Tarr was a missionary and a linguist. His legacy is empowering for all Christians, not just those missionaries who minister in other countries.
The ICR reports, “According to the online Smithsonian magazine, ‘The calls and songs of some species in these groups [parrots, songbirds, and hummingbirds] appear to have even more in common with human language, such as conveying information intentionally and using simple forms of some of the elements of human language such as phonology, semantics and syntax.’” There are numerous corroborating studies that tell of the complex language of birds that never could have developed by chance, but were designed by an all-wise Creator.
“In Biblical times, farmers would put olives in the trough of a stone olive press, and then roll the large, heavy circular stone over them. The enormous weight of the stone crushed the olives, allowing the oil inside to pour out through a spout cut into the stone. The first pass of the heavy stone produced the most precious, pure drops of olive oil. This oil was extremely expensive and was used to anoint kings. In Hebrew, this sort of olive press is called a ‘gat shemanim’ (גתשמנים pronounced ‘geth-sem-uh-nim’), which we translate in English as ‘gethsemane.’ Sound familiar?” —Dave Adamson [see Mark 14:32-36]
“To overcome the world takes faith and faith comes when we hear the Word quickened by the Holy Spirit. Be faithful in prayer and reading your Bible. It sounds like a Sunday school answer, but it is quite literally the application for every verse in the Bible.” —YouVersion reading plan Uncommen: Holy Connection
As we mature physically we pay more attention to our physical health. Why is that people who see themselves as spiritually mature think they can do the exact opposite by taking it easy? We must pay more attention, not less.
A worldwide missions movement that was started by five college students while they were sheltering from a storm in a haystack. Appropriately enough, this is remembered as the haystack prayer meeting.
“Intangible falsehood, based upon no authority, is of all things the most difficult to fight.” —G.K. Chesterton
“In his gospel, Luke traces Jesus’ genealogy to Adam. He then says Jesus went into the desert to be tempted by satan, the same spiritual being who tempted Adam thousands of years before. The apostle Paul makes the same comparison in Romans. Adam brought death into the world; Jesus brought life. In fact, Jesus came to save us because of what Adam did. When Paul is in Athens, he explains that all people are descended from one man. When Paul writes to the Ephesians, he says marriage goes back to the first couple. And when Paul talks about roles in the church, He refers to the first temptation.” —From the ‘Is Genesis History?’ reading plan on YouVersion. Check out Luke 3:23-38, 4:1-13; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 19:4.
A cold-case detective examines the universe as he would a crime scene. “The universe is an incredibly complex, finely tuned environment—so precise that carbon-based life like ours can exist at all. This point isn’t just made by those who believe in God; it’s widely recognized, even by critics and naturalists who try to account for the remarkable, razor-edge calibration of cosmological constants like the weak and strong nuclear forces, as well as electromagnetism. These are set within the narrowest tolerances. Just a slight deviation, and our universe would not be capable of sustaining life—yet, here we are.”
InThe Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis gives these words to Screwtape about politics: “About the general connection between Christianity and politics, our position is more delicate. Certainly we do not want men to allow their Christianity to flow over into their political life, for the establishment of anything like a really just society would be a major disaster. On the other hand we do want, and want very much, to make men treat Christianity as a means; preferably, of course, as a means to their own advancement, but, failing that, as a means to anything—even to social justice.”
A Christian brother or sister says or does something just a little “off.” How do you respond? “Now you’re pretty sure you should say something. But you’re also busy. Or you think someone else might be in a better position to bring it up. Or you hate uncomfortable conversations. (Or all of the above.) So you convince yourself to stay quiet.” Scott Hubbard shows us from Scripture why staying silent is not an option for Christians who love each other.
“According to Big Bang cosmology, we should be seeing these very distant galaxies, not as they are now, but as they were shortly after the Big Bang. Since star and galaxy formation should take many millions of years, theorists were not expecting to see many galaxies in the ‘early’ universe, and those that did exist were expected to be unevolved and immature. Yet data from the James Webb Space Telescope have been shattering these Big Bang expectations.” Check out this astronomical evidence that points to an all-wise Creator.
“Metabolomics is the study of chemical processes involving small molecules that were part of fats, proteins, amino acids, and nucleic acids.” This study has recently been applied to fossilized bones that have been excavated. The results: “Tiny chemical clues trapped inside ancient bones are revealing what animals ate, the diseases they carried, and the environments they lived in.”
“[God] unrolls before Job a long panorama of created things, the horse, the eagle, the raven, the wild ass, the peacock, the ostrich, the crocodile. He so describes each of them that it sounds like a monster walking in the sun. The whole is a sort of psalm or rhapsody of the sense of wonder. The Maker of all things is astonished at the things He has Himself made. This we may call the third point. Job puts forward a note of interrogation; God answers with a note of exclamation. Instead of proving to Job that it is an explicable world, He insists that it is a much stranger world than Job ever thought it was.” —G.K. Chesterton
Greg and I challenge you to take a phrase from our amazing military personnel: Change “I work here” to “I serve here.” Then just as we express our thanks to our active duty and retired service members—“Thank you for your service”—others at our workplaces can say the same thing to us.
“The human mind never goes so fast as that except when it has got into a groove.” —G.K. Chesterton
“In the opening paragraph of Revelation, we’re met by the encouragement, ‘Blessed are those . . . who keep what is written in [this prophecy]’ (1:3). Then at the conclusion we’re reminded, ‘Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book’ (22:7; see also 22:9).” Justin Dillehay then outlines three ways Christians can “keep” the Book of Revelation.
“For it is not so much of our time and so much of our attention that God demands; it is not even all our time and all our attention; it is ourselves. … When we try to keep within us an area that is our own, we try to keep an area of death. Therefore, in love, He claims all. There’s no bargaining with Him.” —C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
T.M. Moore also wrote about the Intimate Glory we have in Jesus: “The greatness of our great salvation is to be known in the Presence of Jesus, God With Us, and the intimacy of peace, safety, rest, and joy we know in Him. Take away all the outward trappings and benefits of our salvation, and we will still, like Peter, be overjoyed just to be with Jesus. The hope of sharing in His glory—not just then and there but now and here in all we do—refreshes and excites our soul and energizes our bodies for daily obedience.”
Even though this father knew his daughter was dead, he kept walking with Jesus and saw the miracle of resurrection! That’s a great lesson for us: don’t stop praying—keep believing!
“Swimming lessons are better than a lifeline to the shore.” —C.S. Lewis
“If we do not transform our pain, we will most assuredly transmit it.” —Richard Rohr
“The greatness that Jesus demonstrated wasn’t about performative generosity or how we might want to post our good deeds online for others to see. His was about genuine sacrifice that often went unnoticed and unrecorded. He showed up for people in their darkest moments, gave time He didn’t have to spare, and consistently chose others’ needs over His own comfort. This kind of greatness and love isn’t about grand gestures or viral moments of kindness. It’s about the daily choice to put others first, even when it costs you something valuable.” —‘What is Greatness?’ reading plan on YouVersion
“[The Trinity] is indeed a fathomless mystery of theology. …. This thing that bewilders the intellect utterly quiets the heart.” —G.K. Chesterton
I have always enjoyed studying nature and discovering the unparalleled genius of our Creator! In a report on the complexities of insect eyes, the Institute for Creation Research noted, “God has designed photoreceptor cells, and others cells within the compound eyes and brains of insects, with the coordinated ability to take on several tasks. With this hawkmoth research, biologists have observed something amazing—individual cells are able to undertake diverse tasks and switch between them.”
Both anxiety and peace are seen in our countenance and our actions long before they are heard in our words. Christian, is your life showing that you know the Prince of Peace intimately?
This year is the 55th anniversary of the release of Corrie ten Boom’s book The Hiding Place. If you hav never read this book, you certainly should add it to your list. John Stonestreet shares some insights about thankfulness we learn from this amazing story.
“Even the tired horse, when he comes near home, mends pace: be good always, without weariness, but best at last; that the nearer thou comest to the end of thy days, the nearer thou mayest be to the end of thy hopes, the salvation of thy soul.” —Thomas Adams (youngest son of John Adams)
“I do not want a God whom I have made, but a God who has made me.” —G.K. Chesterton
“I can’t go back to yesterday—because I was a different person then.” —Lewis Carroll
“Joy doesn’t wait until everything is repaired and restored. It takes root in God’s presence and grows even in hard soil.
“Advent joy doesn’t mean everything is going well. It’s not shallow optimism or a quick distraction from pain. It’s the deep gladness of knowing God is near, faithful, and making all things new.…
“This joy doesn’t depend on circumstances. It flows from union with God. That means joy can live alongside sorrow. …
“The Advent season invites us to practice this kind of joy. As we remain in God’s love and join his Kingdom work of generosity and mercy, we let joy overflow through our lives like a song that begins quietly now but will one day fill all creation.” —Bible Project’s Anticipating Christmas reading plan
“No other story, no pagan legend or philosophical anecdote or historical event, does in fact affect any of us with that peculiar and even poignant impression produced on us by the word Bethlehem. No other birth of a god or childhood of a sage seems to us to be Christmas, or anything like Christmas.” —G.K. Chesterton
“One incident in angelic history, the angelic pronouncement to shepherds in their fields, is enough to weld our hearts to them forever. How free from envy the angels were! Christ did not come from heaven to save their peers when they fell. When satan, the mighty angel, dragged with him a third part of the stars of heaven, Christ did not stoop from His throne to die for them; but He left them to be reserved in chains and darkness until the last great day. Yet angels did not envy men. Though they remembered that He took not up angels, yet they did not murmur when He took up the seed of Abraham; and though the blessed Master had never condescended to take the angel’s form, they did not think it beneath them to express their joy when they found Him arrayed in the body of an infant.” —Charles Spurgeon
“Long had God promised the world’s redemption would come through the offspring who would sustain a bite to the heel yet, in the very act of battle, crush the serpent’s head. Even as kings and prophets pinned their hopes on the coming births of sons, God unfolds His master scheme of one Son to overshadow them all.
“A glimpse of this Son’s manifold greatness will be captured in His name (Isaiah 9:6), which turns out to be not singular but fourfold. He is Guide, Champion, Caretaker, and Peacemaker, and each of these paired with attendant glory.” —David Mathis
“The manger of Bethlehem was big with God’s glory; in the incarnation was wrapped up all the blessedness by which a soul, snatched from the depths of sin, is lifted up to the heights of glory.” —Charles Spurgeon
When people start throwing mud at you, your natural response is to throw the mud back at them or to run away so the mud can’t reach you. Instead of the natural fight-or-flight response, Jesus shows us a supernatural response. I talk about all sorts of attacks—gossip, slander, betrayal, and more—in my book When Sheep Bite as well as the supernatural, biblical response to these attacks.
“The minute you start talking about what you’re going to do if you lose, you have lost.” —George Schultz
“A decent picture of good leadership: Air-traffic controllers have authority, but they use their authority to enable others to fly.” This is a thoughtful post, but as frequent visitors to my blog might expect, I prefer the term shepherd leader over servant leader.
This post recounts some of the stories people told of how Charles Spurgeon’s sermons led them from the bad news to the Good News. Spurgeon himself noted, “If you really long to save men’s souls, you must tell them a great deal of disagreeable truth. The preaching of the wrath of God has come to be sneered at nowadays, and even good people are half-ashamed of it; a maudlin sentimentality about love and goodness has hushed, in great measure, plain gospel expostulations and warnings. But, if we expect souls to be saved, we must declare unflinchingly with all affectionate fidelity, the terrors of the Lord.”
“Men have not got tired of Christianity; they have never found enough Christianity to get tired of.” —G.K Chesterton
“Advancing the Kingdom economy is not exactly a cakewalk. It’s hard work, like running a marathon, going to war against spiritual adversaries, cultivating a field, or embarking on a long and arduous journey. We may expect to encounter many obstacles and challenges along the way as we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. … We must neither run from these challenges nor give in to them. Instead, advancing the Kingdom economy requires that we face evil head-on, and determine to overcome it by good works of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17-19).” Check out the rest of T.M. Moore’s post Overcoming Evil.
Comedian Brian Regan has a great bit about the “Me Monster.” Don’t be that person! John Maxwell wrote, “The problem is that interrupting translates to ‘What I want to say is more important than what you are saying.’” We probably can all do better at this.
Craig T. Owens 