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What We Carry: The Weight of Other People's Expectations

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This week's Daily Devos will be speaking to the things we carry in life and what it means to learn what to hold and what to put down We carry more than we realize. Expectations. Regrets. Worries. Resentments. Responsibilities. Other people's opinions. Old wounds. Mistakes we made years ago. Things we wish we had said. Things we wish we could take back. Some things are ours to carry. Love requires responsibility. Faithfulness sometimes requires perseverance. Following Jesus certainly doesn't mean avoiding everything difficult. But we were never meant to carry other things forever. This week is about learning the difference. “Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.” — Lao Tzu “David strapped Saul's sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them.” — 1 Samuel 17:39 Before David ever faced Goliath, Saul tried to dress him for the battle. He gave David his armor. A bronze helmet. A coat of mail. A sword. It ma...
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The Keys of The Kingdom Week One - Bear The Fruit

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  The Keys to The Kingdom In the Gospel accounts,  Jesus consistently speaks of the “kingdom of heaven,” not primarily as someplace we go when we die, but as God's reign breaking into the world through Jesus. The central question of the series becomes: If Jesus is our King, what does it look like to live by the values of his Kingdom while surrounded by kingdoms that operate under very different rules? Today we’re going to study one of Jesus most pointed, hard, and difficult parables about the kingdom of God, and a warning to religious people.   People lose their minds over property ownership and property lines.   Have you ever had a dispute with a neighbor about property lines, like who owns what? When I lived in Tallahassee, Florida, I had this neighbor, Bruce, who took exception to my mowing the grass that he believed was behind his property line.  To be fair, we were talking about, like, a space that was three feet wide.   After he complained bitt...
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Don't Get Angry?

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Everyone has a different way of responding to stress, anxiety, frustrations, and disappointments.   For some of us, it might mean withdrawing, seeking solitude, crying, doing a bunch of research, needing to drive for a while, or going for a run.   Some of us also express ourselves through anger.  Full disclosure, anger has always been my go-to when I'm responding to the challenges above, and it's taken me a lifetime to learn how to approach things differently.  My three boys love to poke fun at some of the more colorful moments when I lost my temper at them or with something else.  I've learned to take it good naturedly.   Hey, it's better than paying for therapy, I suppose.   Along with learning that anger isn't the best way to deal with life's challenges, I've also learned that sometimes it's the best way to deal with certain issues, as long as it's directed wisely.   Somewhere along the way, many Christians learned that...
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Just Believe Hard Enough?

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“I believe; help my unbelief!” — Mark 9:24 I love this verse from Mark's Gospel. Maybe because it sounds so honest. A desperate father brings his son to Jesus, hoping Jesus can help him. After years of watching his child suffer, the man isn't overflowing with confidence. He says to Jesus, “If you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” Jesus responds, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.” And the father immediately cries out: “I believe; help my unbelief!” There it is. Faith and doubt in the same sentence. Maybe even in the same breath. Some of us were taught that real faith means having no doubts. I will never forget a class I taught twenty years ago about experiencing God, and I talked about having both faith and doubt.  An older couple in the class were shocked by this.  "You should never doubt God, pastor!"   So many of us were taught that faith and doubt didn't go hand in hand, even through they do.   If we ...
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Good People Get Good Things?

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We're continuing our devotional series on things Jesus never said, and that can't be found in the Bible, but we've always assumed he did, and they are.   Remember when vending machines were everywhere?  Back in the day, you could get just about any kind of food from vending machines.  They aren't as ubiquitous as they once were, but you can still find them here and there.  I always hated it when the vending machine I'd chosen to use malfunctioned and got my candy bar stuck. Or worse, the vending machine would inexplicably drop the wrong candy bar.  I'd order a Snickers or a Baby Ruth, and out would come an Almond Joy.  I can't stand coconut candy bars.   I'm thinking about vending machines this morning because I think that a lot of us treat God like some sort of divine vending machine.  We put our coins in and expect a reward.  And we despair to no end when an Almond Joy comes out instead of what we wanted.  (You can substitute...
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