Renewal
Messages from Houston
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 3:22).
For the past few days, one of the largest hurricanes ever to enter the U.S. mainland pummeled the Gulf Coast of Texas–reeking havoc on Houston–America’s fourth largest city. Ten people have died, thousands needed courageous rescues, scores of thousands are in temporary shelters, and billions of dollars are needed to rebuild after the rains cease and water recedes.
Living in the Northwest, my family didn’t experience Harvey first-hand, but our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones, homes or businesses. We have a number of YWAM bases in Texas and we will certainly assist their efforts to help their neighbors emerge from the devastation.
What are the messages being sent via Hurricane Harvey?
Houston is an interesting city–one that sports a number of extremes.
What’s God’s Opinion of You?
Since I communicate for a living, I’m always looking for ways to update old words or phrases with new ones that ring clear.
Awhile back I was searching for a better definition of “love.” The older idiom was: “Love is good willing, or willing the highest good of God and others.” That’s not a bad definition. I was just not sure that “good willing” made much sense today.
So I modernized it. “Love is choosing what’s best for God and others from God’s point of view.” That translation seemed to pop. Kids related to doing what is truly best for another person, with the critical part being “from God’s point of view”–not my puny perspective.
Recently I ran across another updated phrase, that prompted an important question:
What’s God’s opinion of you and me? Read More
Healthcare Stalemate: Could It Be a Flashpoint for Renewal?
Like many of you, I watched with sadness the recent defeat of the Obamacare repeal and replace bill in the United States Senate. I was grieved, mad, disgusted, and yet hopeful that something good may still come out of this momentous failure.
I’ve previously criticized the Democratic Party for its secular tendencies and lack of concern for the common person. Now it’s time to be equally disgusted with the gutless and hypocritical Republicans (at least some of them).
But, are we really looking in a mirror at the failures of America’s most prestigious club (US Senate)? And could the healthcare stalemate produce a flashpoint for renewal in America?
I think it’s important to analyze ALL the players in the healthcare fight. It’s not true that everybody failed in this endeavor, just like it’s wrong to conclude that everyone in America is equally responsible for our cultural decline. Read More