Too often we think we read the Bible to understand it. We spend great amounts of time learning how to interpret it (time well spent, I agree). And our goal is, what does the Bible mean? What does it teach about God or about Christ? (VERY important questions, of course). Maybe we go a step further and ask, what does this then mean for me? Which is a good step, to be sure.

But, our goal of reading the Bible is not understanding or interpreting the Bible. We read the Bible in order to learn how to understand and interpret life.

I've been thinking some about how each of the commandments relate directly to God's glory. Here is a brief connection with the first four.

1st-do not ascribe God's glory to another

2nd-do not obscur God's glory with idols

3rd-do not rob God of glory by your actions (don't take away from the honor of His name by the way you live your life).

4th-give God glory by giving Him one day in seven as He has asked, a day dedicated to remembering His glory as seen in His mighty acts of salvation.

I don't fully understand how, but confession actually enables me to be a better person.

Multiple times in the past month, I have confessed some sinful thought or behavior to other people with at least two all but immediate results. First, I was strengthened in my struggle with the attitudes I confessed. Second, I did not feel as weighed down by those sinful attitudes.

At one point I was talking about certain fears I had of the future, of its uncertainty, etc... Someone responded with  (More)

He doesn't need direction right now. He's a high school student, worried about the future. He has no idea what's going to happen over the next year and a half of high school, much less over the following four years of college. He doesn't need career certainty at the moment. (How many of us knew what we were going to do with our lives in our junior year of high school?) He just needs to trust God and do his work patiently.

I was upset (again). I was angry, confused, frustrated. One of my first thoughts? I need to go buy myself a nice, warm cup of coffee. Maybe a mocha.... Well, I don't have time to go all the way to the coffee shop. I think I have a piece of chocolate in my desk. That would be pretty tasty at the moment. On the other hand, I could just forget about work, go home, make some popcorn and watch a movie with my son. That would make me feel better.

And it would, of course. I would feel better by doing any one of those things.  (More)

One reason we don't enjoy the Bible is we don't have strong enough imaginations.

I once showed the movie Prince of Egypt to a group of high school students after we had spent some time studying the book of Exodus. When we got to the part where the pillar of fire comes down between Israel and the Egyptian army, a student exclaimed in amazement, "Did we read that?" "Sure." I said. " Don't you remember the part when God comes down in a pillar of fire and  (More)

community. movement. society. a new culture of people obeying Jesus. a new culture with room for every culture, but ethicaly and morally transformed by Jesus. a culture-transforming movement that is centered on worship and obedience to the risen Christ. a culture-transforming community of people being transformed by their relationship with the risen anointed ruler (and defender of His own), Jesus, in the hope of the coming renewal of all things at Jesus' climactic appearing.