Weekly Blog

“Jealousy is an inner consciousness of one’s own inferiority.  It is a mental cancer.”
 - B.C. Forbes 

As we are walking through 1 Samuel together on Sunday mornings, King Saul is showing us  how destructive jealousy can be.  David, the part-time palace musician, has been thrust into the limelight of fame by the people of Israel after defeating Goliath.  As David’s fame becomes the stuff of legend and song, the chorus of the most popular song of the day compares Saul’s success with that of David’s.  When he hears, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David tens of thousands” over and over, it infuriates King Saul.  A jealousy is growing in Saul like a “slow burn” of anger inside his heart. 

The man that we call St. Patrick returned to Ireland to begin his mission to establish the church of Jesus Christ in 432 AD.  He was returning to the hostile land that kept him as a slave for six years of his youth.  When he writes his confession near the end of his life, Patrick speaks of the constant dangers and threats to his life he had to endure. Though Ireland was a barbarian land, this man planted churches and trained hundreds of priests to establish the Church.  His leadership was extraordinary and there are many leadership lessons we could glean from what we know about him. 

To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, I submit to you my list of seven leadership lessons from this 5^th century leader.    

Faith makes us bold.

As David runs toward Goliath with his sling swinging over his head (1 Samuel 17) he declares that “the Battle belongs to the Lord.” In faith, a teenager armed with only a shepherd’s staff and five smooth stones is running toward a nine-foot-tall killing machine covered with over 150 pounds of armor. The odds aren’t in David’s favor of surviving this encounter – but he is not depending upon his own skills; he is fully trusting his life to the care of Yahweh, the God who gives us life.

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”    -Benjamin Franklin

As we have been learning the lessons from the life of King Saul, we have seen that Saul is really good at making excuses instead of obeying the Lord. As we've studied 1 Samuel 13 and 14, we have seen that Saul is driving on the “Excuse Expressway,” and in this week’s chapter he proves that he has no intention of taking an “exit ramp.”

Preparing for Victory.

When you run a race, it’s common to have a big meal to “carb-load” the night before. People will often eat pasta and make sure their body has plenty of fuel for all the energy they are about to burn.

Prayer life is vital for moving forward through seasons of transition.

Do you ever feel like Jesus is a million miles away?   

All of us have lived through days where we feel like we are walking through the “dark night of the soul.”  Whether our circumstances are filled with trials and challenges or not – we all traverse through “desert seasons”. These times of isolation can cause us to doubt whether God is hearing our prayers or if He is working anywhere around us. 

Well done, good and faithful servant.

Just two Sundays ago I arrived at the church early and went through my normal checklist to prepare for our worship services. Just before 7:30 a.m. I met with Gary Kupp who has faithfully worked on lighting and audio-visual equipment for years. We laughed and joked as he put the slides in the computer and I thanked him as I moved on with my morning preparations. Little did I know that as I walked away saying, “Thank you, Gary,” it would be the last words I would say directly to him.

Reflections and Thoughts about Current Events

So many things have been written and said about the events of last week in Washington D.C.  I pondered what I might add to the conversation that hasn’t already been expressed.  It is important for me to respond prayerfully and carefully to events that happen in these days.  My thoughts have taken me full circle back to my Bible where I know that I can find truth that won’t change.

What. Is. Truth.

When Pontius Pilate is asking Jesus questions about his identity as a king, he simply asks, “What is truth?”  (John 18)  

As a Roman governor over the province of Judea, Pilate was stuck between an emperor who would not tolerate rival kings and Jewish religious leaders who claimed Jesus deserved death for calling himself God.    

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 

How do we choose to rejoice and experience joy as Paul commands us to do in Philippians 4:4?  I spent a lot of time last week thinking and praying on how I could “choose” joy.  It seems akin to having someone tell you, “clean your desk,” perfunctory and necessary, but not spontaneous and organic.   

Joy is an attitude.