Disability, disadvantage, disband, disbelief, discomfort, disconnect, and discourage. What do all of these words have in common? The answer is obvious – it’s the prefix “dis.” Enact, enable, encircle, encompass, and encourage. Likewise, “en” is the common prefix in the list. According to dictionary.com, “dis” is a Latin prefix meaning “apart, asunder, away, utterly; or having a private, […]
The Win-Win of Encouragement Read More »
“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.” — George Orwell, 1984 If you’ve read the above book by Mr. Orwell, you know that the premise of the book is, what might be called, “normalized evil,” where an evil system of thinking replaces a good one. Anyone in the book who
“OMG, I’d die for an ice cream cone right about now!” “Wow, did you see the legs on that woman? I’d die to have legs like that!” “Man, I’d die to have a penthouse in Manhattan…just for a week, even.” How many times have we heard, or even expressed, sentiments like these? When they are uttered, people draw out the word
TODAY’S VERSE: Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” In prep school the
KIDS’ CORNER: The Trinity Read More »
When is the last time you took the opportunity to say “Thank you” to someone for disciplining you? In my experience, such gratitude is rarely, if ever, expressed. It seems more often that a person keeps this kind of sentiment to themselves. Is it pride? I’m not sure, but whatever precludes a warranted show of
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Imagine a man who lives in a kingdom. He spends his whole life gathering string and winding it into a giant ball. At the end of his life, it is abundantly clear to him that he has created the largest, most impressive ball ever! It’s so impressive that the king himself comes down to see
The Kingdom’s Largest Ball of String Read More »
TODAY’S VERSE: Romans 11:36 For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen. In prep school, we discussed what a blessing it is to spend time with parents, siblings, and close friends- talking, laughing, playing games, and just being ourselves around those who love us. When
KIDS’ CORNER: Jesus, the Center of It All! Read More »
I like to play a little game with people called, “Watch this!” This may sound evil for a pastor like myself to do, but maybe I just have an odd sense of humor? In any case, it’s fun because all parties usually end up laughing at the outcome. I help ensure this by only targeting
This Little Game I Play Read More »
If you were to interview those who have been deemed the “greatest” in their respective sport, each of them would concede that perfection is impossible (except for maybe a bowler). They’d likely go on to tout incredible discipline, evidenced by long, tedious hours of practice, often over years, sometimes even decades. Still, perfection for them
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TODAY’S VERSE: Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. We discussed recently in prep school how right priorities lead to making right decisions and wrong priorities lead to making wrong decisions. Any time mankind chooses his will over God’s will, his priorities are wrong and the decisions made based on
KIDS’ CORNER: God Is Our Treasure Read More »