Biweekly Bits #4: Outgrowing Things is Okay

You outgrow some things, and that's okay. Sometimes it's a pair of jeans, or shoes, or a shirt. Sometimes it's a friendship. Sometimes it's a place. Sometimes it hurts. But growth is key to life, and in the same way that it would be silly to torture yourself by wearing a pair of shoes that's too small, it's not prudent to hold onto other things that you have outgrown either. (See also Genesis 13)

Do you ever remember having an item of clothing that you really liked, but it didn't fit anymore? Maybe you got bigger or taller, or put it in the dryer and it shrunk, or you lost a lot of weight. Regardless of the reason, you couldn't wear it anymore, because it didn't fit anymore. Weren't you a tiny bit upset though? Sigh...

Encouragement in Doubt (Guest Post)

Hello everyone!

I'm guest posting at Comments on Christianity today!

Here's a snippet (read the whole thing here):

Head over to Comments on Christianity to read the rest!

Be blessed and shine through your doubt!

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The Struggle against Complacency

In Bible study we have been studying Amos. I must admit, this is a book that I would never have thought to study in any detail, as Amos' story isn't one of the more well-known (or, in my view, compelling) ones. However, in studying this book, it has highlighted what I would argue is one of the biggest issues in modern (western) Christianity: complacency.

Written on His Palms

When I was little, and I wanted to remember something I'd write it in the palm of my hand. I wouldn't write just anything there, after all, space was limited. But if it was something really important to me and I wanted to recall it later, like a friend's phone number, or a drawing, or a tiny bit of information, I'd write it there. Not on a scrap of paper, lest I should lose it, but written onto my hand itself, as a momentary part of me. That way, when I looked at my hand and saw it there, I'd be reminded of this important snippet and my focus would be on it immediately.

Offerings are Messy!

Oftentimes when we think of offerings with respect to God, we think of the money that we put in the collection plate on Sundays, our tithes and offerings. After all, we're supposed to give God 10% of our money, right? I mean, sure, but if we consider our offering to be only what we put in the offering plate at church, then perhaps we've missed the point behind the offering. And that point can be summed up in three little words: offerings are messy. 

Promise or Present?

I once read somewhere that you can tell if a child is likely to be financially responsible using the following test: Tell the child they can either have $1 right now or $5 in a week. The premise is that the child who opts to wait a week has a better understanding of the value of money than the child who wants the money right away.

We see a similar situation in Numbers 32 as the Israelites are on their way to the Promised Land. The Reubenites and the Gadites, having a large number of cattle and coming upon a portion of land that was ideal for raising livestock, asked Moses if they could settle there instead of crossing the Jordan and continuing on to the Promised Land (Numbers 32:1-5). They wanted to forsake the promise of God for the perceived benefit of their present situation.

Such as I have

Peter & John went to pray, They met a lame man on the way.
He opened his palm, and begged for some alms, And this is what Peter did say:
Silver and gold have I none, But such as I have I give thee:
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk!

The story is told of Peter and John who, on their way to pray, were stopped by a man who was crippled and begging for money from passersby. As you read this story, there are several things that kind of stick out:

The Surety of Obedience

Almost everyone knows the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho: God told the Israelites to march around the city for seven days and on the seventh day march around seven times and on the seventh time to give a mighty shout and the walls of Jericho would fall. The Israelites did this, and guess what, the walls of Jericho fell!

But how many of us know what happens next?