My Best Blanket

  I spent my youth on a tennis court.  Racquet in hand, I would go out there after school, on weekends and during summer/winter vacation practicing.  This is often the life of a child of a tennis professional.  So, it wasn’t long before I was teaching lessons, clinics, camps and hosting tournaments.  One thing that is the same for every person learning tennis is that there are certain rules for the game, strokes hit and embellishments you can make on your shots (from slices to top spin.)  These things are taught consistently to each learning generation to give a proper foundation and avoid future problems.  We do the same with interpreting Scripture. In 1994, Roy B. Zuck edited a book called A Biblical Theology Of The New Testament consisting of contributions from the Dallas Theological Seminary Faculty that explained the 6 principles of the Holy Spirit’s role in interpreting Scripture.  We can think of each as our faith’s forehand, backhand, overhead, volley, serve and approach shot. 

  There are moments that defy logic and anything beyond natural doesn't sound logical, right?  Last night, our intent was to head into church for a strong session of prayer for healing.  Physical, mental, spiritual, communal, familial and pretty much anything you can imagine.  As we were turning into the parking lot, Kerry's phone went off.  It was our niece in Oregon.  Vintage's prayer team had prayed over her son prior to Christmas due to an unusual virus they found in his wrist...and he has healed since then. She told us that she felt so alone and that she was under attack from all sides of her family.  She didn't feel like she had anyone to talk to but grabbed her phone.  It opened right to Kerry's phone number (strange as we haven't talked to her since Christmas.)  She knew that she needed to call.  After we explained where we were and that we were going directly in and adding her name to the prayer list, we were able to calm her sobbing down. During our fa

  Everyone likes a good love story…well, except for the enemy. There are some great ones out there like Noah and Allie, Ross and Rachel, Martin and Kerry or Han and Leia.  But, I think the world focuses on Romeo and Juliet a little too much. Kinda dark story, don't ya think? During our course of The Everyday Disciple II (yes, there are some good sequels) I thought about how two of the units together could have helped these two ill-fated lovers. What do we really know about Romeo? What do we really know about Juliet? We know the predicament. We know the emotions. But do we know their personalities? I find it sad that the closest a lot of teenagers have to self-analysis is finding out “What State Are You?” on Facebook. If you don’t know who you are, how do you expect to know what grows you, what inspires you and what feeds you...other than the Lord. If Romeo took the D.I.S.C. Personality Profile, we would know that he was definitely bold in his decision to end it all withou

  It is easy to focus on King David as the great king he was and the valiant young man that slayed the fearsome Goliath.  But just like so many human leaders, he was a broken man and his sins had great consequences for him, his family and his lineage.  Our reason for talking about it here isn't to denigrate but to remind ourselves of our humanity, our predilection towards sin and our need for grace.  Sometimes we forget how much grace we are shown. King David was known as a man with a heart for God.  His early years showed cunning, prowess and courage in the face of insurmountable odds.  His faith and anointing definitely gave him a well earned confidence.  Yet, a point came where he wasn't leading his men to battle.  In fact, on the one such occasion he stayed back and Bathsheba just happened to catch his eye.  They say, "Idle hands make for the devil's playground."  His lack of focus on the battles his nation was fighting definitely allowed a window of opportuni

  A good engineer will tell you sound structure is crucial. Possibly because anything that withstands the ravages of time and nature has to have a firm foundation and solid design. Historically, I can see that as well. When opening the New Testament, you find that a lot has changed since Malachi. One has to note that the split nation of Israel fought each other and they would often enlist neighbors in their infighting.  Those neighbors got used to the idea of attacking Israel (Judea and the Northern Kingdom.) Syria would take over parts of the Northern Kingdom, Assyria would conquer Samaria and take them captive in 723, The Babylonians would destroy the Assyrians in 586, Persian ruler Cyrus would conquer the Babylonian empire (which included Jerusalem), in 332 Greek leader Alexander The Great would dominate Judea and Jerusalem and Romans would capture Jerusalem in 70. Quick detour: For some reason, in my head, I hear the song "Istanbul" by They Might Be Giants...  "I

  I had a moment of clarity today while listening to Pastor Gabe George speak.  Since the dawn of time, we have wanted a relationship with God.  We soured that with our original sin.  Abraham was able to develop a relationship with him. For an amazing amount of time, Moses led his people with God's communication and guidance.  When Moses ascended Mt. Sinai, something happened.  I can also imagine it felt like the your GPS turned off in the middle of a trip.  It could be a little while until it reboots/updates or it could be longer.  How do you feel? I believe there is a human desire to have a physical representation of our omnipresent God.  I don't think it's a healthy thing but it is there.  I imagine not having someone with control nearby or not feeling you are being guided anymore can be upsetting.  Before this, they had Moses, to remind you He is there and He is watching out for your best interests.  Not having Him or anything physical to focus on led them to ask for an