When you reflect on your ministry downsizing or position loss, do you perceive yourself as an innocent victim of unchristian actions or behaviors? Ann Spangler ( The Peace God Promises ) points out that even for people who find no fault in their own hearts, it’s not healthy to take on the role of victim […]
Max Lucado ( A Gentle Thunder ) states that we all have our own preconceptions about God. However, Max adds, God has been known to surprise us. Here are some excerpts from Max’x list of surprises: “We expect God to speak through peace, but sometimes he speaks through pain.” “We think God talks through the […]
John the Baptist, Max Lucado ( A Gentle Thunder ) notes, was a public relations disaster. Mark 1:6 tells us that John “wore clothes made from camel’s hair, had a leather belt around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey.” Yet many people were drawn to John’s message, confessed their sins, and were baptized in […]
Yesterday my wife Vicki and I were in Knox, Indiana to attend a graveside memorial service for our dear friend Rudy. Rudy and Vicki met when they were paired in a pie-eating contest at the beginning of their freshman year at Valparaiso University. In a precursor to Man vs. Food, they won the contest with […]
In Chapter 18 of A Gentle Thunder author Max Lucado discusses Jesus changing water into wine at the wedding reception in Cana. He notes that when the wine was gone, Mary could have exploded by blaming others or imploded by blaming herself. But Mary had a third option, the best choice of all- she assessed […]
In A Gentle Thunder, Max Lucado retells the story of a king and his two sons. They asked their father if a gentleman was born or made. The first son said a gentleman was born that way, the second that one could become a gentleman through practice and discipline. The sons had a week to […]
Max Lucado (A Gentle Thunder) uses the account of Jesus feeding the 5000 to convey the message that even thought his people may give up, God will continue to be faithful. Max explains: “God’s faithfulness has never depended on the faithfulness of his children. He is faithful even when we aren’t. When we lack courage, […]
Max Lucado contrasts the images of a cowboy and a shepherd in Chapter 11 of A Gentle Thunder. For example, a cowboy yells at the cattle, while a shepherd calls each sheep by name. A cowboy drives cattle, a shepherd leads sheep. How do we perceive Jesus during our transition or Land Between time? Max […]
“Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”- John 16:7 Max Lucado (A Gentle Thunder) likens the process of learning something new to someone learning to dance by reading a book on the subject. Although the steps in the book are practiced […]
In Chapter 8 of A Gentle Thunder, Max Lucado observes that when Judas led the Roman soldiers to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, no one recognized Jesus. Max explains: “Seeing Jesus is more than a matter of the eyes, it is a matter of the heart.” Just as he was present in the Garden […]
In Chapter 6 of A Gentle Thunder, Max Lucado shares his thoughts on John 6:35- “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” While there are seasonal fruits and vegetables or special drinks for specific holidays, Max comments that: “Bread […]
Again referencing John 6:16-21, Max Lucado wonders how many times the disciples searched the darkness for Jesus or called out his name. They most certainly must have wondered why Jesus was taking so long, just as we do today while in the midst of our adversity. The answer came to Max as he heard his […]