Ken

A prophet's job is never dull.  Low pay.  Angry mobs.  Confronting those who have the power to put you in prison or have you killed.  No union benefits. Throughout Israel's history, the people have been on a roller coaster with God.  Obedient, blessed.  Rebellious, exiled.  And so it goes. In Isaiah 40, the prophet Isaiah challenges the attitude of his people.  Maybe you've been in a funk like this.  Work is hard.  Struggling to get out of bed.  Feeling abandoned by those around you -- feeling abandoned by God himself.  No answers.  No direction.  Silence. Here's how the Israelites feel: “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God" (Isaiah 40:27). They get no sympathy from Isaiah.  Instead, he asks, "Why do you say that?"  In other words, "Have you so quickly forgotten?"  "Have you lost your perspective?" He doesn't let them wallow in their…

When I was in high school, someone gave me a copy of Rubel Shelly's book, "I Just Want to be a Christian."  For the uninitiated, Rubel Shelly was an iconic figure in 20th Century Churches of Christ.  (For the record, he's still very much alive in the 21st Century ... check out his blog). When I'm asked about the books that have been most influential in my faith development, this one still ranks in the top five.  Here's why: it offers a clear and compelling call to simply be Christians and not sectarian or denominational.  For one raised in the Church of Christ, it provided a flashlight in the darkness of legalism.  The flashlight was powered by grace. Shelly shares a conversation he had with his father as his father was dying.  They discussed life and faith and matters of the church.  His father looked at him and said, "I…

I used to love playing tether ball.  A ball was roped to a pole and the winner was the first one to completely wrap the ball around the pole.  The ball could only go so far because it was "tethered" to the pole. Animals are trained by being tethered to a secure spot.  They grow up believing they can only go as far as the rope or chain will allow. I believe many of us are hindered by psychological tethers.  From nature or nurture, we inherit a set of limiting beliefs.  We grow up believing we can only go so far.  Perhaps we were trained to "know our place" or were told we weren't good enough. People learning to walk by faith and not by sight must deal with psychological tethers.  We can read "everything is possible for God" and still not believe it. What psychological tethers are holding you…

When it comes to investing, most of us understand the relationship between risk and reward: the lower the risk, the lower the reward.  As risk increases, so does the possibility for a greater return -- or a greater loss. The same is true in other areas of life. Many start-up ventures fail because the founders were reluctant to take any risks.  Or they took a great risk and experienced a great failure.  On the other hand, we enjoy the benefits of great companies who were willing to risk everything and succeeded. Healthy, growing churches know when to minimize risk and when to venture out into the great unknown.  To walk by faith and not by sight is risky. Christ-followers who help other people find their way back to God risk rejection.  They do so because they believe the reward is worth the risk. In marriage, love requires risk.  Although we've…