THE EVERYDAY BIBLE

You can’t more direct than this

Which one are you?

Circles are a heckuva thing

How do you define need?

At the end of the day, how do you want to be known?

The guy could really boil it down

Sorry all you planners out there

Have faith in one as you go through the other

Finding customers like you and me

A long time ago there was this guy named Job…

No, not the 70’s R&B group

Yes, I know, these two stand on opposite sides of the room sticking their tongues out at each other

Don’t look but we are all hypocrites

Be assured, you’ll get there, that’s a promise

Or at least where to go for answers when you’re stumped

Not someone you associate with a Confined Animal Feeding Operation

Who wants to be owned?

Spare the rod

“All we need is just a little patience”-Axl Rose

Skepticism’s been a thing at least since we started counting time this second time around

Noteworthy or infamous, whatever way you slice it, not a bad guy

Not exactly a trinity as we think of it, but for today pretty close

Who knows if it is or it isn’t?

We’re all part of the harvest, let’s hope we’re not the chaff

“Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.”

A brief confession of inadequacy

Water to wine was just for starters

Things don’t always turn out the way you think they will

The only thing that’s sure-fire and 100%

A couple of tough words to play out unless…

Not exactly what you’d expect

My mom’s least favorite expression comes to mind every time I read this.

Taking the risk of you not being able to get Eminem’s voice out of your head, I know

Especially during this season, we need to recognize we’ve already received the ultimate

An obscure and overlooked commandment

Just give me one more shot!

Not “Readin, Ritin and Rithmetic” but almost as basic

From Dr. Phil to Einstein and Cousin Eddy, relationships are a tough nut to crack

Far from being about bearded old guys, the true definition has more to do with progress down a path.

Radically different begins on the inside

Nowhere is this more apparent than when I try to fix something.

Light and dark like good and evil both exist inside us

It’s not a question of “want” it’s a question of “how”

It’s a little kooky how we avoid the one sure thing.

John has some advice about how to treat others who are on their own path

A master salesman pitches something that’s really a no-brainer

It’s a real counter-cultural thing that Paul writes about.

Pulling a piece of a letter from a guy named Paul today about being yourself.

We may not want to admit it but this Jesus guy wasn’t really the life of the party.

I’m not happy about it but I have to say I understand why they did what they did.

Seems like even if what we need is right in front of us, sometimes we can’t see it.

Making some wild guesses about the Ephesians who sound a lot like us

We probably don’t realize what we’re fashioning every day. Here’s what I’m talking about today: Exodus 20: 1-6

Marv Heckman would be so proud Here’s what we’re talking about today: Philippians 2: 1-5

Everyone else doesn’t give me a pass!

Getting up early and going to bed late

It’s a simple, fundamental, but important question we all need to answer.

The successful sales guy recognizes a marketing opportunity others have forsaken.

Appearances have always been the cornerstone of wrong impressions

I’m guessing Jesus made things really uncomfortable for the others at this table.

We’ve all come to the end of our rope at one time or another

Here’s some guidance to deal with everything from spilled drinks to astronomical electrical bills.

Whose attention are we trying to get?

You don’t choose them and yet you wouldn’t/couldn’t have it any other way.

We all need someone to speak for us once in a while.

You won’t find a more graphic example of leaving a friend high and dry.

A guy takes an extended vacation and expects his servants to multiply his wealth

It looks to me like if we’ll just listen to a little advice things will go our way.

There are a lot of beds in the Good Book and a few things about order too.

We do a lot of dancing around this. If only we could take the words to heart.

Read that again, it’s not IN it’s AND

Alice Cooper was on to something we Christians ought to heed.

Headed back to 1979 in a little divergence this week.

It’s clear our meals today carry far less importance than they used to.

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”-Ferris Bueller

Love is universal and devotion is something we all like.

We’ve all been there and seen the handwriting.

I got some good advice on cussing during confirmation class.

No doubt about it; the bible is definitely pro-work.

Chasing the right stuff has a huge impact on how happy we are.

I’m no Captain Kirk but then again I’m not going up against any Klingons.

“Do what they say, say what they mean. One thing leads to another”-The Fixx

We gotta cut ourselves some slack on this whole crying thing folks.

My old football coach pointed out who I was; something that had been determined by a much higher power right from the beginning.

What is beauty and how do we get it?

Clear advice about whether saying something is the right way to go.

Who knew the little fellas were so soft-hearted?

Ever defeat something in your mind before you ever actually start it?

Sometimes just accepting that things are going to roll through your life is the toughest part of all.

I’ve had this one upside down for years!

“First things first I’ma say all the words inside my head”-Imagine Dragons

Looks to me like defining your own personal finish line is pretty important.

Judgment is a heckuva thing and shouldn’t be misunderstood.

About made me blush!

Sometimes the most difficult thing to see is the thing right in front of us.

How do you know you’re on the right track?

Trust is a dicey thing sometimes. Good to know God has faith in us.

Sally Fields isn’t the only one who wants this assurance.

Given our political climate, we could use a dose of Paul’s philosophy.

Sometimes for all our good intentions we just don’t see what we should.

All together now!

Here’s some action words for you to try.

What are you buying with your time here?

Everyone finds themselves “out there” once in a while.

If you’re a “color outside the lines” person, here’s a guy you can follow.

Promise and Hope make our waits easier.

Head versus heart: which do you value more?

Neither personal experience nor Baz Luhrmann seems to get through to me.

Logic doesn’t always serve me well.

Good advice on beating worry if you ask me.

With God on our side, it’s game over.

It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do if you don’t say you’re sorry and change.

We have to go through some stuff to get to hope but it will come if we just hang in there

Helping someone out, no matter the size of the gesture, shows our true humanity.

Turns out even way back when things didn’t always go according to plan.

What’s it going to be: companion or friend?

Good ‘ol Nebraska logic says you have to deserve whatever you get. Good thing Jesus was no Nebraskan.

Some things just keep going and going and going, like some sort of smelly vegetable.

What we see, light or dark, can’t help but go into us and become part of us.

Which camp do you fall into?

Paul has some pretty good advice about love for somebody I suppose.

Paul surely wasn’t into precision agriculture but his advice is spot-on.

What’s real? What’s worth our time and money? We all have to decide but Paul’s letter to Timothy gives some good advice.

In this letter to the church in Thessalonia, Paul throws down a whole bunch of absolutes that we aren’t up to; without help.

I’ve never been good at finding things. I always did poorly at Easter. I was never the kid that found the foul ball so I could get two pieces of bubble gum.

Ever date two people at the same time? Yeah, me neither but I knew a guy who did and here’s what he told me about the experience.

We Americans are used to cheap food and a lot of it. We almost always decide to have the combo meal or the full entrée.

In this scripture, in the midst of the description of a tremendously selfless act we are reminded that even among Jesus’s inner circle there were very bad actors.

I look at this scripture and it seems to me to be a set of verses where I ask myself why and then always answer, oh, yeah.

Having belief and knowledge and understanding are sometimes difficult for us. Thankfully we were given a gift that allows us to see and learn and grasp just what we are.

According to Jesus, if you can be a kid, you’re in. Talk about good news!

We couldn’t be more different and yet we’re all just really the same. You, me, Jesus and the utensil I ate my Life out of this morning.

It looks like the process of becoming a follower begins with shutting up and listening. That’s how we get the bad stuff out of us.

Jesus clearly knew nothing about marketing or promotion. Look at the evidence.

God described a path to success and fulfillment when he spoke to Abram.

Jesus clearly knew nothing about marketing or promotion. Look at the evidence. He obviously had a dynamite product (healing of sickness) an active and fervent following and a growing reputation but what does he do?

In fact, one of my mom’s favorite stories about me is telling how, as we left the optometrist’s office and I was sporting my brand spanking new black glasses, I exclaimed something like, “Wow mom, I can see the leaves on the trees!” I guess that explains why I ran into so many things as a toddler.

I’m curious about odd stuff I suppose. I wonder about things, social norms, things we do just because we’ve always just done them that way.

Rebels beware: the advice herein is that you follow the rules. What a concept, huh?

Odd thing about money according to the bible: you have to get rid of it to do you any good.

Job was given a succession of Mondays and not just any Mondays, the mother of all Mondays. His reaction? Not what you would expect.

Apparently even way back when, following directions and doing what you were told was a pretty big deal.

God’s Big Plan for us might leave us feeling overmatched at times but the truth is we’ve been made for it. So lean in and listen and trust.

Ever get the perfect gift? That thing that you longed for hoped for and secretly thought you would never in a million years have?

I’ve always been a head-down, get to my task, take care of myself sort of a guy.

It’s important to note the emphasis is on spending, not having. Spending, not saving. Spending, not accumulating or pursuing or yearning for more but spending.

Caring, being empathetic, is good but is it enough? If you’re moved to act but don’t, maybe a look at what holds you back is in order.

Jesus hurt when his friends hurt. It’s a lot like when we hurt because our friends or our children are hurting

Sometimes I think we don’t realize or remember that the disciples were just normal guys and not necessarily stellar guys at that. Take this passage for instance.

So, let me see if I have this right. Your leader, the guy you believe to be the savior of the world takes you up onto a mountain to pray.

In Acts 3 and 4 Peter and John heal a familiar, crippled beggar near the temple gates. They heal him but give Jesus the credit saying it was by His power that it occurred.

Putting things into practice that we’re told to do is really what it’s all about.

You wouldn’t think we would need a “how-to” guide for something like a simple conversation but apparently we do.

Sometimes our biggest battles are fought in that six or so inches between our ears. We worry and we fuss and we stew about all the things we don’t have or the things we are not.

The steps and the how-to’s really aren’t all that important if your commitment is right.

Too often we get hung up on the details instead of just accepting what we’re given.

I’m not sure how you’d classify me, good or bad, but I’m sure I need a lot of grace.

Paul tells us to keep things ship-shape to respect the deal that was made for us.

God flips the script on what we normally tell ourselves and he does it with an uber powerful gift.

God’s problem solving technique seems counterintuitive to us but it’s a gift we’re urged to re-gift to change our whole life.

No, others thought the disciples were drunk and they laughed at them. Too often we don’t use those appendages on the side of our head and actually listen to what we’re told.

I used to think the whole repent and be baptized thing was a one-time deal. I figured you couldn’t double dip on God. Now though, I’m seeing this gift is one, as Cousin Eddy said in “Christmas Vacation”, “Is the gift that keeps on givin.” Thank God for that because I certainly keep on screwing up.

It may be age or cynicism or bad luck but I think sometimes we tend to believe that we are more than just a part of a larger plan.

John lays out a three step plan to win and claim victory over the world. It’s all about love and belief and rules. Yes, rules.

This is how everything got rolling, at least according to John. It’s a story of a promise and an ironic twist that can give us hope.

John lays down an either/or statement that we may not like until we realize it hinges on one thing.