The Importance of Context

When God finally got my attention in my late twenties, one of the first gifts He gave me was an intense hunger for His Word. I remember leaving my Bible at the bottom of my stairs each morning so that when I returned home that evening it would be the first thing I would see. Day after day, I couldn't wait to dive into God's Word and be refreshed by His presence. The healing power of His Word started working on the deepest parts of my heart. Then I started writing down and applying the promises of His Word to me.

After months of immersing myself in the Bible, one day I heard a sermon about the importance of claiming your very own life verse. That sounded logical to me so I started searching through all of my favorite scripture verses in the quest to discover my "life verse". (Now let me explain that I'm not against the concept of having a life verse but at the time it seemed like a box I needed to check on my way to becoming a mature follower of Christ.) After not a lot of searching (sic) I landed on Jeremiah 29:11. Because let's face it, what Christian doesn't long for the comfort and promise of this verse? "For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Did you know that Jeremiah 29:11 is the second most searched Bible verse on the Internet?). And let me save you the trouble, John 3:16 is the most searched Bible verse on the web.

A Great Teammate

In most team sports there are several ways to evaluate the impact of your teammates. More than just the skill they bring to the sport, the most valuable teammates think the best of their fellow players, motivate through personal example, and put the interest of the team before their own personal gain.

Mickey Mantle (left), pictured in the photo above with his teammates Bobby Richardson (center) and Whitey Ford (right), was by most accounts, a difficult man to be around in social situations, but his baseball teammates revered him. His talent, his humility, and the way he played the game for fun had a huge impact on the Yankee teams of the 1950's and 1960's. They won seven world championships with Mickey in the lineup. And it wasn't just his fellow teammates who appreciated his awesome talent. The great Detroit Tiger, Al Kaline was once taunted by a young fan, "You're not half as good as Mickey Mantle," to which Al replied, "Son, nobody is half as good as Mickey Mantle."

Which Comes First - Love or Obedience?

Jesus said some of the most radical things that the world had ever heard. In the book of John, Jesus was talking to His disciples and check out some of that statements that flowed out of that conversation. Truths such as, "I am the way and the truth and the life." No man comes to the Father except through me." and "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father."

Yet His words, "If you love me, you will obey me." are sometimes overlooked in that chapter of John (Chapter 14).  Tucked between the promise for the present, "Ask for anything in my name and I will do it" and then followed with a promise for the future, "I will ask the Father for an advocate, and He will send the gift of the Spirit of truth who will abide with you forever." it can be granted a position of lesser prominence.

The Chronicles of Narnia

When my daughter was very young, we had a appointment every night with C.S. Lewis and his books, The Chronicles of Narnia. Over the course of many months we read through the entire series, starting with The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe then working our way through the remaining six books. 

The memories of reading each night to my beautiful daughter and having her fall asleep in my arms made this a part of my day I looked forward to with great joy. There was also the added benefit of knowing she would drift off to sleep with vibrant images of Narnia in her dreams. Also, these books conveyed such deep truths on a simple level. I know some Christians attach an almost canon-like quality to these books but that's not how I look at C.S. Lewis creation. What I draw from these books is a wonderful description of the age to come, as well as the age that is. C.S. Lewis painted word pictures that make Heaven seem real, exciting and welcoming, and I thought that if he could convey those feelings with an human imagination than how much more was our Creator dreaming up for our future home! This scripture became even more of a foundation for my faith because of these books, " . . . no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has conceived - the things God has prepared for those who love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9