Good Works Flow From God's Presence In Us

We don’t do “good works” in order to get right with God.  We get right with God—through a work of His grace—and then “good works” flow from the presence of God in our lives.

God's Unifying Love

How in the world could people with different personalities and temperaments and different points of view—people from different backgrounds—ever come together and experience any type of unity?  Answer:  God’s love.  “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Col.3:14. This can sound naïve, but it’s true when God is really in it.

She Knows How To Suffer And... How To Laugh

Mother Teresa wrote this about one of the sisters, Gabriela, who worked with her in Calcutta.  “She works beautifully for Jesus—the most important is that she knows how to suffer and at the same time how to laugh. That is the most important—she suffers and she laughs.” That is a word of encouragement and challenge to me to experience joy even when life is difficult.

An Indication That God Is Real In Us

We know that God’s work is real in us and that we are genuinely experiencing His love in us when we find ourselves—perhaps even surprise ourselves—honestly loving the unlovely and those for whom we would not typically have a heart of compassion.

You And I Are Never Outside The Care And Concern of God

As we go through our day, it’s good and encouraging to remember that God is interested in EVERYTHING that happens, and the truth of God and the reality of who He is, is relevant to EVERYTHING that happens. There is not one single thing that will happen to you and I today that is outside the care and concern of God.

Life And Death And The Bulls

It was life and death!

Okay, I know, that’s probably somewhat overly dramatic.  But that’s what it felt like, tonight.  As the Bulls game began, this evening, there was a mood down in the lair where we gathered to watch the game.  It was a cautious mood.  Yes, a slightly tense mood.  But it was a very hopeful mood.

Taylor, John, Rachel and I sat watching, shouting encouragement, words of correction, witty insights and cogent advice.  And we relished the fact that as the game unfolded Miami seemed to struggle through most of it. 

“Yep, the Heat can’t quite get it together tonight,” we said with glee.

Even going into the 4^th quarter, we were feeling quite confident.  The Bulls appeared to be listening to our wisdom and following our instructions faithfully.  And at the same time Miami was clearly succumbing to the powerful verbal offense that we provided from our basement location some 15 miles from the United Center.  Lebron couldn’t dominate in his usual way.  Ha!  Dwayne Wade did not look like a formidable superstar.  Take that!  We thought.

But then late in the game something started to happen.  Something terrible.  We didn’t want to believe it.  We began shifting uncomfortably in our seats.  This scenario isn’t even possible, is it?

“Hey guys.  Settle down.  Get your composure!”  We yelled to anyone who would listen.  Which apparently was no one.

But when the Heat tied the game with a minute left in the 4^th quarter—after the Bulls held a sizable lead just 2 minutes earlier—all we could do was look at each other nervously.  Without anyone speaking a word the looks on our faces said, “Oh no!  What’s going on here?”

And when—against all odds—the Heat somehow took the lead in the final seconds, that sinking feeling in the gut seemed to predict the actualization of our worst fears.

Final score?  Heat 83, Bulls 80.  How?  I don’t know.  But I just looked it up again, that was the final score.

It wasn’t really life and death, of course.  We’re all still alive.  (In fact, I’m drinking an iced tea, right now.)  But there was genuine shock as the realization hit us that for our Bulls…it was the end.

Love Is Part of Why We're Alive

“Loving requires a heart alive and awake and free.  A life filled with loving is a life most like the one that God lives, which is life as it was meant to be (Eph. 5:1-2).” –John Eldredge.  We are created to love.  It is the intention of our Creator that we love Him and that we love others.  Love is part of why we are alive.

Eternity Has Already Begun

For those who follow Christ, we're not waiting for eternity to happen.  Eternity has already begun.

Fulfilled Prophecy And The Bible's Reliability

Physicist, Dr. Hugh Ross, writes of fulfilled Bible prophecies and refers to mathematical calculations by colleagues at Caltech demonstrating the incredibly remote probability of these predictions being fulfilled by pure chance. Dr. Ross then writes, “I could demonstrate that this book [the Bible] has a higher degree of reliability than some of the laws of physics.” That is a fascinating & remarkable claim!

Audio Message: Three Men And Their Talents

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The Importance of Touch

“Touch” is an important form of communication and it is an important way of communicating love. We’re not talking here of sexual touch but of something like a hug, or an encouraging hand on the shoulder. Babies who are not touched fail to thrive. Seniors in nursing homes who are not touched fail to thrive. We all need others in this physical sense. It is a form of loving connection.

Via The Onion: Nation Down To Last Hundred Grownups

Click on the link to read this satirical piece from the humor site, "The Onion".  When you read it you will laugh.  And then if you think about just how true it is, you will cry.

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Would You Want To Be Onboard When Dan Flies The Plane?

“You go ahead and take the controls,” my friend Greg said.  He had just given me a very quick mini-course on flying the plane.

With steely determination and a Chuck-Yeager-like cool resolve, I took the wheel.  (Okay, I realize it’s not a “steering wheel”.  I took whatever it’s called that would be the equivalent of a steering wheel if we were in a car.)

And there you have it.  I was flying the plane!   …Sort of.

Technically, Greg was still in the pilot seat.  His hands were not on the controls for the moment but, if need be, they could be on the controls in less than 2 seconds.

However, with certain qualifications acknowledged, I was flying the plane!

As the temporary pilot, I knew that my mind needed to run through a checklist to assess our current situation.  Checklist item one:  We were flying at an altitude of approximately 200 feet.

Oh, wait a minute.  That can’t be right, can it?  We had to be higher than 200 feet off the ground.  I began my mental checklist, once again…

Item one:  We were flying at an altitude of approximately 30,000 feet.

Hold on.  You know what?  That can’t be right either, huh?  We couldn’t be at 30,000 feet in this type of plane without a pressurized cabin.

Okay, this was a situation in which the temporary pilot, frankly, didn’t really know what our altitude was.  But, looking around I could see that we were definitely high up in the air.  And with that, I felt confident that I could conclude my assessment of our current situation.

One of the main objectives of my temporary time as pilot of the craft was simply to keep the plane level and maintain our current altitude.  (Whatever that was.)  But something kept happening.

Whenever I would make normal adjustments to correct the flight of the craft, I had a tendency to overcompensate.  So, for example, if we were gradually beginning to lose altitude, the adjustment would involve pulling back on the… you know, the thingamabob… the thing that would be a steering wheel if we were in a car.  But my tendency would be to pull back a little too far so that now instead of leveling off again at the right altitude, we would begin climbing too steeply.

Realizing that I had pulled back too far, I would then push in gently and gradually but, sure enough, my adjustment would be a little too much and we would begin zooming toward the ground.  In fact, one time during my over-adjustment I could tell that we were heading toward the ground much too rapidly.  As you can imagine, it was comforting for me, in that moment, to know that Greg was still in the plane.  And, sure enough, when I looked in his direction, I was relieved to see him sobbing and repeating the Lord’s Prayer.

Alright, I’m probably making that nosedive sound worse than it actually was.  However, I will say this, when it happened, there was a woman out in her back yard hanging up some laundry and before it was over, we had a pair of her husband’s boxer shorts on our propeller.

After we got the plane leveled off and flying right, once again, Greg said, “Hey, I want to show you something.  Watch this.  Take your hands off the controls.”

I looked at him.  “Really?”

He said, “Yeah, just for a moment.  Take your hands off the controls.”

I did.

And for a few moments the plane flew properly, with no one’s hands on the controls.

Greg looked at me and smiled.

The sad but inescapable fact was that the plane flew better with no one in control than it did with me flying it.

Yes, I’ll be honest with you, that’s a little bit embarrassing.

I suspect it’s possible that this story could help illustrate some terrific idea.  Something like, “Let go and let God.”  Or, “God’s ultimately in control.”  Or, “God is my co-pilot.”

But, to me, the real moral of the story is: Bring in the laundry if you hear that I’m flying a plane in your area.

*NOTE:  This is, basically, a true story, however some of the details have been mildly exaggerated in order to achieve maximum embarrassment.

Some Thoughts About "Tomorrow"

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.” –Corrie Ten Boom.   “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” –Jesus.   “Pass me another Mountain Dew, please.” –Dan Marler.  

(Hmm, my quotes seem to be a little less substantive than the sayings of Corrie Ten Boom and Jesus.)

Real Living Means We Will Have To Take The Risk of Tearing Down Walls

Sometimes, in an effort to protect ourselves from getting hurt, we erect walls that block people from really knowing us.  It is possible to avoid some kinds of pain behind these walls, but the fullness of life involves close, loving relationships where we KNOW others and are KNOWN BY others.  So, real living involves the risk of tearing the walls down.

A Good Answer For Certain Questions

“I don’t know.”      …That is the reasonable response to this question: When is Jesus going to return?  Oh, by the way, it’s also a wise response to this question:  “What happened to all those chocolate chip cookies that I made earlier today?”

Audio Message: A Neighbor No One Expected

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Love Speaks The Truth

Here’s a line I read yesterday: “…[T]he first task of love is to tell the truth.” –Albert J. Mohler.  It is not loving to “blow smoke” at people and tell them things that will make them feel comfortable if they are doing something wrong or hurtful.  Love speaks the truth, it does so humbly, gently, and sincerely.

Is Jesus Coming On May 21st?

There are billboards in cities all around the United States—I read there were 40 of these billboards in the Nashville, Tennessee area alone—and these billboards contain an interesting and fairly unusual message.  In fact, the truth is, if the message on these billboards is correct, it will alter everything about life on planet earth for every single person.

Really.  I’m not kidding.  If the message on these billboards is correct, it will completely change everything.  Because it’s talking about one of the most important events in the history of planet earth and one of the most important events in the history of humankind. 

And that’s not an exaggeration!

You say, “Wow!  What’s going on?  What does it say on these billboards?”

The message on the billboards indicates that the return of Jesus—the second coming of Christ—is going to happen on May 21, 2011.  If you’re near a calendar, you’re looking and saying, “Hey, wait a minute, that’s this Saturday!  Whoa!  That’s just a couple of days from now!”

Yep.

This billboard advertising has been placed—as I understand it—by various people, churches and groups who agree with the teachings of a man named Harold Camping who is the founder of Family Radio Worldwide.

Mr. Camping, obviously, believes that the second coming of Christ is real.  In that respect, he would be in agreement with the teachings of almost all Christian groups.  On that point, virtually all Christians say, “You got it, Harold.  Way to go.  Preach it, brother!”

But he also believes that the exact date of the second coming can be determined from the Bible.  And on that point, virtually all Christians say, “Huh?  Did he just say what I think he said?”

Unfortunately, by presuming that he can pinpoint the exact date of Jesus’ return, Mr. Camping is not in agreement with the Bible.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve had conversations with a few people who have listened to broadcasts on Family Radio and heard about Mr. Camping’s prediction.  As a matter of fact, I had a conversation just a few weeks ago, in a restaurant, with someone who mentioned this to me.

He said, “What do you think about this prediction that Jesus is coming again on May 21, 2011?”

I said, “Not much.”

He smiled and then he accidentally spilled a Coke on me ….At least, I think it was an accident.

Now Jesus is going to come again.  That’s a clear teaching of scripture.  Jesus is coming again and maybe he’ll come later today, or maybe it will be tomorrow, or maybe it will be May 21^st, or maybe it will be another thousand years from now.  But one of the key points is: we don’t know.

Speaking about his return Jesus, himself, said, “…No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself.  Only the Father knows.”  Mark 13:32

So, does Mr. Camping know the date of Jesus’ return?  No, he does not.

You say, “But I heard that Camping came up with some very impressive numerological calculations!”

Frankly, that makes it all even less convincing.  (Although, it suggests that he probably got some pretty good grades in math, as a kid.)

Do I think Jesus is coming on May 21^st?  No, I don’t.  But, could He come on May 21^st?  Sure.  Again, He could come any day.  If He comes on May 21^st, it won’t be because Mr. Camping figured out the day, that will have just been a lucky guess. 

Only the Father knows!   (According to a very reliable expert on the matter.)

So this week, I’ve still been reading, studying, writing and working on my sermon and doing the other things that are a part of my job because I have a feeling Sunday, May 22^nd is still going to roll around and I’m going to need to be prepared to do what God has called me to do.  (By the way, I’d love to see you in church this Sunday, I’ll be speaking about one of Jesus’ parables that involves “Three Men And Their Talents”.)

But the subject of the second coming raises an important question.  We don’t know when Jesus is going to return.  But He is going to return.  So, are you ready?  He might come today, He might come May 21^st, we don’t know (including Mr. Camping).  But He is coming.  Are you ready?

To be “ready” means to be found “in Christ” when He comes.  Consider this: If Jesus came 15 minutes from now would you be found in Him?

If you’re not sure, do this:  Admit that you’re a sinner and ask Jesus to forgive your sins.  The Bible promises that He will forgive.  Trust in Jesus for eternal life.  Look to Him as your Savior.  Acknowledge Him as the Lord…your Lord.

Is Jesus coming on May 21^st?  I seriously doubt it.  But He is coming some day.  So, it makes good sense to BE READY!

The Body of Christ

Because there is such a strong emphasis placed on individualism in our culture, we can tend to forget that we are part of something more than just our selves. Christians understand ourselves to be a part of the body of Christ. That truth involves us in the realities of: responsibility, accountability, service, community & charity. We are connected to one another and that matters.

At One Time Or Another, We All Need Help

It’s okay to admit that we need help.  First, that’s the truth about us.  At one time or another, we all need help.  Even the person who seems to be the most self-sufficient will NEED HELP somewhere along the way.  Second, our need for help may be an important opportunity for serving on the part of the persons who love us.

The Unique Approach of Jesus

Quote from Os Guinness:  Every religious founder of every other major religion says, “I’m a prophet who has come to show you the way to find God.” But of all of the major religions of the world, only Christianity has a founder who has the audacity to say “I AM God, and I have come to find YOU.” Do you realize how different that is?

Loving With God's Help

Sometimes people proclaim that there are certain folks they simply cannot love. This is understandable.  The expectation by God that we love everyone—including even our enemies—is not possible in our own strength.  But, as Jesus says, “with God, all things are possible”.  We live and love the way God calls us to live and love only through the help and power of His Holy Spirit.

God Forgives

Sometimes we feel so badly about a particularly grievous sin in our lives that we come to God over and over asking for forgiveness regarding the matter again and again.  Consider this:  God is saying, “Hey, I totally forgave you the first time you asked.”

Who Is Responsible For the Fine-Tuning?

“[O]ur universe operates according to a whole set of specific numeric values, and our existence in the universe depends on those values being precisely what they are.” –Dinesh D’Souza.  This fine-tuning of our universe is known as the “Anthropic Principle”.  And the question it raises is: “Who” is responsible for this incredibly precise fine tuning? Hint: He wrote a bestselling book.'

Rachel's Prom 2011!

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God Really Does Love You!

Some of us have this sneaking suspicion, every now and then, that God probably doesn’t really love us.  “I mean, how could He love me?” we think.  “After all the stuff I’ve done.”  This reveals that we still have this inclination to think that we must somehow EARN God’s love.  We do not earn God’s love.  God IS love.  He is loving and gracious.  And HE REALLY DOES LOVE YOU!

God Comes First

The Bible calls for us to recognize, respect, and even submit to, legitimate authority. [See Rom.13:1-5.] In our culture—and for those who lived through the 60’s—that can be a hard pill to swallow. But even though it can rub us the wrong way, authority has an important role in a society. The exception is when any authority contradicts God. Then we choose God. Always. God comes first!

E-Flash From Dan, May 11, 2011

Dear E-Flash Friends;

For those of us who love the good news of Jesus Christ, sometimes the nature of the world in which we live can be such that it may seem like things really aren’t going very well.  But, you know what?  That’s not true!

Check out the following quote which provides some interesting and inspiring facts from a recent missionary agency report.  This information surprised me…in a good way!

“One of every eight people on the planet is a practicing Christian who is active in his/her faith. The number of believers in what used to be “mission fields” now surpasses the number of believers in the countries from which missionaries were originally sent. In fact, more missionaries are now sent from non-Western churches than from the traditional mission-sending bases in the West.

“The Protestant growth rate in Latin America is well over three times the biological growth rate. Protestants in China grew from about one million to over 80 million believers in less than 50 years, with most of that growth occurring in just the last few decades. In the 1980s, Nepal was still a staunch Hindu kingdom with only a small persecuted church. Today there are hundreds of thousands of believers, and churches have been started within each of its more than 100 distinct people groups.”

From an article titled, “Finishing The Task: The Unreached Peoples Challenge”, Ralph D. Winter and Bruce A. Koch

Jesus said that He would build His church and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18.

God is in control and His kingdom is advancing.  Be encouraged!

Blessings,

Dan

Audio Message: Mother's Day - Honor Your Mother

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Voltaire's Inaccurate Prediction

Voltaire was a writer, historian and philosopher who lived during a period of history known as the Enlightenment.  Voltaire predicted, “another century and there will not be a Bible on earth!”  This falls into a category known as “inaccurate predictions” because Voltaire’s house later became the headquarters of a Bible society.  (And there are still several Bibles on earth.)

God, Who Do You Want Me To Love?

I was at a Youth Convention a while ago and we received a simple, but very good challenge.  Here’s the challenge:  Pray this prayer, “God, who do you want me to love, today?”  Then truly make the effort to love the people that God reveals to you; the people that God brings into your life, this day.  If every genuine follower of Jesus Christ would sincerely do this today, what might happen?

Fun At The Car Wash

I pressed the buttons on the key pad entering the code for my car wash and then I pressed the large green “start” button.  The automated voice said, “Put your car in neutral, do not steer, and do not step on the brakes.”

It baffles me that I did not see this sooner, but it was not until this point that I noticed the message on the dash board “TRUNK AJAR”. 

“What?!?!?!”

I did a double take…

“TRUNK AJAR”

 “My trunk is open?!?  Uh oh.  This isn’t good.”

I could see in my rearview mirror that the trunk was not wide open, but apparently it was not firmly latched. 

“Now, what do I do?”

I thought about jumping out of the car but I could feel the conveyor system of the car wash already catching the wheels of the vehicle.

“It moves slowly,” I thought.  “Perhaps if I run fast I could jump out, slam the trunk and jump back in again, before the car actually enters the jets of water at the beginning of the car wash.”

In my fertile imagination, I could picture some possible problems with that plan of action.  I was particularly concerned about trying that maneuver and then having the car go through the car wash with the trunk closed, but the door open… and me not in it.

“Well, it looks like I’m going through the car wash with my trunk ajar,” I told myself as I sat up keeping an eye on the trunk of my car through the rearview mirror.

So, “what happened” you ask?

Frankly, not much.  When the car wash was over I put the car in park and leaped out to look inside the trunk.  It was okay.  So, I let out a big “whew”!  What I thought might be a small pond in the trunk of my car, didn’t end up being a problem at all.  In fact, it wasn’t even wet.

But I’ve certainly learned my lesson. 

And the lesson is?  Always wear a bathing suit to the car wash.  …And bring a towel.  Just in case.

What's The Point?

Once a person seriously considers questions like: “What’s the point of my existence?” It’s very hard for that person to ever go back to living life as if the answer to that question doesn’t matter.

Honor Your Father and Mother

I was blessed to have had a mom who was one of the kindest, sweetest, most gracious people I have ever known. Her genuine love of God has positively influenced my brother, sister and I in a way that will continue for the rest of our lives. The Bible says, “Honor your father and mother”.  I gladly do that, today.  And Happy Mother’s Day to all moms!!!

It Honors Our Moms When We Live Wisely

One of the ways that we honor our moms is by living our lives wisely.  It honors the home that we come from when we live with wisdom.  And all true wisdom begins with God.  "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10

Who Are We "Hanging Out" With?

Who we hang out with matters.  The people with whom we spend considerable amounts of time influence us in significant ways.  Are we spending time with people who will influence us in positive, healthy ways?  “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” Proverbs 13:20

There Is No Condemnation For Those In Christ

Sometimes we feel guilty because we’ve done something wrong.  On the other hand, some of us are plagued by feelings of guilt even when we haven’t done anything wrong (at least, not recently).  In either case, the answer is still the same:  Turn to Christ.  “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” Romans 8:1.  Amen, to that truth!

Chest Pains, Near Death Experiences & Being A Smartypants

Recently I’ve been doing some reading and study on a topic that is referred to as Near Death Experience or NDE.  When a typical NDE occurs, the person’s heart stops beating and with no blood pumping the cessation of brain activity soon follows.  At that point, the person is dead, clinically speaking.  And conventional thinking within the medical field would suggest that the person would then have no consciousness of any kind.

In hundreds of case studies, however (actually it’s probably thousands) people who have “died” and yet been revived reported consciousness including extraordinary “afterlife” experiences during the time when they are clinically dead.  Some people believe that these NDEs confirm the reality of some type of life after death and others remain unconvinced.  But enough of these NDEs have been documented that we can now be certain this is not just the silly imaginings of a couple of odd people.

Last week, I was reading a book about one of the largest NDE studies that has been undertaken thus far, and several times, during the course of my reading, I thought, “it would be interesting to have one of these Near Death Experiences.”  The description of NDEs by those who have had them sounds amazing.

Yesterday, I experienced a mild discomfort in my chest that very quickly turned into a fairly severe pain.  I took some deep breaths thinking it would go away.  Hoping it would go away.  It didn’t.  I wanted to convince myself that “hey, this is nothing” but the pain was real enough and persistent enough that even though I wanted to deny it, I could not.

I began thinking, “Oh man, I’m probably going to have to go to the ER.”  If you’ve been to the ER lately, you know that death can actually seem, momentarily, like a more attractive alternative. 

(Okay, I’m just kidding, relax.  Can’t a guy joke a little?  It helps release tension, you know.)

As I was walking from the church to my house and the pain in my chest continued, the NDEs that I had recently been reading about came to mind.  I thought to myself, “Alright, Mr. Smartypants you were thinking it would be interesting to have an NDE, huh?”

And then I said to God, “Lord, are you going to give me one of those ‘be-careful-what-you-ask-for’ lessons?”

Well, I’m happy to report that I did not have a Near Death Experience.  (The closest I came to death was when my friend Greg looked at one of the numbers on my monitor in the ER and suggested to myself and one of the nurses that it seemed to indicate I only had 99 minutes left to live.  With friends like these, who needs… oh, never mind, you know the line.)

So, no NDE occurred and all of my medical tests indicate that I did not have a heart attack.  In fact, I was told that my heart is very strong and healthy.

What happened then?  What was the cause of the chest pains?  Well, they don’t know for sure.  But the cardiologist said to me, “Mr. Marler, when a person has such an extraordinary amount of muscular development, like yourself, sometimes the kung fu power in the muscles can cause a constriction in the chest…”

You know, I would go on with the cardiologist’s comments but I sense that I’m losing some of you.

It’s good to be alive!  And, as always, God is still good!

Love and blessings,

Dan

 *Sorry the picture's a little blurry.  This is 

shortly before the stress test.

P.S.  The good news is that I will be at church on Mothers’s Day.  …At least, that’s good news to me.  And I hope to see you, too.  “The guys” are leading the worship as a treat for the moms!  It’s going to be TERRIFIC!!!  And hey, I’ve got a great idea, bring your mom to church with you on Sunday and then take her for a lovely brunch following the service.  What do you say?  (And don’t forget to buy her a nice card and some flowers.) 

P.P.S.  I know that many of you were praying for me and I am so thankful for your prayers on my behalf.  I am TRULY BLESSED by God to have such wonderful friends!

Here's Greg right around the time

of his prognosis of my condition.

Audio Message: He Thinks He's Rich...But Is He Really?

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Love Is An Act of Caring

“Apathy” is antithetical to love because one of the primary aspects of love is that it is an act of CARING.  It is easy to become apathetic because life—and this includes the people in our lives—can be unfair and difficult.  So, we can be tempted not to care.  Let’s pray to God for help to RESIST this temptation.  Let’s not stop loving and let’s not stop CARING!

Video: America's Real Favorite Pastime

Monday Night Softball!!!

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Speaking Words of Encouragement, Love & Hope

When we speak words of encouragement, love and hope to others we connect with them in positive and significant ways.  And we stir the fire of possibility that God has placed in the human heart.

Osama Is Dead And Jack Bauer Is Trending

Here’s further evidence that we are a Hollywood/media driven culture: Osama Bin Laden is killed & as a result, TV character Jack Bauer is currently trending on Twitter.  A sample Tweet: “Osama Bin Laden is dead. In other news Jack Bauer returns from vacation in Pakistan.”  …Sheesh! Come on, everyone knows that Bauer has been working w/Jason Bourne and I in the far East.

Enriching Communication

I read this concept recently: We should be concerned with “enriching the depth of communication” rather than wielding power over one another. [Jaron Lanier]  It is definitely a practice that would lead to the flourishing of love.

Love Covers Over A Multitude of Sins

People can usually tell if we really care about them.  And if we genuinely care about them many of our other shortcomings will be graciously tolerated.  The Bible expresses a similar idea, this way:  “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8