Somewhere between the Parable of the Good Samaritan and the home of Martha and Mary, we find the one thing our souls need. We find the ONE that our souls need.
Bret’s Bloopers and Outtakes
You probably think recording an online worship service is a piece of cake, right? Well, it’s only good editing that makes me look good (and that’s kind of iffy).
Here are a few of our best bloopers (but none of the worst).
Dream Big: Know What You Want, Why You Want It, and What You’re Going to Do About It
Dream Big: Know What You Want, Why You Want It, and What You’re Going to Do About It by Bob GoffMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ve read all of Bob Goff’s books. Everybody, Always has been my favorite, but I think this one just surpassed it. Like Bob’s other works, it’s filled with stories and experiences that will leave you laughing, crying, and wondering how on earth this man has done this many things? Does he ever sleep?!?!
Dream Big seems to me to be the most practical of all of Bob’s books. It’s not just about where he’s been or what he’s done. He leads the reader, step-by-step toward their dreams, punctuating the journey with his stories of successes and failures. You can learn from both.
Bob’s outline is superb. He includes important exercises to move the reader toward fulfilling their ambitions and purposes. The end of the book is filled with questions to lead both individuals as well as groups. This would be an excellent book to read in concert with other “dreamers.”
My one complaint about the book will likely sound picky, but . . . So what? I’m picky! I have to wonder who did Bob’s proofreading for him. Bob’s a Bible guy, and he’s got plenty of preacher/ministry friends. Did they not spot the goofs that were so apparent to me?
The big one was in chapter 10, where he recounts the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. Bob writes (on page 62), “One of my favorite stories about availability is the two boys who gave their lunches to Jesus to feed the people who had followed Him out into the field.” He continues the chapter, building on the story of these two boys. The only problem is, there was just ONE boy (John 6:9).
Someone at Thomas Nelson should have noticed that. Someone who proofread or wrote a recommendation surely had enough Bible knowledge to spot that!
Maybe I’ll call Bob up and offer my services as a proofreader for the next book. I’m a big enough Bible nerd and I have his number around here somewhere.
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Masks, Miles, and Mourning Matters: Following Jesus Through 2020
He sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.
(Luke 9:52-56, ESV)
This passage has always fascinated me. I would love to have been a fly on the inside of James and John’s brains when they hatched this idea. When had they ever seen Jesus propose fire from heaven as the answer? What gave them the impression it was worth a shot this time?
Looking closer, what concerns me about this passage isn’t in these verses. Instead, it’s in the first verses of the chapter. In Luke 9:1-6, Jesus sends the disciples out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. Matthew includes the instruction, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no towns of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-6).
As Jesus sends them out, he instructs them, “Wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them” (Luke 9:5). But that was at the beginning of chapter 9. Things are different here at the end.
Or are they?
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Is That Even a Prayer?
Mark tells the story of a man who comes to Jesus with a problem. Jesus’ solution requires prayer, but where is the prayer? All we hear is an admission of what the man lacks. Is that even a prayer?