Browsing Tag

jesus

Trust, Church, and Golf Carts

I was ten years old when my Dad brought a golf cart home. It was a junkyard golf cart, with ugly old paint and nearly flat tires. Even then, a half century ago, it was ancient. It had two rear wheels, with one front wheel that was steered rudder style.

To my surprise Dad tossed me the key and said, “Have fun.”

Shocked, and delighted, I stood there dumbfounded for a minute. Then he gave me a brief tutorial – key goes here, forward here, reverse there, turn the rudder the opposite direction you want to turn, now go.

Laughing …

Devotions, Goble Properties,

But I do own the damn road

Years ago, when car phones were just becoming a thing, our real estate business posted signs on an office building we managed. The building lacked parking, and the signs gave the usual warnings. They also encouraged people to call our number if there was a problem.

Sometimes, on short visits, I’d pull my car onto the curb to create a little extra room in the driveway. It wasn’t a legal parking space, but it didn’t harm anyone or anything.

One day somebody saw me do this and took real offense. I don’t know why it was such a big deal …

Devotions,

His Last Road Trip

Until a year ago, I never connected Lent with a road trip.

But then I realized there was definitely a connection. Bear with me, and (with tongue in cheek) I’ll explain.

Jesus went on several road trips. He was walking, I assume. No first century minivans.

Scholars debate the timing and route—but scholars debate pretty much everything. If only there had been a first-century Rick Steves with a Rand McNally atlas recording it all. A missed opportunity. Still, everyone agrees that Jesus moved around a lot during his ministry, and he likely visited Jerusalem several times.

So where in scripture, …

Book Reviews, Junkyard Management, Leadership, Salvaged,

The Power of Stupid Questions

I want to be as constantly stupid as the disciples. Or rather, to ask the kind of stupid questions the disciples ask Jesus.

A trademark of my writing – especially in my books – is to contradict myself. I embrace the contradiction because we need to evaluate, ponder, and understand the wholeness of an issue. Besides, it makes people think.

So this post is going to contradict one of the chapters in my book Salvaged. In chapter 10, Questioning Captain Satellite, I talk about the power of asking good questions. The line, “The best leaders ask the best questions …

Random Thoughts,

Pigeon Monday Again

Thought I’d run a few of my previous posts this week as we approach Easter.

Today is Pigeon Monday. Or at least that’s what I call it. Hopefully I’ll start a new trend. It would seem that Jesus had something against pigeons. That’s evident from the story of Him tearing up the Temple grounds.

On the Monday before Passover, Jesus entered the Temple grounds and unleashed some fury. It was always one of my favorite Bible stories when I was a kid. The vision of the Messiah overturning tables, driving people out, blocking people from bringing anything through the Temple …

Random Thoughts,

Being With Jesus

A few days ago I was mentoring a young man and he asked me something that triggered this comment:

“In the first quarter of my life I studied and learned a lot about Jesus. In the second quarter of my life I continued to learn about Jesus as I also served Jesus. In the third quarter of my life I find myself learning and serving, but with a deep desire to become like Jesus. And in the fourth quarter of my life I suspect I will learn about Jesus, serve Jesus, want to become like Jesus, but most of all …

Junkyard Wisdom Book, Random Thoughts,

God Only Knows What Will Happen

There’s a point in Junkyard Wisdom when I describe three steps for being successful:

Start by making friends with people different than yourself.
Then keep doing that your whole life.
God only knows what will happen.

Seems silly, doesn’t it? No strategic plan? No analysis of the big challenges we face? No StrengthsFinder test or Myers Briggs exam? How could this possibly be a plan for being successful? How could this possibly change the world?

But it is. It’s part of what God designed. It’s the Church.

We are called to love each other. When Jesus was asked who our …

Junkyard Management, Random Thoughts, The SOLD Project, Uncategorized,

How Did Jesus Handle Change?

I first met Ken Wytsma in Northern Thailand as we traveled with The SOLD Project. We quickly became friends and he has recently agreed to join the SOLD Board of Directors. Ken is the founder of The Justice Conference, the President of Kilns College, and is the lead pastor of the church he planted in Antioch, Oregon. And that’s just for starters. Like me, he doesn’t know how to do just one thing at a time. That’s probably why we quickly became friends.

Ken headshot I’ve always enjoyed Ken’s writing (check out his book Pursuing Justice) and recently …