After more than nine years of writing The Dad Zone for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the print version of the column fades into the recycling bin as of Wednesday, June 25. The question becomes, what now of The Dad Zone?
This blog site's been around for a few years, but it's gotten little use. That may change. Right now, I'm in the "contemplation" stage. To blog or not to blog? Would anybody read it? Can I make money with it? Does it make any difference?
So, I shall commit these questions to prayer and move forward with an occasional posting here until it becomes clear that I should either expand this into a regular offering or drop it altogether.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
A Parting Thought
Quick story: Jesus was somewhere near Caesarea Philippi, a popular city of his time about 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee and at the base of Mt. Hermon. He was just hanging out with his boys when he asked them, in essence, what folks were calling him. They threw out a few answers. Mostly, it seemed, people said he was a new version of one of the Tanakh prophets. "But what about you?" Jesus asked them. "Who do you say I am?"
If you've never made a serious effort at answering that question, my parting prayer for you is that, beginning today, you'll do so. Whatever answer you come up with, at least you'll own it. It won't be your parents' answer or the culture's answer or your 11th grade teacher's answer or my answer. It will be yours.
C.S. Lewis believed there were three possible conclusions: Jesus was a fraud, he was a lunatic or he was, as he claimed, God in human form. There’s also the choice of dismissing the question. But even if we ignore the question, to paraphrase Neil Peart, we've no doubt made a choice.
I'll leave Lewis with the final words:
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” – Mere Christianity, pages 40-41.
If you've never made a serious effort at answering that question, my parting prayer for you is that, beginning today, you'll do so. Whatever answer you come up with, at least you'll own it. It won't be your parents' answer or the culture's answer or your 11th grade teacher's answer or my answer. It will be yours.
C.S. Lewis believed there were three possible conclusions: Jesus was a fraud, he was a lunatic or he was, as he claimed, God in human form. There’s also the choice of dismissing the question. But even if we ignore the question, to paraphrase Neil Peart, we've no doubt made a choice.
I'll leave Lewis with the final words:
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” – Mere Christianity, pages 40-41.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Me and Madeline Grace Brill
Madeline was born Oct. 28, three weeks and a day ahead of schedule. Her mother, Ashley, is my daughter. That makes her my granddaughter.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
LIFE
A valid if not exhaustive field manual for living as a follower of Jesus
Version 1.0 Christmas 2006
Chapter 1. Love God, Love others
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
-- Mathew 22: 37-40
Chapter 2. Talk to God
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”
-- Luke 18:1
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Romans 12:12
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
-- Ephesians 6:18
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
-- Colossians 4:2
Chapter 3. Read God’s Word
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11
When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty.”
-- Jeremiah 15:16
Chapter 4. Worship with other followers of Jesus
“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
-Hebrews 10:25
“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
-- Acts 2:46-47
Chapter 5. Embrace God’s forgiveness; extend your forgiveness
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”
-- John 10:27-29
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:35-39
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’”
-- Matthew 18:21-23
Chapter 6. Take care of what God’s given to you
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
-- Matthew 25:23
“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
-- Philippians 1:27a
Chapter 7. Create results
“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.”
-- Matthew 12:33
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”
-- James 1:22-25
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
-- Matthew 5:16
“You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.”
-- James 2:22
Chapter 8. Trust God for the results
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
-- Matthew 6:33
Chapter 9. Be humble
“My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time, each will receive his praise from God.”
-- 1 Corinthians 4:4-5
Chapter 10. Finish Strong
“After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’“
-- Acts 13:22
Chapter 11. Treat every day as a new beginning
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
-- 2 Corinthians 5:17
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
-- Romans 12:2
A valid if not exhaustive field manual for living as a follower of Jesus
Version 1.0 Christmas 2006
Chapter 1. Love God, Love others
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
-- Mathew 22: 37-40
Chapter 2. Talk to God
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”
-- Luke 18:1
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Romans 12:12
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
-- Ephesians 6:18
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
-- Colossians 4:2
Chapter 3. Read God’s Word
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11
When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty.”
-- Jeremiah 15:16
Chapter 4. Worship with other followers of Jesus
“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
-Hebrews 10:25
“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
-- Acts 2:46-47
Chapter 5. Embrace God’s forgiveness; extend your forgiveness
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”
-- John 10:27-29
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:35-39
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’”
-- Matthew 18:21-23
Chapter 6. Take care of what God’s given to you
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
-- Matthew 25:23
“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
-- Philippians 1:27a
Chapter 7. Create results
“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.”
-- Matthew 12:33
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”
-- James 1:22-25
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
-- Matthew 5:16
“You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.”
-- James 2:22
Chapter 8. Trust God for the results
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
-- Matthew 6:33
Chapter 9. Be humble
“My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time, each will receive his praise from God.”
-- 1 Corinthians 4:4-5
Chapter 10. Finish Strong
“After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’“
-- Acts 13:22
Chapter 11. Treat every day as a new beginning
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
-- 2 Corinthians 5:17
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
-- Romans 12:2
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
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