YONDER BREAKS

My daughter has an annoying habit of switching spoons with her sister whenever you give her a meal. It's harmless really, so I let it go on. But it has turned into an almost mealy routine (is "mealy" a word? Every meal). Today, her sister was still sleeping so we ate breakfast together and she asked to switch spoons with me. I wouldn't let her, mostly because my spoon was too big for her mouth and I didn't want her little plastic one, but also because I think it could be the beginnings of a contentment problem. Call me an extremist, but I guess I'm always thinking things are a bigger deal than they really are (just ask my wife). But the idea that whatever I give her is not enough  tells me that this could be an issue later on. I know this because I have the same problem, struggling with contentment even in the best of circumstances. "Use the spoon you have," I told her, to her dismay. She tried to talk me out of it, but I was resolute. Then she ...

I've written before that I'm a big fan of  Jamie Winship . One thing he often asks in his lectures is, "Who told you that?" As in, when you have an opinion about yourself, where did it come from? For instance, maybe I believe I'm bad at spelling. Who told me that? A teacher way back in 1st grade? My friends who were better than me at spelling? Maybe I'm a good speller, or maybe I  could  be with a little application, but this belief has kept me from realizing it. The same principle applies to more weighty feelings: I'm not a good dad (husband, brother, worker, etc.). Who told me that? My wife, myself, my friends, the world, media? Most importantly,  did God tell me that?  Probably not, because God rarely says things like, "You aren't," but rather, " You are ."   But Moses said, “No,  Lord , don't send me. I have never been a good speaker, and I haven't become one since you began to speak to me. I am a poor speaker,...

Here is the first sermon in the "Words We Live By" series, by Joseph Barkley. It's an effort to get the church to actually read the bible and know what it means. Just after I became a Christian, I was given a little booklet on how to get started strong in your Christian walk. It read that, every time you read the bible, you should ask for the Holy Spirit to show you things through what you're reading. I have to say that this concept and those prayers have helped a lot over the years. The Spirit of God is crucial to understanding the bible, and to neglect this Gift is like trying to dig to China with your bare hands. I'm not saying that everything suddenly makes sense because you prayed, but it makes a lot more sense than if you were trying to read it without God's help. The sermon is based off of these scriptures: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - " All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so ...