I was supposed to be helping with construction but God had other ideas. I spent the morning visiting homes for some of the children at the school. Michael is an eleven year old Swazi boy who has a right leg seven inches shorter than his left. It is the result of a broken femur and …
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Reflecting on Freedom, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Much of the world is talking about freedom. People in Iran are protesting and dying in a bid for freedom. Yet leaders in Iran are fighting for what they perceive as freedom from the evils of the West. In Gaza there are Palestinians fighting for freedom to be their own country while Israelis struggle to …
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Finding God and Church Online
Some of you have been aware of the role I have at Northland Church. In a nutshell it is to help Northland be a catalyst for the starting of more than a million new house churches, what we call Simple Churches, around the world by 2020. Today the Orlando Sentinel did an article on a …
Following Jesus, Part-Time Hobby or Life’s Passion?
Romans 12:1 and Colossians 3:17 force us to answer some very uncomfortable questions about ourselves and our lives. They are questions that we would rather leave not only unanswered but leave unasked as well. It means that every detail of life, every seemingly inconsequential action or thought must be brought under the microscope of some …
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Stupid Christian Trick Of the Month: Atheist Makes Money Off Rapture
Okay, I tried and tried to not write this particular post. But like the nightmare of the movie Ground Hog Day, it kept coming back to me, over and over. I didn't want to write it because by implication it says that some Christians have been just plane stupid and I didn't want to be …
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Crashing The Gates of Hell
One of my favorite quotes is from an evangelist from a century ago. His name was C.T. Studd. First of all you have got to love it when an evangelist is named "Studd". He has to be on the all time great names list for Christians, right after Justin Martyr. But I digress. The quote …
A Coffee Company Gets Provocative, Jesus Style
Last week I wrote a short post about Storyville Coffee giving away all their revenue for May to the International Justice Mission. Here is a link to an article in the Orlando Sentinel that tells even more of the story. I was at the concert mentioned in the article and even with all I know …
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Prayer, The President, and Petty Bickering
I have been reading lots of comments on the changes that President Obama has made regarding this years National Day of Prayer. I have to tell you I am just a bit bewildered that people are getting flat out nasty over something that is intended to be an intimate, worshipful, and uplifting conversation with God. …
Worship and Justice
I made the mistake of asking a friend for some book suggestions related to the chapter on worship for the Provocative Christian Living book. He suggested a book that connects our worship of God to our doing justice for the poor, oppressed and enslaved. It was not what I expected but more than I could …
Provocative Bible Verses: When Submission is a Bad Thing
A recent post on the topic of submission in the Bible has received a fair amount of response in the way of readers and comments. A couple of those readers pointed out a missing piece in what I said. Put simply the question would be, is there ever a time when a Christian should refuse …
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Is Mel Gibson a Hypocrite?
Okay, I never thought I would ever write about something that happened on "The View" but as they say, "never say never". The subject of Mel's divorce came up and he was called a hypocrite because of it. The reason is that he has a very public and very conservative Roman Catholic faith. Clearly divorce …
Provocative Bible Verses: Submit to One Another
\"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ\" Ephesians 5:21 Since the 1970\'s one of the mainstays of pop-psychology has been that in order to be an emotionally healthy human being you absolutely must look out for yourself first. You must make sure that you have a strong sense of self esteem. Most importantly, …
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Easter is Over, Now What?
We have been reminded of and celebrated the fact that Jesus conquered sin and death and rose from the grave. Churches around the world did their best to worship God and inspire people. Choirs burst forth in song, preachers gave their all, the faithful dressed in their best. And with that, Easter for this year …
Provocative Bible Verses: Judge Not Lest You Be Judged
It may be the most often quoted and yet most misunderstood verse in the whole Bible. People who have never even cracked open a Bible have heard and quoted this verse. "Do not judge so that you will not be judged" Matthew 7:1 Usually that verse is used like a hammer to immediately stop any …
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It is Really All About Jesus
The headline reads "Episcopal Minister defrocked after becoming a Muslim". I suppose it should not really come as a shock that someone would convert from one religion to another. It should not even be a shock that someone who was a minister in a Christian church would convert. It happens. What is incredible to me …
The Provocative Christian 