Weekly Thoughts From Outside the Boat

Hey guys, This week’s  Thought  comes from Proverbs 15:14. There, David says, “A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash.”    Other translations say “folly” or “foolishness,” but the NLT’s use of “trash” seemed a little more harsh and caught my attention as I was reading through chapter 15.    I started asking myself, “How often do I  pursue knowledge ? How often do I  actively pursue  the things of God?” When I need wisdom, when I'm in a tough spot

Hey guys,  I hope you're having a great week. This week’s Thought comes from Psalm 33:11. There, David says, “But the Lord's plans stand firm forever. His intentions can never be shaken.”  As I write this, it's January 20. “National Quitters Day” was last Friday, January 16th. I didn’t even know there was such a thing, but whoever “ they” are, assumed you would give up on your New Year’s resolutions by the second Friday of the month! I was teaching my Sunday School class th

Hey guys,  This week’s  Thought  comes from Psalm 17:4. There, David says, “I have followed your commands, which keeps me from following cruel and evil people.”  He repeats the word  follow  there which is why it stood out as I read. I began to wonder,  what does “follow” mean in our society today ? I’m guessing you immediately thought of social media, right? Who are we following? How many followers do we have? Clicking on a button to see the highlights of somebody's best day

Hey guys, I hope you're having a great week. This week’s  Thought  comes from Matthew 8:24, “ Suddenly  a  fierce  storm struck the lake with waves breaking  into  the boat, but Jesus was  sleeping .” This is within the story of Jesus and His disciples getting caught in a storm on the Sea of Galilee. I can't tell you how many times I've read or taught this passage, or heard it taught. I've never, until this morning, understood or really paid attention to the juxtaposition of

Hey guys,  I hope you’re having a great week. This week’s Thought comes from Matthew 7:20. “Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” This passage is on the tail end of the Sermon on the Mount. I began to think of all the different applications to this verse. I think about our culture as a whole, how divided we are, how people say one thing and do another. Then, I thought about our church culture and the different interac