The shift began during the pandemic. At first, we all celebrated the technology that enabled us to watch sermons online. But subtly we began to think that what we were doing online was the same as what we used to do in person. It was a natural conclusion to make. Let’s talk about what’s wrong with it.
Even when we’re not physically working, it’s hard to convince our minds that it’s okay to rest. The Bible’s approach to rest is unique and it offers specific strategies to help us unwind in a world that keeps tightening its grip.
The command to be baptized needs to be treated with healthy caution toward all people but particularly with younger children who are highly motivated to please parents and Sunday School teachers whether they grasp the implications of biblical faith or not. The fact that the child threw up their hand in response to the question, “Who wants to follow Jesus?” doesn’t really settle anything.
Many people “love” their Roomba because it’s programmed to clean their floors for them, but we wouldn’t celebrate that kind of love. Someone with an unflinching dedication to a hopelessly malfunctioning and even defiant vacuum cleaner would stand out. Through the fall, we see a God who loves the unlovable. And we can know Him in a way that wouldn’t have been possible without it.
He was insulted by “customers” and threatened by “competitors.” Just as His “career” seemed to be getting started, it was ended by people who were jealous of His “success.” When people mocked Him by putting a crown of thorns on Him, Jesus stood with all who have ever felt the thorns of their own jobs and wondered whether there’s a God who cares.
At first, the idea of a trendy God seems like just what we need. But how long would you follow Jesus if He wore skinny jeans? We need a classic God, not a trendy one. A God who keeps up with the times is like a dad who tries to talk and dress like his teenage son. God makes no attempt to keep up with the times because He exists outside of time. But because God doesn’t change, you can be confident that He won’t change His mind, and so you can rely on what He says.
When you see your job like a machine, you become less human, and work becomes something less than it was ever intended. Remind yourself that you were uniquely created for work and bring all of who you are to reflect God’s image in how you approach what you do.
Children who are born innocent don’t need God. They don’t need a God to teach them, a Saviour to rescue them, the Spirit to empower them, or the Bible to guide them. They just need everyone to get out of the way and let them be true to themselves. But the Bible says the opposite.
Why doesn’t our resolve bring greater change? Why do we struggle to follow through? The Bible doesn’t address the topic of New Year’s resolutions directly, but it does give two formulas that explain why they often fail and how to approach them differently
Like most people at the end of the year, I get reflective and try to look back over the ground that I’ve covered. When it comes to the writing and speaking I’ve done for Out of Neutral, I want to try to understand which episodes have had the most influence in people’s lives. To do that, I compare the top-performing articles and videos and come up with a combined list. This year, the top 10 are dominated by discussions of emotional needs, spiritual abuse, and the differences between Catholics and Protestants.
