Gospel Wabi Sabi: Good News For Imperfect People

When this prophecy came to Daniel it made him sick. It was disturbing. But then we’re told: "Yet he got up and went about the king's business." Daniel is given a many layered, complicated vision of evil things that will happen in perhaps several different fulfillments, but he doesn’t throw in the towel. He keeps doing God’s business. What helps you to keep functioning faithfully in y...

Everybody’s favorite Bible topic: The Anti-Christ! Who is he? When will he appear? Is he here already?  For the first time in this chapter, we find out how Daniel himself is reacting to all of this — and honestly, who could blame him for being alarmed and confused? His visions point to massive, world-shaking events, and Daniel has no idea when they'll happen or exactly what they mean. The worl...

People have been predicting the 2nd coming of Christ since the very first century. And they all have one thing in common - they’ve all been 100% wrong! But that doesn’t stop people today from thinking they’ve got it all figured out, and unfortunately they find an audience in those who are desperate for signs of hope. Our true hope can only be found in Jesus, not in false teachers and preachers who...

God showed up in the lion’s den. It was like the coming kingdom of God where the lion will lie down with the lamb. Where God reigns there is peace and safety and no more death, no more violence. Do you see in Daniel the foreshadowing of Jesus? Daniel foreshadows Jesus, despised and rejected for being good. For being God’s true man. Shut in a cave. But then...! Find out more in this episode of Gosp...

“The writing is on the wall!” That ominous phrase finds its origin in chapter 5 of Daniel. It’s a warning about pride, about arrogance, about thinking we don’t need God - we can save ourselves. Well, in this story the king finds out otherwise.  The writing on the wall predicted an immediate disaster. What message would God write on your wall? Find out in this episode of Gospel Wabi Sabi.

Ever have a really bad dream? An upsetting dream? Long before Freud took up the challenge of interpreting dreams Daniel was on the job. God used dreams to speak to King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel told him what those dreams meant - and he didn't like it. Daniel had to rely on God's presence and God's persistence, otherwise he would lose his head. Find out more in this episode of Gospel Wabi Sabi.

“Bow or burn, your choice.” That’s the predicament Daniel’s friends faced before King Nebuchadnezzar. Worship the golden statue or be thrown into the inferno. But Daniel’s friend found another option. Trust God. They knew that God could send a miracle and deliver them from the furnace, but they didn’t know if he would - so regardless of the outcome they decided to trust God. What does it take to h...

Do you now what a Magic 8-Ball is? It’s a toy, a black ball the size of a cantalope with a small glass window where messages will appear to answer your questions. The answers are on a 20-sided die that floats inside: answers like “not very likely,” or “outlook good,” “most definitely”, or answer “hazy try again later”. I got my Magic 8-Ball out this week because I’ve noticed there’s a whole indust...

Most people know a little bit of Daniel’s story – something about Daniel in the lions’ den, or Shadrach, Meshach and Abendnego in the fiery furnace. Often these tales are thought of as just quaint Sunday School stories for children. So, what’s the relevance of the book of Daniel for us in the real world of the 21st century? I think you’re going to discover that Daniel is possibly THE most relevant...

The world around us is based on the principle of balance. Our planet is perfectly balanced as it spins through space but it is tilted at an angle of 23.5° which allows us to have seasons and in fact allows life to exist. It rotates without any vibration at exactly the right distance from the sun. If the Earth were a little bit closer to the sun we would burn up and if it were a few miles further a...

King David writes: “I have calmed and quieted my soul. (Psalm 131.1)” That sounds good. Who wouldn’t want that? But this quieting is something he does. He’s intentional about it. The quieting of the soul doesn’t happen by accident. It doesn’t fall out of the sky and hit him on the head. It’s something he does. He arranges his life so that he can quiet his soul. He creates the space necessary to br...

Relaxation is God’s idea. Genesis tell us that when God was finished with bringing the universe into existence he rested. That’s kind of an odd phrase. God rested. God doesn’t get tired. God doesn’t need to plop down on a soft cloud and chug a cosmic can of Red Bull to keep going. What’s described here is a rest not of exhaustion - but a moment of joy and fulfillment. “God rested,” it’s like God s...

Fear usually starts small but it grows. Our fears get bigger and more powerful, even stronger than our rational minds. We can tell ourselves, (or other people tell us), that our fears are irrational or illogical, but that doesn’t seem to do any good. Fear knocks reason and logic aside like a snowplow through slush. Jesus says, “Fear not…have courage…don’t worry…take heart” 21 times in the Gospels....

Is God pro-exhaustion? Does he lead people beside quiet waters anymore? Does he want us to be living in this kind of hyper-activity all the time? I don’t think so. Thomas Kelly once wrote, “God will not guide us into an intolerable scramble of panting feverishness.” And yet that’s where most of us seem to live. How do we begin to turn things around? How do we tap into a sense of peace that comes t...

‘Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.’ (Mark 1:35). Jesus lived a very busy life. From sunup to way past sundown people put all kinds demands on him. Heal this. Help with that. It was like he was walking through a flock of ducks and his robe was made out of bread crumbs. People were pecking at him consta...

For me the most challenging words in the Bible come from Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew chapter (6:34), where he says, “Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” I understand that last part. “Each day has enough trouble of its own.” it’s the first part that’s been more elusive. “Don’t worry about tomorrow.” Because I do worry. I have...

Why is it that God invites us to pray for the needs of others? And what is supposed to happen when people pray prayers of intercession? It could be that as you pray for others in Jesus’ name your anxiety level will go down. If you take the focus off of your life, if you stop thinking only of yourself and realize there are people around you who are struggling, your anxiety level will go down. I don...

You may not realize it, but there’s a lot of prayer going on all around the world. In Tibet they use spinning prayer wheels; the more the better to attract the attention of the gods. In Japan in the Shinto shrines they clap hands to get the attention of the spirits and light candles to gain the favor of their ancestors.  In Saudi Arabia carpets are carefully placed on the floor so worshippers can...

How does the nearness of the Lord become an antidote for anxiety? Because anxiety springs from our need to control the world around us. We want to be able to predict and manage the future. The more you feel you are the victim of unseen forces – that someone else is pulling your strings - then the more anxiety is going to win the day. If you feel like you are just a ping-pong ball being knocked aro...

Everyone deals with anxiety. That’s normal.  But severe anxiety can lead people to falsely believe that they are alone, that they are abandoned by God, or that they because they are so filled with fear that they are not worthy of God’s loving care. That’s false. No matter what happens, no matter what you are worrying about, no matter how far down the worry hole you’ve fallen – nothing can take you...

We live in a culture of dissatisfaction. Never have so many wanted so much and found so little contentment once they got it. We live in one of the most prosperous nations on the face of the earth and we still struggle on a daily basis with feeling contentment. Coveting means believing the myth that "Someone else is having a better life than mine – and I deserve to have what they have.” It’s F...

Every healthy relationship is built on one word: TRUST! If a person is a liar then whatever comes out of their mouth means absolutely nothing. Your integrity as a person is at stake. Jesus says let your yes be yes and your no be no. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Period. Say what you mean and mean what you say. That’s the positive power of your word.

Accomplishment produces character. Stealing reduces character. God designed us to take positive pride in accomplishment. We build positive self-respect through doing the right thing. But we can numb that inner voice of conscience with the words "I deserve it." Find out ore in this episode of Gospel Wabi Sabi.

Every prohibition in Scripture is a protection of something positive. Nothing blows up a marriage or a family faster than adultery. Nothing causes greater pain and destroys trust like adultery. Nothing sends a husband and wife and their children into a tailspin faster than adultery. But there is a way back and a way to protect this beautiful thing called marriage. Find out how in this episode of G...

We live in a very violent culture. If aliens from outer space were to come to earth to investigate America they‘d have to conclude that our number one form of entertainment is vicarious murder.  From franchise hits like CSI, Law and Order, to British mysteries we witness murder constantly. By the time a child finishes grade school they’ve probably seen 8,000 murders on TV. So when God says, “Don’t...