So happy to announce that the three books Jim Johnson and I co-wrote on “God’s Great Story” are finally available! They were supposed to be released at the same time in 2020, but then came COVID. 
So the publisher released one in 2021, one in 2022, and the final one in 2023. Here’s the lineup. If you know someone who needs one, please order and send. Thank you!
Here’s what it’s about and why I wrote it.
The church in America is badly divided. Christians are fighting over politics, morals, theology-you name it, we’re angry about it. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can fight less and love more. How?
We must stop using CAPITAL letters when we talk about hot topics. CAPS imply anger, shouting, a closed mind. It’s time to SCRAP THE CAPS. Instead, we must use little letters. They require patience and nuance and aim at building a broader tent.
What big topics need little letters? Let’s start with conservative, liberal, LGBTQ+, abortion, calvinist, arminian, heaven, and hell. We can stop arguing, fighting, and canceling each other, if we will learn to use little letters. Here’s your guide to 101 words that you can talk about in love.
This is the link to the e-book onAmazon. The paperback version will come out soon.
Shalom,
Paul
We are excited to announce that our newest book, Finding Your Place in God’s Great Story for Little Ones, will be released on August 30. We think you’ll find it to be a fun and engaging story for the little ones in your life.
My daughter, Kari, co-wrote this book with Jim Johnson and myself, and her experience as a mom of four boys (as well as being a teacher) means this was written with you in mind.
The book is available on August 31, and you can pre-order your copy on Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com, or Christianbook.com. (BTW, Christianbook.com is offering a 35% discount right now. Woohoo!)
Thanks for following us!
Paul
You have lots of habits. Have you ever asked yourself why?
The answer is simple: you prefer order over chaos. If you stopped any of those habits for very long, your life would become one huge mess. Chaos would reign.
Now since we all value order over chaos, we practice these habits regularly. They are necessary for the orderly functioning of our bodies, social lives, and finances. But did you know that certain habits are also necessary if you want to maintain a dynamic relationship with God?
I believe that the single most important spiritual habit you can ever develop and practice is daily worship. It is your lifeline to God. It is the way you abide in Christ. It is how you stay perpetually filled with the Spirit.
For daily worship to be meaningful, you will need to know who God is, what worship is, and why we worship God. You will want to understand how you can worship every day of your life – with others on Sunday, in private on Monday-Saturday, and in your daily life, 24/7.
That was my topic this past Sunday. If you missed my message, I urge you to watch or listen to it right here. If you accept the challenge I give at the end of the message, you will likely establish a lively habit of daily worship.
Let me know if you accept the challenge. I want to pray for you.
My best,
Paul
As Covid marches on, two sectors of our society continue to show sacrificial courage: first responders and healthcare professionals.
Those in the healthcare field have given their all to people with the coronavirus, whatever the strain. They’ve given care in offices, ERs, urgent care clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, and rehab centers. At the same time they have been caring for people without Covid, offering the highest level of care to each one. They have literally risked their own welfare on behalf of all of us.
First responders have done the same. Firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics go into homes to render life-saving emergency aid, knowing they could be infected with the virus as they serve. Law enforcement officers have kept order in the most hostile political and social climate I’ve seen since 1968, when assassinations, protests, and riots were daily news. Were 2020-21 as bad as 1968? I don’t know, but being a police officer either time would be a tough task. They risked their own welfare on behalf of all of us.
When someone risks their life for you, what is the appropriate response? Thanks!
It seem so obvious. But sometimes we forget.
Luke records a fascinating story in chapter 17 that will help us remember. Here it is.
One day in the spring of AD 30, Jesus was walking toward Jerusalem with his disciples. When they came to the border between Galilee and Samaria they were about to enter a village. Ten men with leprosy suddenly appeared and cried out, “Jesus, heal us!” Jesus said, “It shall be so! Go to the priests, & let them pronounce you clean.” As they walked away, their leprosy disappeared!
Now what do you think they did? I know what I would do. I would celebrate! I would find my family and friends and give them a great big bearhug. I would go to the market, where I had been spat upon, and I’d show everyone my normal skin. I would go to the synagogue and let them know I would be front row center on the next Sabbath. I would go everywhere that I had been forbidden to go. I’m guessing that’s what those men did. At least, that’s what nine of them did. But one of them, a Samaritan, did something different. As soon as he saw that he was healed, he ran straight back to the Healer. He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet and thanked him over and over and over. Jesus, who was a whiz at math, asked his disciples, “Didn’t I heal ten? Where are the other nine?”
That’s the question for you today: are you one of the nine who forgot to say Thank You to healthcare professionals and first responders? Or are you the one who stopped to say I’m grateful for you.
Do you owe some overdue Thank You’s? It’s not to late to be the one.
Gratefully,
Paul
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