Just watch and try to not be amazed at the simplicity of the Good News of Jesus Christ our Messiah.
Parable of the Hidden Treasure
The traditional interpretation of the parable of the Parable of the Hidden Treasure describes the value of the kingdom of heaven (treasure) and the process by which one acquires that kingdom (sell everything). But there is more to this short parable, when placed in context and in light of all teachings of Jesus the interpretation gets turned on its head. Jesus sold everything and bought us (the treasure)
Read more →Six Word Bible Story
Inspired by a tweet from Brian Chen @bxchen who referenced a 2006 article in Wired magazine I asked a couple Twitter followers to compose a six word story using the Bible as inspiration. The Wired article promoted the concept of a six word story which is based in a work Ernest Hemingway considered some of his best that only used six words, ”For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Here are the stories Joel, Cynthia, and I wrote throughout the day. I would love to read your six word stories, comment below or tweet to @GregChaney using the hashtag #sixwordstory Read more →
Are You a Leader or a Tyrant?
When we as leaders get in the habit of thinking that other people are there to support our success, we’re actually notleaders, we’re tyrants. Only when we go through the emotional, psychological and spiritual transformation to realize our role is to serve others, do we deserve to be called a leader. - Dee Hock, founder and former CEO of VISA
New Blog Theme and Focus (or lack thereof)
I’ve been searching for a WordPress theme upgrade to the blog for sometime. Recently I stumbled on Platform theme by Pagelines that allows a large amount of customization and decided to give it a try…so far I am very impressed. I’ll test drive the free version before I splurge on the additional capabilities of Platform Pro.
After reading all of the advice on blogging I’ve decided to do a very Chaney thing and ignore it all. Instead of focusing my blog posts on a narrow series of subjects (like leadership topics) I’ll post whatever is currently on my mind. More than likely the posts will be on faith (sermons, studies, and musings), family, leadership, travel, and projects (my catch all for my current interests).
…and only when I feel like it.
Subscribe if you are interested and have patience.
Enjoy
Should Christians Pray for an NFL Lockout?
In this month’s issue, Sports Illustrated polled die hard football fans to gauge the mood on the potential NFL Lockout. The poll conducted by market research firm M&RR found that most believed a deal would be reached and there would be a full NFL season. But if there isn’t, the poll listed the activities that would take the place of football:
Half of NFL fans (47.5%) say they would watch more non-sports TV and 61.2 percent would watch more of other televised sports without the NFL season. Fans would also spend more time surfing the internet (56.1%), with significant others (45.1%), doing yard work chores (43.6%), playing video games (33.5%) and at church (13%).
ONLY 13% will go to church! That will be the easy interpretation most people will make and I think a misguided one.
Consider this, 111,000,000 people viewed the Super Bowl this year and if the same percentage as those polled go to church next year then 14,430,000 people will be in church instead. Even if you take a single Sunday night game like the Cowboys vs Eagles with 25,300,000 viewers then 3,289,000 people would be in church.
I like football and hope the players get taken care of during the negotiations. There are some very real physical and fiscal issues that must be resolved however, if we can get more people into church (and further spread the gospel)…I’ll take it.
Truman’s One Sentence Success Formula
Work hard, do your best, keep your word, never get too big for your britches, trust in God, have no fear and never forget a friend. Harry S. Truman
Are You Talking to Me? Repentance in Luke 15
Overview: Luke chapter 15 records an exchange between Jesus and some Pharisees who were critical of him because he “…welcomes sinners and eats with them.” He takes their criticism head-on with three parables, one about a good shepherd finding his lost sheep, another about a woman finding her lost coin, andl one about a loving father rejoicing over the return of a lost son. In his message, Jesus communicates his theology of purpose, grace, and joy. The theme often overlooked in his stories and in modern Christianity is the theology of repentance, the theme that brought the most joy in each story and the action to which he was calling the Pharisees.
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Are You Talking To Me? Repentance Theme in Luke 15
Overview: Luke chapter 15 records an exchange between Jesus and some Pharisees who were critical of him because he “…welcomes sinners and eats with them.” He takes their criticism head-on with three parables, one about a good shepherd finding his lost sheep, another about a woman finding her lost coin, andl one about a loving father rejoicing over the return of a lost son. In his message, Jesus communicates his theology of purpose, grace, and joy. The theme often overlooked in his stories and in modern Christianity is the theology of repentance, the theme that brought the most joy in each story and the action to which he was calling the Pharisees.
Herbert Hoover on Prayer and Fishing
“Next to prayer, fishing is the most personal relationship of man.”
“To go fishing is the chance to wash one’s soul with pure air, with the rush of the brook, or with the shimmer of sun on blue water. It brings meekness and inspiration from the decency of nature, charity toward tackle-makers, patience toward fish, a mockery of profits and egos, a quieting of hate, a rejoicing that you do not have to decide a darned thing until next week. And it is discipline in the equality of men – for all men are equal before fish.”
“There are only two occasions when Americans respect privacy, especially in Presidents. Those are prayer and fishing.”
