Tilting at Shadows
The dream is forgotten, something about a shadow disappearing because some unknown person tore down a windmill. Maybe it was Don Quixote tilting at windmills again. But from that forgotten…
Dale’s Rules for Life: Let Your Kids Grow Up
I have these rules for life. This rule is a “two-fer” rule. Meaning it’s really two rules packed into one. Which is kind of appropriate somehow since it lands on…
Cookie Dough Faith
Here’s a leap for you. Thinking about cookie dough reminds me of faith in Jesus. Strange, right?
The Basics 7e – The Equipping Church
One of my grandfathers was an auto mechanic. For a while, he ran his own garage in Goodfield. Then, he went to work at a larger business in Eureka and…
The Basics 7d – The Diverse Unity of the Church
There is an inherent tension in the church between unity and uniqueness. This tension reveals the church’s greatest strengths and its greatest challenges. We’ll explore both in turn before examining…
The Basics 7c – The Fellowship of Church
Growth in the early church was not an accident. All the members were intentionally and persistently perusing these things. This was not like a five-minute daily devotion but a consuming…
The Basics 7b – The Church’s Celebration
As we dive deeper into the church, it is incumbent to recognize and, at least for a moment, set aside the traditions we and others hold dear. Not to throw…
The Basics 7a – The Community of Church
The word “church” may be understood in many different ways. For some, it is the building, whether the grand masonry of a cathedral, the wooden clapboard of a country church,…
Dale’s Rules for Life – Learning from Failure
I have these rules… So far, we’ve covered twenty of them. The twenty-first rule may seem a tad fatalistic. Perhaps lacking faith and a bit pessimistic. The rule, you see,…
The Basics 6g – The Holy Spirit and Us
The Holy Spirit is a gentleman. What I mean by that is He doesn’t just show up and force us to do something. He moves in our lives only to…
The Holy Spirit and Fruit
On my property are several kinds of trees. Most of them produce some kind of seed or fruit, the oak trees produce acorns, the black walnuts produce walnuts, the maples…
The Basics 6e – The Holy Spirit and Gifts
A gift is a wonderful thing. Ideally, it is something we don’t have, could really use, and didn’t cost us any money, labor, or time to obtain. A gift is…