What’s in a Name? Jesus Gives Names
When God spoke his name to Moses at the burning bush, he uttered a word so holy that for centuries it was almost never spoken aloud. We still don’t know today how the word was pronounced. I wrote about the sacred tetragrammaton, the four letters, in a recent blog...
What’s in a Name? Lord, Yeshua, Yahweh
Your name tells me something about your reputation—your character. At Houston Baptist University, we take a special pride in calling out each graduate’s name during our commencement ceremonies. Each student’s name has years of history behind it, and a name says a lot...
Wisdom and Authority: Pity the Fool
What is my opinion worth? It’s easy for us to say some pretty ridiculous things in an effort to keep from offending others. “Your opinion is just as good as anybody else’s” is a common sentiment, but it’s hardly ever true. My take on what a basketball team should do...
Napoleon Dynamite and the Purpose of the University
I didn’t really enjoy the movie Napoleon Dynamite the first time I saw it. My kids asked me to watch it with them after it came out a few years ago. Though I noticed a few funny lines, I thought it was silly and didn’t have much point to it. When I heard my...
Watch and Pray: The Flesh is Weak
Rebellion against God will warp and twist your soul. It will change you, and will rob you of discovering who God made you to be. The temptation to rebel can seem insurmountable at times, and our culture has seen to it that young people are hit especially hard. The...
Watch and Pray: The College Years
"I didn’t know who I was. Life was terrible. I couldn’t find myself. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. But I started drinking and sleeping around, and now I’ve got it all put together.” I’ve talked with a lot of college students over the years, but not one has...
Servant Leadership: Know God’s Will and Do It
In my last post, I wrote about Paul’s defense of his own authority in his second letter to the church at Corinth. He presented some unusual credentials in 2 Corinthians 6 and 11. These credentials are especially relevant to those who are called to Christian...
Servant Leadership: Called by God
Some things in life are gained not by aiming at them directly, but by aiming at something else. These things become a consequence of aiming at something higher. In my last post, I talked about how this applies to leadership. Christians should certainly hold positions...
Servant Leadership: The Cliché vs. the Reality
I’ve often wondered whether our ideas about leadership are fully Biblical. Scores of books have been written about leadership, and the subject forms a massive component of the publishing industry. There’s nothing wrong with this, and nothing wrong with the principles...