29th October, 2009 by Rich Dixon 1 Comment
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’” [Luke 14:25-30]
Have you ever thought about the conditional nature of our culture? (more…)
4th August, 2009 by Rich Dixon 3 Comments
God doesn’t want us simply to sign up. He wants us to show up. Pastor Dary Northrup
I’m kind of a “sound bite” guy when I listen to sermons.
I seem to recall the central points of a message when I can distill them into a single statement. This notion of “signing up vs. showing up” summarizes a lot of thinking about service.
I wrote last week about living a substantial life. It seems like “showing up” might be one mark of substantial living. (more…)
15th December, 2008 by Rich Dixon 1 Comment
I suspect we’re all feeling a bit overwhelmed by the overwhelming amount of negative news. It’s hard to maintain a positive attitude in the midst of so much despair.
I don’t wish to ignore the very real problems we confront, but I also don’t want to dwell needlessly on doom and gloom. Here are some committments I make to myself.
- I will not focus on problems over which I have no control.
- I will not isolate myself from those who support me.
- I will accept a certain amount of adversity as a normal part of life.
- I will learn from challenges and mistakes.
- I will seek to thrive and not simply survive.
- I will strive to be a light in the darkness.
Any thoughts?
Question: What’s one thing you can do to add light to the darkness?
Please leave a comment, visit my website, and/or send me an email at rich@richdixon.net.
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