Learning as I go . . .

September 14, 2015 Blogging Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

This is an apology to many of you who get posts from Attempts at Honesty by email. I made a mistake and I’m sorry for it.

WordPress (the platform I use to manage the blog) uses plugins to add functionality. I had been using one plugin that provided many functions that I didn’t use so I decided to find more efficient options. I chose to add only the functions that I really need. In theory, this will speed page load times.

Unfortunately, when I deleted the all-in-one plugin, I didn’t realize that it would also disable email distribution of the posts. So you may have missed the last post or two.

I have now added all the email addresses to the new list so everyone who signed up should be getting this post by email. I’m learning as I go . . .

If you haven’t seen an email from Attempts at Honesty in a while, feel free check out the most recent posts to see what you missed. If you are getting this by email, links to recent posts appear below.

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

The danger of Method-Du-Jour thinking

Some church does something. It appears to be successful based on attendance numbers. Others then seek to find the method or program that was used to generate the good result. We shorten the sermon, use video feeds, turn up the music, redesign the décor, or hire consultants to try to produce similar results.

Like growing oak trees

If you are a church leader and you are frustrated with how fast growth is taking place in your church, think of an oak tree. They do not grow fast, but they are strong. If you are a small group leader or Sunday School teacher, think of that oak which slowly absorbs the nutrients and water and grows as a result.

No Other Gods . . .

The drive to worship is deep in the heart of humanity. For evidence of this we need to look no further than any stadium in which an NFL game is being played. The energy behind the worship of the professional football team in the city near which I live is impressive. On game day during […]

No difference

My point is that Jesus, who knew the eventual outcome, did not treat Judas any differently than the rest of the disciples. His treatment of Judas was such that no-one suspected that there was a traitor in their midst.

Pursue the reality beyond

For my generation, I would also offer the hope that it is never too late to return and see the reality that you’ve been ignoring. I must constantly remind myself that there is a reality beyond the thing that consumes me at the moment. I must, as the psalmist reminds me, “prepare my heart” to be conscious of the eternal. I must not let good things become ultimate things in my life.

On having ears to hear

In western culture we are subjected to a constant barrage of noise and information. We have talking heads on the radio in the car. Music streams into stores as we shop. The television provides incessant babble if we allow it. The stream of information is unrelenting and we cannot possibly take it all in. We have to be selective in our listening.

In several places in the Gospels, Jesus make the statement, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” My paraphrase of this would be, “you’ve got the equipment required to hear, now use it and listen up.”