toddcast

It’s the seasons of lists, so I thought I’d put together a short list of why I’m glad Jesus was born. (1) Jesus was a great teacher.   Even if you don’t believe that Jesus was the Son of God, it’s hard to deny the beauty and wisdom of his teaching.   Not only that, Jesus used so many different methods to communicate.   His Sermon on the Mount are some the most powerful words ever spoken.   His parables are some of the most well-loved stories.   His ability to turn a chance encounter into a spiritual conversation is remarkable.   Jesus knew how to communicate to a wide range of people long before educational theory was even thought about.   Not only did he communicate well, but his message is life transforming.   Imagine if everyone lived by his teachings.   What kind of wonderful world would that be?   I’m glad Jesus was born because he teaches me so much. (2) Jesus made people think . If you think Jesus was the kind of teacher who...

I don’t have a dramatic conversion story.   Sometimes I wish I did.   I remember as a younger Christian hearing stories of people sharing their impressive conversion stories and being almost envious of them.   You know them.   People who served prison time, who were caught up in heinous sins.   And then, someone shared the gospel with them and their lives were changed.   I remember hearing one of them years ago.   A guy named Joe shared with our group what he used to be like and we all listened with mouths agape and hearts amazed at how powerful the gospel had been in his life.   It’s not that my sins were any less offensive to the most holy God, but Joe’s sins and his deliverance made for such a better and more compelling testimony to the power of the gospel.   Sometimes I wish I had Joe’s story, but I don’t. I wasn’t raised from birth going to church, but I was introduced to the good news at the relatively young age of ten.   So,...

I’m a minister and, for the most part, the people I’m around know that.   But in the church I serve we don’t wear any special clerical clothing, so on occasion I find myself in conversations with people who don’t know I’m a minister.   That can create some interesting situations. I golf occasionally and it’s not uncommon if you’re golfing alone or in a pair to join together with another group to make a foursome.   Usually it’s around the third or fourth hole when the question comes up, “What do you do for a living?”   When I announce I’m a minster I can see the look of horror on some people’s faces.   Golfing can bring out the worst in a person and sometimes the language around the course is not what you might call “minister approved.”   So, I usually hear some apologies.  Another common scenario is that after 10 or 15 minutes of conversation it’s found out that I’m a minister and there seems to be the need for some people to explain why they don’t...

Last month about 40 members and friends of our church went to Mexico on a mission trip.   Our assignment was to serve an orphanage in Chihuahua by helping with some building projects and general upkeep of the facility that serves about 50 children.     But more than that, we were called to spend time with those children to remind them that someone cares and help reinforce the mission of the orphanage to assure them that there is a Father who ultimately cares for them.   So, while much of our time was dedicated to cleaning, and painting, and drywall, we spent an equal amount of time just hanging out with the kids.   A good portion of that time was on the playground. I can still hold my own by throwing, hitting, or kicking a ball, but there’s no way I could possibly keep up with the stamina of 8 to 15-year-olds.   I needed breaks and often found myself taking a seat while the younger members of our mission team kept up the pace.   But even as I sat,...

Last month Jordan Spieth captured his third major golf championship as he outlasted Matt Kuchar at the British Open.   It was an amazing finish for the 23-year-old Texan, but the very beginning of the tournament had an interesting twist as well – not for Spieth, but for former champion Rory McIlroy. McIlroy came into the British Open on somewhat of a slump, performing poorly in four of his last five tournaments, and it looked like that trend would continue.   He bogeyed four of the first five holes creating serious doubts that he would be in contention for a second Open title.  But what happened on the sixth tee may have helped turn things around.   His caddie said, “You’re Rory McIlroy, what are you doing?”      He reminded him that he was a four-time major champion.   He reminded him that he was a former #1 ranked golfer in the world.   It was time for him to start playing like it.   And McIlroy did.   He started acting like...

Boon Island as seen from the shore. Summer is the time for vacations.   Growing up in Massachusetts one of my family’s favorite vacation spots was York Beach, Maine.   How many wonderful memories I have of that quaint seaside town.   Summer vacation always included a little bit of reading, and one summer I remember reading the story of a small island just 6 miles off the coast of Maine – Boon Island. It’s really just a big rock out there in the Atlantic measuring only 300 by 700 feet.   On a clear day, you can see the island from the beach. You can especially make out the lighthouse, the tallest in Maine, rising from the barren rock.   But the story I read that summer took place before there was a lighthouse. In December of 1710, a British merchant ship carrying 14 crewmen crashed into the island.   Of those, 10 ended up surviving the harsh winter weather with no food and no fire until their rescue 24 days later. The book tells the story of those ha...

As Memorial Day approaches we sense the value of remembering those who have gone on before us.   We take note of their lives and the influence they have had on us.   But Memorial Day also makes me wonder how memorable a life I am living?   I want to be remembered.   I want people to look back on my life and be inspired by the contributions that I have made.   I want my life to matter.   But how can I do that?   How can I live a memorable life? The gospels, in Mark 14 , tells a wonderful story of a woman who left a memorable mark in the life of Jesus, so much so that Jesus said that what she did would be told whenever the gospel is preached! Jesus was at the home of a friend shortly before his crucifixion.   While they were eating, this woman comes in and breaks a jar of very expensive perfume and pours it over Jesus' head.    Some of the believers gathered there are critical of the woman saying that the perfume could have b...

I was introduced to a new term recently – The Holiday Halo Effect .   Apparently, research has determined that not only is going on a vacation good for you, but simply booking a vacation creates feelings of positivity.   Just knowing a vacation is coming seems to bring people joy. Furthermore, those expecting a vacation report that they feel more motivated at work. Seems to make sense to me.   Having something fun and exciting to look forward to can make even a mundane life more bearable.   Knowing that there is something pleasurable waiting for us in the future can make the days leading up to that vacation pleasant.   A wise friend once gave this advice to someone who was wondering if they could hold up just a few more weeks until retirement – “You can stand on your head for three weeks if you have to!” Knowing that there’s a beachside bungalow or a mountainside cabin waiting for us empowers us to make it through even dark days. I appreciate the research ...

I have never been much of a cook, but recently I have learned perhaps the best advice a novice like me can learn -   trust the recipe and follow the directions. My wife and I recently subscribed to one of those mail order meal providers.   You choose what you want and a box arrives on your doorstep with all the ingredients.   Included, of course, is a step by step recipe. I’ve never been much for recipes.   My mom was old-school.   She had it all in her head.   She whipped a meal together all the while taste-testing and adjusting as she went. It worked for her and I figured it would work for me.   It didn’t.   I figured I was just a bad cook until I learned the lesson – trust the recipe and follow the directions. So, one day I decided to take the plunge and see if this recipe thing was all it was cooked up to be.   While my wife does the majority of the cooking, I offered to give her a break.   On that day’s menu was chicken and ...

This past Tuesday math nerds around the world celebrated Pi day. Pi is the Greek letter used in math to represent the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. The value of Pi to the hundredths place is 3.14, therefore March 14, otherwise known as 3/14, is celebrated as Pi day. The real interesting thing about Pi is that it's value does not stop at the hundredths place.   In fact, the decimal goes on unending.  In other words, you can get close to writing Pi but you'll never be able to get it exactly.  Pi is a real number but is considered irrational. In my high school math classes our teacher challenged us to memorize Pi to as many decimal places as we could.  I can still do it - 3.14159265. I was pretty proud but was reminded that even though I knew Pi six more decimal places than those who knew him only as 3.14 I still was infinitely away from knowing him completely. For a long time I've felt some spiritual connection with Pi.  A real num...

My name is Todd, and I don’t like The Shack ! And somehow, I am being made to feel like less than a true believer by voicing my concerns.  That’s my problem and no one else’s, but that’s how I feel. I didn’t have the same heart-rending reaction that many Christians had after reading the book.  I wondered why.  Is there something wrong with me?  Am I cold-hearted and insensitive to human pain?  Do I not want God to be forgiving and merciful? Am I not forgiving and merciful? Why don’t I love The Shack ? But then I found relief when I read of others who likewise felt uneasy about the portrayal of God in The Shack . I feel that the concern has been misinterpreted or perhaps it has been miscommunicated, so please indulge these confessions of a Shack dissident. I’m thinking The Shack may be like a song or a painting.  Some people love songs that I don’t, and I love some songs that others don’t.  Some paintings speak to some but fall mute to ...

Whoever you voted for this past November, you must admit there’s been hardly a dull moment with the new administration.  Recently there have been allegations of wiretapping - a serious intrusion of one’s privacy. Who wants words that are intended to stay private made public for all to hear? A few years back I had phone conversation with someone and later found out that person had recorded our conversation without my permission.  I felt violated.  I was angry.  Although I was confident I didn’t say anything that could be used against me, the whole idea of the possibility of others hearing a conversation that was intended to be private was maddening. We usually assume and prefer that our words are to be kept private. I’m teaching a men’s class on Wednesday evenings at our church and we’re going through a study by Tony Evans called “Watch Your Mouth.”  Last week he referenced Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 12:36–37 : “But I tell you that men will h...

The NBA had their annual All-Star game this last Sunday. It was originally scheduled to be played in North Carolina but it was moved because there is a law in the Tarheel State that requires people with male parts to use a certain bathroom and people with female parts use another bathroom. I seem to recall that we used to call these people men and women, but I’m not sure if that’s right anymore. Anyway, the NBA declared this bathroom rule was inconsistent with the values espoused by their association and therefore had a moral obligation to move the game.   So, it was played in New Orleans. Apparently, New Orleans, being the bastion of morality and values, was a better match with the values the NBA espouses.   I guess Mardi Gras is more in line with the what the NBA thinks the nation should be like.   Who's really to blame them?  They certainly wouldn't host an event in Sodom, would they?  Of course not.  They'd just move it to Gomorrah. I’m sure glad we...

I was driving on the highway the other day and   found myself behind a pickup truck hauling furniture in its bed.   It looked like someone was moving a few pieces. Not an unusual site, but this cargo caught my attention.   There was this bookcase in the back of the truck, one of those you put together yourself.   It was standing upright with a strap over its top, but I noticed that the strap had been put on so tight that the top of the bookcase was giving way.   It appeared like an accident waiting to happen and, not wanting to be in the wake of a flailing bookshelf, I changed lanes.   Shortly after I merged to the left, the strap let loose and the bookcase came flying out of the pickup crashing onto the highway exploding into pieces! Relieved that I had managed to avoid the carnage, I realized how important it is to be careful who you follow. Living on the information highway that is the 21 st century, there are so many lanes we can choose. ...