• Bible Studies

    Judges 3:1-6: Enemies In The Land

    “So then, the Lord left some nations in the land to test the Israelites who had not been through the wars in Canaan. He did this only in order to teach each generation of Israelites about war, especially those who had never been in battle before. Those left in the land were the five Philistine cities, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon Mountains from Mount Baal Hermon as far as Hamath Pass. They were to be a test for Israel, to find out whether or not the Israelites would obey the commands that the Lord had given their ancestors through Moses. And so…

  • Fred's Blog

    Can I Get Back to You?

    Most often as a favor to an author or publisher, I have likely read as many books about fund-raising as any other topic. Some are classics like The Seven Faces of Philanthropy by Russ Prince or Henri Nouwen’s A Spirituality of Fundraising, but most, frankly, are either focused on how to minister to major donors assuming they are sad, dysfunctional and needy people or how to quickly discern their passions to align your organization with their interests. Even though I consider Peter Harris a friend, I put aside the book he wrote with Rod Wilson, Keeping Faith in Fundraising, I received last month. But then Rod commented on one of my recent blogs, asking if I had read their book. I found it in the stack and started reading quickly so I could give him a…

  • Bible Studies

    Judges 1:1-2:19

    1. Succession plan. Moses was the liberator. Joshua was the military leader for conquering the land. There was never any intention to have a leader after that. Everything was to be organized by tribes and local government. No President. No King. No standing national armies. It would be like our having States but no national government. There would be no United States – just States. Some tribes do better than others at driving out the Canaanites. Some have to cooperate with each other and some do it on their own. Some few are unsuccessful and live with the consequences. There is no attempt to form a national effort to drive…

  • Fred's Blog

    Money in the Heart

    “A wise person should have money in his head but not in his heart.” Jonathan Swift One of the earliest scandals around insider trading involved Ivan Boesky. While many have forgotten him he lives on through the one quote attributed to him – and his being the basis for the character of Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas) in the film, Wall Street: “Greed is good.” It was one of those unforgettable (and maybe unforgiveable) lines that summed up an era in one way but signaled the advent of another that was more irresponsible and harmful than even his own. In some ways Boesky was merely a precursor – or…

  • Bible Studies

    Joshua 23-24

    1. Context Joshua is old and well advanced in years. “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth.” I’ve been reading farewell speeches this week. Presidents Washington, Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan and Obama. I’ve re-read General MacArthur’s address to the cadets at West Point and, of course, it is the standard for any other speeches. For a few they are very personal and a last time to defend their legacy. For others, it is not about about them but an opportunity to reflect on both the past and the future of the country. Joshua’s farewell is not about his legacy…but about the relationship between God and Israel.…

  • Fred's Blog

    An Unexpected Inheritance

    Over the last 30 years I have listened to parents wrestle with how best to pass wealth to their children. But the more complicated issue arises when they have to decide which of their children is most likely to handle the blessing well and not to be hobbled with an inheritance. What is fair? What is enough to express love but not spoil? Those who deserve the most are not always easy to discern. Take the case of the Levites. The people became impatient waiting for Moses to return from meeting with God on Mt. Sinai and created a golden calf to worship. After Moses discovered what they had done he shouted, “Whoever is for the Lord, come…

  • Bible Studies

    Joshua 13-22

    1.  We are going to look at three legacies and inheritances this morning. The legacy of Joshua, of Caleb and the Levites. They are all different but they tie together in an interesting way. For Joshua, it is the completion of a lifelong assignment. For Caleb, it is the realization of a dream deferred. For the Levites, it is a surprising twist of being excluded. 2.  It begins with Joshua. Remember what God said in the very first verse of the book? “Moses is dead” We talked about the importance of understanding reality – even if it is painful. As Max DePree said: “The first responsibility of a leader is…

  • Fred's Blog

    Never Let Go

    My mother died of Parkinson’s disease in 2004, and my father passed away in 2007. Neither of their deaths was sudden or tragic but the end of a long life for both. Friends told my siblings and me we would grieve in our own ways and there would be no predicting how our grief would show up or affect us. Of course, there are principles and common patterns of grief we can read about in books, but our friends were right. Each of us has worked through it in our own unique way. In letters and cards now from friends we hear often about the passing of parents so when I read this passage from Mary…

  • Bible Studies

    Joshua 6: The Sin of Achan, Ananias and Sapphira

    1.  The beginning of any venture requires an almost absolute purity. It could be a nation, an organization, a business, a ministry like a church plant or a new movement. There is nothing more important than everyone being on the same page and agreed about the basics. There is room for mistakes and room for errors. There is even room for some kinds of sins. We see that when we read that the prostitute Rahab was not only saved but welcomed into the community of Israel. You can imagine what it would have been like if Joshua had been told that every single sin in the camp had to be…

    Comments Off on Joshua 6: The Sin of Achan, Ananias and Sapphira