Confession: some might call me a conference junkie (Google: 4.1 million results). I’ve always eaten my fill at church… but, from my early days, I’ve found myself hungry for more. Meat and potatoes are the mainline menu for most congregations; to expand your pallet and discover some of the rich – but, still nutritious – […]
Nov 19 2018
The most important question you’ll ever answer to Jesus
Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” That’s an incredible question – wrapped around an offer – that would be amazing coming from anyone; it’s even more astounding when it’s posed by Jesus. How would you reply? It happens twice, recorded back-to-back in Mark 10; each offers a weighty insight about […]
Aug 20 2018
What are you building?
“What did you do on your summer vacation”? In a bygone era, that question was a predictable “pop quiz” for the first day of school. Designed to get the cobwebs out of the students’ cursive grips, it challenged kids to put 10 weeks into 300 words. Today is “back to school” day, for me; my […]
Jul 30 2018
Your plan or His plan?
For the Jews – about 3330 years ago – God performed a miracle that showed his power and would forever define their family and mark His plan. It was Passover and Jews mark that divine intervention each year. For the Shanks – 25 years ago – God performed a miracle that showed his power and […]
Feb 26 2018
Soil that bears fruit – He’s finished… but we’re not
It’s what Jesus said to his Twelve Apostles – at the Last Supper, in the Upper Room – but his charge to them became his charge to us, through the centuries: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will […]
Dec 18 2017
Is it a Wonderful Life? You decide.
This month, millions of wonderful people will watch George Bailey – alone, on the bridge – as he looks back and wonders if his decision about his life’s direction was wrong and not wonderful. He’s only 38, but he’s given the best years of his life to the people of Bedford Falls as he operated […]
Oct 16 2017
What would you grab before you go?
It was just another crazy week… once I grabbed my travel bag. I boarded my flight in Orange County – my local airport – last Monday morning, headed to Minneapolis, through Dallas. Tuesday morning was an introductory briefing for the new cohort for The Master’s Program in the Twin Cities, and – beginning Tuesday evening […]
Oct 9 2017
The shooter’s motive was…
Motive. Why? The investigations in Las Vegas have moved past the what and how questions surrounding Stephen Craig Paddock’s attack on the crowd at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas. It’s been seven days, but no manifesto or suicide note has emerged. Social media postings are – apparently – non-existent. A secret circle […]
Oct 2 2017
Horrific. Yet you have the Ultimate Solution.
Horrific. There are no words to describe the scene last night. “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” is a marketing offer; it has no enforceability this morning. What happened when Stephen Paddock – at this point, known only as an apartment manager in a retirement community in Mesquite, Nevada – unleashed hell on the […]
Sep 11 2017
Will Millennials “Get it?”
“I know stuff Millennials don’t know. I do stuff Millennials don’t do. I do it because I see things differently than Millennials, and it’s my job to help other people know what I know, do what I do, and think the way I think…” Those are Paul’s thoughts, summarizing his written comments to the believers […]
Thank you for reading the Point of View, my weekly commentary on life today from a Biblical worldview. It is available via email as well as this blog.
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