casting vision Archives

War on Christmas? Still?

Posted on December 2, 2018December 3, 2018 by Michael Rose

Fresh snow has fallen on the CornCob City, my prairie home. The Town has the parks adorned with decorations and lights. It’s quite pretty – the twinkle of the lights and the Merry Christmas signs. And yet not so heartwarming because over the past few years, in reaction to a manufactured War on Christmas,…

I’m Burnt Out on Outrage

Posted on October 25, 2017October 24, 2017 by Michael Rose

I was speaking with a friend today who was expressing indignation at a particularly twisted bit of theology. It was one of those things one can only shake one’s head, with mouth agape in wonderment, at such profound theological abuse. I found that in reading it, I had no energy to be outraged. Yes, it…

Everyday Spirituality

Posted on March 28, 2017March 29, 2017 by Michael Rose

Once upon a time, there were two carpenters; framers to be precise. Each day they would arrive at the building site to pound nails and erect walls. The first, a glum man, was asked what he was doing. “I hammer nails,” he replied, looking sour. “Every day, hammer nails and more nails. Day in,…

Renewing of our Minds: 8 Deadly Thoughts

Posted on February 27, 2016June 23, 2016 by Michael Rose

The Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Rome and encourages them in a new way of living – the way of love. To do so, Paul suggests we need to renew of our mind by embracing Kingdom values, specifically love, and no longer conforming to the patterns of the world. This renewing of our…

The Lesson I have Learned from a Stuffed Rabbit

Posted on September 18, 2015June 23, 2016 by Michael Rose

Being free to be truly authentic is a genuine desire for many people. To be known and still loved. Folks are also looking for authenticity in those who lead them, but this is contrary to many conventional leadership styles. It can be dangerous to be authentic because some see it as a weakness, and,…

Legend of the Fire Maker

Posted on February 27, 2014May 2, 2017 by Michael Rose

Once upon a time, in a far away land, a wise man made a discovery. He discovered fire and with fire, he could be warm, cook his food and have light through the dark of night. He had heard of a people across the mountains; the people who lived on the plains and he wondered…

The Word that Lives

Posted on January 21, 2014September 13, 2016 by Michael Rose

Once upon a time there was a faithful man named Philip. Philip loved God very much and spent his life serving and sharing the “Good News” in the foreign country of Zamzam. Zamzam was a lovely place, and the people were even more lovely. Philip spent many years traveling all over Zamzam telling…

Jesus. A Parable of God

Posted on November 7, 2013June 11, 2020 by Michael Rose

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. A story can hold so much more than dry propositions or facts and one of the reasons Jesus was such an effective communicator was because He employed stories. In these stories, Jesus could communicate big ideas in a way that they could be more accessible. These stories have come to…

Hope on the Line

Posted on June 14, 2012February 13, 2018 by Michael Rose

I hung hope out with the laundry, clothes-pinned tenderly beside a pillowcase, a tea towel, two sheets and some socks. I could tell she needed air, a sweet puff of wind. She needed to get warm again basking in the sun. After a few hours, I came out with my basket and took her…

Change is a Process

Posted on April 20, 2012January 27, 2014 by Michael Rose

As leaders, we need to come to grips with the fact that everything is in a process of change continually; as we live life, build, create, sell or renovate things are changing. Even when things are left alone, the reality is they too change, they decay, time has a way of changing everything! To come to…