discipleship Archives - Page 3 of 4

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…

Looking at Jesus

Posted on January 14, 2014December 17, 2016 by Michael Rose

They say that you become what you look at, and I think in many ways they’re right. For example, if we spend a lot of time watching violent movies or video games we can become desensitized to violence, and some studies suggest that we are much more likely to behave violently. If we focus…

Why is God Good? – A Story

Posted on December 9, 2013August 23, 2016 by Michael Rose

There once was a priest, a lover of Jesus who served the people of his town well. Every time the town faced difficulties they would approach the priest and ask that he pray for them. The priest loved the people and was happy to pray for the community, and he would withdraw to a special…

The Least of These?

Posted on December 4, 2013March 31, 2018 by Michael Rose

Jesus tells a story in Matthews 25 of a King who calls a meeting of his subjects. He said to the group to the right of him, “I want to sincerely thank and commend you. For I was sick, and you cared for me. I was hungry and thirsty, and you fed me and gave…

Speaking the Truth in Love

Posted on December 4, 2013July 11, 2017 by Michael Rose

There is a comedian who has a bit where he describes some of the idiosyncrasies of living in the Southern United States. He laughs as he describes how people would say things like “That baby sure is ugly! Bless his little heart” or “Betsy sure looks fat in that dress. Bless her heart!” He jokes…

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…

Growing Up in Christ: Friends not Servants

Posted on November 1, 2013March 31, 2018 by Michael Rose

When my sons were younger, age three or four, it was perfectly reasonable for us as parents to set out their clothing, help them get dressed, cross the street and prepare their dinner plate. Imagine if my son, the eldest being 21, still waited for mom and dad to set out his clothes, help…

Divine Love is… Free

Posted on July 15, 2013December 12, 2016 by Michael Rose

Freedom is the very nature of divine love, for it is when love is freely given and freely received that it is, in fact, healthy love. As soon as we attach expectations and seek to meet those exceptions by use of coercion or manipulation love ceases to be truly life-giving. Consider these simple parables;…

Love is… Generous

Posted on July 10, 2013July 7, 2013 by Michael Rose

What is Love? Consider the tree. The tree provides shade, respite from the blazing heat of the sun to everyone one with no expectation of return. To this end, love is genuinely maturing when it loves with no strings attached and no expectation of personal benefit. When we love others, do we have an expectation…

Love is…Humble

Posted on July 7, 2013May 20, 2014 by Michael Rose

Brennan Manning once said that true humility is not a poor opinion of yourself, rather, no opinion of yourself. So it is with authentic love. Love simply loves unaware that it is actually loving – it just does. Love is unselfconscious. Consider a lamp. An illumined lamp gives light not because it is…