4. Don’t Give Too Much Attention to Troublemakers During the first World Cup match I watched this year, I was struck that when a fan came streaking onto the field to cause a ruckus, the cameras moved away. That is, we didn’t actually see the ruckus, we only heard about it briefly. One of the commentators mentioned that this was per FIFA’s instructions. While I have plenty of critique for the way FIFA is run, they’re definitely onto something here. For when you give troublemakers the attention they seek, you inspire more people to make trouble. I think leaders – in congregations, schools, businesses, and the home – can learn a lot...

Dear Partner in Preaching, I have to confess I’ve always had a certain bias against this parable. Actually, not the parable as much as the interpretation. You probably know the generally accepted theory of the history of composition behind today’s passage. Since Joachim Jeremias published his seminal The Parables of Jesus, biblical scholars have pointed out the shift in emphasis from the parable proper and its explanation nine verses later. The parable is all about the extravagance of the sower, the farmer foolish enough to throw seed anywhere and everywhere, even on paths and patches of stony ground. The explanation, however, shifts...

3. The Power of Joy The World Cup is about competition, and it is about national pride, and it about team effort and heart, and it is about many other things as well. But when I watch carefully, I’m also struck to the degree that it is about joy. There is a kind of rapturous abandon that you see displayed on the faces of players from time to time – especially after a player has scored a goal 🙂 – that reminds me of the delight expressed by children at play. Which leads me to think that beyond the thrill of competition or the pride of representing your country rests the pure joy of doing something you love with people you respect and...