Many of us spend our lives waiting for opportunity to come knocking at our front door. But Proverbs 18:16 says “A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.”

Have you ever wondered why the Bible seems to be guilty of double-talk when speaking of “the world”? John 3:16 tells us God loves “the world” and Jesus, in Mark 16:15 commands his disciples to “go into all the world”, yet 1 John 2:15‑17 tells us not to love the world, James, in James 4:4, tells us that “a friend of the world” is “an enemy of God” and Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:17 to be separate from the world and to “go out from” unbelievers. So, what do we do? Well, it all depends on which sense of the word “world” you mean. Tullian Tchividjian gives a great explanation of these scriptures and the complexities of the original language in which they were written, in this post.

You Can’t Build A Reputation On What You Are Going To Do

Something we can all benefit from – the art of apologizing well.

Before Apple sold 2 million iPads in just 2 months, they first had to fail at the Newton. Instead of ignoring our failures, maybe we should learn from them. Mike Foster tackles that in a post for Catalyst, Snuggle Up With Failure.

What is a joyful mind?

I’ve touched on this issue before, but over 90% of Americans claim to believe in God, yet less than half of that number are part of a church community. Perry Noble addresses this issue in a two-part post, It’s Not the Product, It’s the Service (Part 1) and
(Part 2)

In a similar post to Perry’s, Jarrett Stevens talks about a recent hospital visit and that the church could learn from it.

It’s one thing to worship with passion and excellence when the room is full and all eyes are on us. The real test of worship comes when your auditorium is empty and the only people remaining are the staff who now have no responsibilities but to stand before God and still give Him everything they’ve got. – Steven Furtick on The Real Test of Worship

So what makes a city manly? Apparently salty snacks and professional sports.

Touchdown Jesus was struck by lightning Monday night and burned to the ground. Coincidence, or was the real Jesus sending a message?

Our Church Is Small. The Potential Is Big. I wish more could grasp this idea.

Buckhead Church asks should we isolate or engage?

Donald Miller on the stuff of good friendships.

Another great post on the topic of engaging unchurched people from Ed Stetzer and Michael Carpenter.

Clarifying the Kingdom of God from Rick McKinley.

Die With Your Boots On – a great post from Mark Driscoll that completely flies in the face of health and wealth teachings. The early church didn’t get wealthy preaching the gospel – in many cases they got killed.

There’s a world of difference between those two words, fixable and forgivable. One is about human effort and sweat and heartache and staying in the mud. One is about grace and mercy and white snow and sacrifice we can’t imagine. - Jon Acuff, author and blogger, with Two “F Words”.

A very interesting piece on the continued anti-immigrant sentiments that are growing in our nation (ironic, considering we’re a nation of immigrants). And for those who skim and don’t actually read, pay attention – this post isn’t anti-immigration reform or pro-illegal alien. But it is anti-racism. The Foreigner Among Us.

An Open Letter to Contemporary Christian Music.
HT: Tyler Braun

In case you haven’t heard, Alvin Greene, an unheard of man who sleeps on his father’s couch, won the South Carolina Democratic Primary for United States Senator with sixty percent of the vote.

No ads, no campaign and no money (except the $10,000 needed to register), and HE WON.

But wait – that’s not all!

Now Democrat leaders all across the country are claiming Greene is a Republican plant.

Really?
Really?

I think Jon Stewart has the best take on the situation. The hilarity begins at 6:15 into the video.

It’s the beginning of a new week, which means it’s time to share my favorite posts of the last seven days!

Remember the big perfect game controversy concerning umpire Jim Joyce and Tigers’ pitcher Armondo Galarraga? Donald Miller uses it as an example of The Absolute Power of an Apology.

We must be gracious to the grace killers.

A really cool picture of Shanghai that shows the amount of change that can take place in twenty years.

The greatest problem of American Christians when it comes to the Bible is not that we are not deep in God’s Word. The problem is that we are not active in God’s Word.

Pastors, are you preaching TO people, or AT people?

How would you respond to this explanation of faith?

The Medium Matters, a great argument for why music is just as important as the message.

Donald Miller on how bad habits create boring stories and the power of listening without judging.

Shaun King with a great post on how a normal marriage IS NOT going to be a Cosby Show marriage.

Pete Wilson explains how margin is essential for the unexpected.

Jesus didn’t say that the world will know we are His followers because of the music we listen to, the church we go to or the political candidate we vote for. Jesus said the world will recognize us as his followers when they see the love we have for one another.

In a post similar to the one above, have athletes taken Philippians 4:13 a little too far? Does Jesus really care who wins an athletic contest?

Social Justice Is A Virtue.

The Bait and Switch of Contemporary Christianity