leader ⁽⁵³⁾

Numbers 16:1–50, Romans 16:17–20, 1 Corinthians 1:10–17 Most of us have heard John Dalberg-Acton’s quip, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” What is most often missed is Acton’s “tends”. David Brin takes a slightly different tack, “It is said that power corrupts,…

Exodus 6:1–13, Psalm 37:1–24, 1 Corinthians 3:18–4:5 “I want you to walk up to your estranged family (who just so happens to be the world power at the moment) and tell them to release their biggest labor force.” Hmm. We are so accustomed to Moses’…

Psalm 35:11–28, Exodus 35:1–29, Acts 10:9–23 Sometimes the greatest evidence that we are doing well is those that oppose us. Another way of perhaps saying that is that the measure of one's success is the quality of one's enemies. Some scholars have claimed that part…

Numbers 27:12-22, Deuteronomy 31:1-23, Proverbs 15:18–29 A relay race requires timing and teamwork. As the baton carrier approaches the next runner, that runner must start running. The two must match stride and pace so that the baton can be handed-off smoothly. Rarely will a relay…

Psalm 55:1–7; Luke 2:21–38; 2 Corinthians 11:18–30 Families are often quick to share their expectations of a newborn (or coming) baby. The pressure can be on pretty quickly. The parents, too, have expectations of their children. They are often called "dreams" or "maybe someday." As…