is CONFESSing my unbelief in His sovereign reign over my life, and the genius plan/story He has scripted for all of us, from before the beginning of time.  It’s more honest/humiliating to CONFESS than to ask.  ProudDave can ask for yet-more faith without admitting his failure to believe/trust/rest.  CONFESSion is a means of grace, the…

except when I’m curious and expectant to see what He does NEXT, in me, others, circumstances.  Jesus-dependency is impossible without curiosity and expectancy.  So I’ve made up little post-it notes throughout my house, and on the dashboard of my car, that say, “C/E”, and when I see them, the Spirit typically convicts me that I’m…

as a very-worldly believer — competitive, critic, judge, news junkie, addicted to opining and feeling superior to everyone, finding fault with everyone, so I can feel superior in some way, shape or form.  Thank You that I’m such a great example of a bad example, that grace is for sinners, that I QUALIFY for grace. …

to read or watch the news, with opinions about what’s good or bad, unless I’m confident-I-know-what’s-best. Impossible to have this confidence, without pride — leaning on my own understanding, being wise in my own eyes.  This sin of independence/confidence-I-know-what’s-best goes unconfessed by ShepherdDave, and explains why his joy and peace are so circumstance-dependent, why he…

We ended 2016 with a deficit of $5493, so for 2017 I’m taking a further pay cut, from $30k to $24k.  And this is new: Jesus is nudging me outside my comfort zone to search for new monthly financial supporters in 2017.  Miracle development.  Right up there with the parting of the Red Sea.  GospelFriendships…

is the subtle brainwashing into worldly values — pride, human achievement, somebodiness, with a steady stream of stories about the excellence and failure of humans, all of which undermines the core values of the Upside-down Kingdom of Jesus — radical humility, radical love, childlike dependency.  The news strokes/encourages ShepherdDave in the wrong direction — away…

I wouldn’t be so confident-I-know-what’s-best.  This confidence of ShepherdDave is at the root of all my idols/addictions, all the unhappiness I unconsciously suppress, causing me to desperately wanna believe I’m normal, emotionally healthy, a wonderful Christian who is qualified for leadership, above reproach.  Evidently I’ve had suppressed feelings of worthlessness all my adult life, as…

I feel worthy.  I love feeling worthy.  I identify with excellence, worthiness.  I love being a film critic.  Music critic.  Art critic.  Advertising critic.  Design critic.  Preaching critic.  Sports critic.  I love being a critic of everything and everyone.  I love the feeling of superiority associated with being a judge of excellence.  Pride.  ShepherdDave.  Not…

being curious, expectant, to see what Jesus does NEXT, in me, others, circumstances, resting in His total sovereignty over every detail of my life and others’ lives, so all problems I face are His problems, and His job to solve, leaving me free to enjoy everything, just as it is, as dysfunctional as it is,…

I find myself increasingly mentoring CEO’s of nonprofit ministries.  This one in particular, is dear to my heart, because it ministers to the poor, without corrupting the poor — without making them dependent on other humans, unwittingly creating a culture of dependency, which is easy to do when loving the poor.  All-volunteer attorneys, most from…