dumb sheep dave

Promoting Jesus Dependency

  • The Gospel is BAD news

    to the accomplished Christian, in business, ministry, politics, amateur sports, academia, whatever.  It’s BAD news to the Christian good at a hobby.  At parenting.  At leadership in the Church.  At whatever makes you feel good about yourself, worthy.  The Gospel is BAD news to you, because it says your worthiness/somebodiness is filthy rags.  The Gospel…

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  • Bargains are a curse too.

    Just like judging is a curse, and getting-or-wanting-my-way is a curse.  A bargain seems so noble, so frugal, so worthy.  Problem is, bargains are ADDICTIVE.  Like other addictions, you become obsessive, and they become all-consuming, where you spend inordinate amounts of time researching to find the very-best purchase: price, condition, quality, whatever.  A purchasing regret…

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  • Judging is a curse too.

    Just like getting-or-wanting-my-way is a curse, that I discussed last week. Analyzing/critiquing/judging is a failed strategy for happiness — a horrible way to live, but it’s so natural for all of us humans, nonChristian AND Christian.  We do it unconsciously as we go through our day, looking at this or that, online, TV, people watching….analyzing/critiquing/judging.…

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  • Getting-or-wanting-my-way is a curse,

    not a blessing.  WHAT?  Yup.  Pathway to miserable addiction.  Getting-my-way THWARTED by Jesus, is an enormous blessing, because it opens the door to my being retrained in a much-better way of living — disillusioned in my flesh’s confidence-it-knows-what’ll-make-me-happy.  But getting-my-way thwarted by Jesus is ONLY an enormous blessing when I’m convinced that getting-or-wanting-my-way is a…

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  • Emotional-health is

    unusual self-acceptance that is based on unusual self-awareness.  Emotional-health is another way of describing inner-humility.  As opposed to the outer-humility of politicians, leaders, Christians.  Emotional-health/inner-humility, becomes an idol/addiction when we study emotional-health/inner-humility, strive for emotional-health/inner-humility.  Emotional-health/inner-humility for a believer, is best left up to Jesus. Unusual self-awareness, however, is a wonderful goal.  Unusual self-acceptance/emotional-health/inner-humility is a…

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  • I don’t need different circumstances,

    easier circumstances, better circumstances — I need a different Dave — a Dave content with Jesus and the circumstances He’s carefully crafted for Dave, needing nothing more, nothing different. So, why hasn’t Jesus given me easier circumstances?  Because He’s using the harrrd, the suffering, to retrain me in a better way of living — from…

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  • When I read the Bible,

    it’s so helpful when I remember that I’m not ALONE, that it’s not up to ME to figgeritallout perfectly, and that my interpretation/understanding is not up to ME — that Jesus is totally sovereign over every detail of my life, including my biblical understanding.  Ahhh, s’wunnerful to rest in the sovereign reign of my ShepherdJesus.…

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  • The best leader is

    not the chief expert, chief accuser, chief knowitall, chief competent, but rather….the chief confessor.   Humble.  Not just on the outside, but also on the inside.  The best leader finds his security in worthiness outside himself, which frees him to live and love self-forgettingly with reckless abandon. Jesus provides this alien worthiness to those wise enough…

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  • The BEST-case scenario,

    is what Jesus has for me, right now, in these present circumstances.  NOOOO.  My flesh thinks the BEST-case scenario is…easy…things going MY way, as judged by my flesh.  Dave’sFlesh is confident-it-knows-what’s-best, but in reality, it dunno nuttin about what’s best for me, or others.  Dave’sFlesh LOVES feeling great physiologically, free of pain with gobbsa energy,…

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  • I deserve BETTER.

    I’m not a contented follower of Jesus.  I feel ENTITLED to better than what I have, physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, relationally, vocationally, and for SURE, automotively.  I’m like Oliver Twist in the orphanage — I want MORE.  Jesus is not ENOUGH for me.  I want MORE.  I want BETTER.  I DESERVE better.  I feel ENTITLED…

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