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…

Because my eyes and ears inform my reality, instead of Scripture.  My eyes and ears tell me what’s what, and what’s not, and I’m confident-I-know-what’s-best, and other humans are also confident-they-know-what’s best, and so this confidence seems normal, natural, outside the Church and inside too, and so I get bothered, control-freak perfectionist that I am.…

I’m always intense.  I’m never intense when I’m DumbSheepDave: relaxed, uber-peaceful, contented with who I am, how I am, what I possess and don’t possess, competitive with no one, enjoying everyone and everything just as it is, including intense ShepherdDave.  Why would I enjoy ShepherdDave?  Because he’s the role that’s been assigned me by the…

I’ve been praying for Leo, the oldest son of my friend Nelio Da Silva, for about as long as I’ve been praying for Nelio and his wife Tereza, which must be about 15-16 years, while mentoring Nelio from time to time.  Over the past few years, that mentoring has become more intentional and intense.  In…

to myself, unless I’m freshly aware of the addiction I have to feeling worthIER.  When it first hits me — when I’m freshly convicted by the Spirit, I’m ashamed that I’ve been so self-serving, self-absorbed, competitive, judgmental. I wannabe better, do better.  But.  I don’t know how to change.  I feel powerless to be different. …

frustrated, or discouraged, when I believe God is totally sovereign. Impossible to be pride-filled — feel like a failure or a success, when I believe God is totally sovereign. Ahhh, the healthy-indifference, the bliss, of being DumbSheepDave. But when I’m ShepherdDave, I NEVER believe God is totally sovereign.  I only believe He’s sovereign when I’m…

and I’m a worthIERness addict. I used to think I was a worthiness addict, but now I see I’m WORSE — I’ve suppressed how I’m always comparing myself to others. I am hopelessly addicted to my own worthIERness, and I have no idea how to NOT be an addict, so I’m here tonight among fellow…

I’m curious and expectant to see what Jesus does NEXT, in me, others, circumstances, when I’m resting in His sovereignty over me and everyone. I’m unhappiest when I’ve forgotten about His sovereignty, so my life is all about ME, and I feel pressure to judge, perform, compete, win.  Plan, execute.  UP TO ME.  Leaning on…

We’re currently $7000 short of covering expenses, which is worse than usual for this time of the year, and I’m guessing we could end up having a deficit of between $7-12,000, but I’m always unsure because some folks surprise with extra, and a few make first-time gifts. Over the past dozen years I’ve lost some…

I am still enjoying the bliss of being WorthlessDave/DeadDave/DumbSheepDave, dead to my own worthiness.  I’ve had tastes of being dead to Dave’sFlesh in the past, but they were momentary.  This is more of an ongoing experience.  Someone suggested after last week’s post, that DeadDave would be easier for others to accept than WorthlessDave, but as…