Jesus had but to give a nod of agreement and he could have constructed Christendom, not on four shaky Gospels and a defeated man nailed on a Cross, but on a basis of sound socioeconomic planning and principles. . . . Every utopia could have been brought to pass, every hope have been realized and every dream been made to come true. What a benefactor, then, Jesus would have been. Acclaimed, equally, in the London School of Economics and the Harvard Business School; a statue in Parliament Square, and an even bigger one on Capitol Hill and in the Red Square. . . . Instead, he turned the offer down on the ground that only God should be worshipped.

The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey 📚

Jesus: “Nah, I don’t want Christendom.”

The American Church: “Hold my grape juice.”

Mondays, for me, are a time of preparation. I am sure to exercise, read, write, and now that spring has apparently sprung play a little golf.

Each Monday I want to prepare for my week as intentionally as I can through things that bring me joy.

Good morning! May you begin your week with a sense of hope and expectation for the good. #MorningMug #MorningBlessing

#Wordle 989 3/6*

⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛🟨⬛⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

The #OldGal also pulled a 3! It might be a long time for the #YoungPups.

#Wordle 988 6/6*

⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨 🟩🟩🟩⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Today the #OldGal got a 4. My streak lives. I guess a 6 is good when you have multiple consonants and nothing but luck to go with. #YoungPups unite!

Good morning! The adventure is fun but there is great joy in being home. May you experience home today. #MorningMug #MorningBlessing

#Wordle 987 3/6*

🟨🟨⬛⬛⬛ ⬛🟩🟨🟨⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

The #OldGal got a 4! Lots of #YoungPups with threes! Dominance.

Good morning! May you create time to be with those you love today. #MorningMug #MorningBlessing

#Wordle 986 3/6*

🟨⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛🟩⬛🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

The #OldGal has yet to report on this Friday. I think that she’s going to be a tough out today! Team #YoungPups is going to have to bring it.

Good morning! May you know joy today. #MorningMug #MorningBlessing

As I look back on the three temptations, I see that Satan proposed an enticing improvement. He tempted Jesus toward the good parts of being human without the bad: to savor the taste of bread without being subject to the fixed rules of hunger and of agriculture, to confront risk with no real danger, to enjoy fame and power without the prospect of painful rejection—in short, to wear a crown but not a cross.

From: The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey 📚

As I continue to consider this, I am confronted with my own desire to wear a crown and not a cross.

I am so excited to head to St Louis by way of Indianapolis today. This weekend we get to watch our son play baseball and on our way down we get to spend the evening with a dear friend.

Life is good!

Leap Day? Sure. But I’m not leaping over the lift today!

Good morning! May your extra day be filled with it love, joy, and laughter. #MorningMug #MorningBlessing

In Jesus, God found a way of relating to human beings that did not involve fear.

From: The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey 📚

I think this might be one of the most significant and under appreciated aspects of the personhood of Jesus. If we are leveraging fear with regards to Jesus then we have missed a central piece of the gospel story.