Good morning! May you press on and finish your week well. #MorningMug #MorningBlessing

My guy E Rose went 3-4, BB, 2 R, 2 RBI.

The team won 12-4! They are 2-0 so far in Arizona.

Jesus’ response to suffering people and to β€œnobodies” provides a glimpse into the heart of God. God is not the unmoved Absolute, but rather the Loving One who draws near.
from: [The Jesus I Never Knew](https://micro.blog/books/9780310295815) by Philip Yancey πŸ“š

This might be one of the most challenging concepts for many American Christians to wrap our minds around. We have been told for so long that God is non-emotional. Yet, in the person of Jesus, we see God draw near in love. This is the consistent response of Jesus in the Gospels to the people who are on the “outside.”

It’s killing me to be in Michigan while he is in Arizona playing ball. But, there’s not much better than seeing your kid do what they love. ⚾️

Ethan Rose, DH for Saginaw Valley State University vs Walsh University

Good morning! May you push through whatever obstacles you’re facing today. #MorningMug #MorningBlessing

Coffee mug that says β€œnational baseball hall of fame β€œ in front of an inviting fire

#Wordle 992 2/6*

β¬›β¬›β¬›β¬›πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

The #OldGal got a 3. #YoungPups, I got you.

This is not her week.

🀣🀣🀣

Indeed, the kingdom of God will grow on earth as the church creates an alternative society demonstrating what the world is not, but one day will be: Barth’s prescription of β€œa new sign which is radically dissimilar to [the world’s] own manner and which contradicts it in a way which is full of promise.”
From: [The Jesus I Never Knew](https://micro.blog/books/9780310295815) by Philip Yancey πŸ“š

I imagine this alternative society would look vastly different from what we see today.

Somehow, the #OldGal dropped a 5! This means that a lackluster 4 gets the job doneb done today for me. But the scores from #YoungPups are also looking strong!

#Wordle 991 4/6*

πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¨ β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬› β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Good morning! May you create opportunities to laugh today. #MorningMug #MorningBlessing

A Dan with a mug of coffee that says, β€œAroha” the Māori word for β€œlove”

If you’re into sermons, here’s mine from this past Sunday about loving your enemies… ordinary jesus - did it stutter?

#Wordle 990 5/6*

⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ πŸŸ¨β¬›πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨β¬› β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ© β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

The #OldGal failed on today’s puzzle. So even my guessing game 5 got a W! #YoungPups with the resounding victory.

Good morning! May you embrace whatever challenge you face today with faithfulness and resolve. #MorningMug #MorningBlessing

A white coffee mug in front of an inviting fire

This is an excellent primer on the service I’m now posting and blogging on.

welcome.micro.blog

I am 7% done with book and already there are quotes that will be used in a series of talks I am giving this weekend. Whew!

Currently reading: The Brothers Karamazov: A New Translation by Michael R. Katz by Fyodor Dostoevsky πŸ“š

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 πŸ“š

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

A University of Michigan coffee mug in front of an unlit fireplace in a cozy living room

#Wordle 989 3/6*

⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ β¬›πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬›πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

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

#Wordle 988 6/6*

β¬›β¬›β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¨ πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ© πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ© πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ© πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

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*

πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬›β¬› β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨β¬› 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

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*

πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬›β¬›β¬› β¬›πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

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

A disposable coffee cup from Jack's Donuts in Fishers, IN
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 rejectionβ€”in short, to wear a crown but not a cross.

From: The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey πŸ“š

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