Sharing the kindness of Jesus

Bev receives Voice of the Martyrs every month.  VOM is a publication about the religious persecution of Christians around the world.  The May 2007 issue has a large article about the plight of Malaysians wanting to become disciples of Jesus.
Native Malaysians are considered to be Islamic by virture of their nationality.  It is not permitted [...]

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“I’m never to busy for your referrals.”

I really admire my friend Russ.  He is one of the kindest and most attentive people I know.
It’s not unusual to find a message on my cell phone.  “Hi Bruce, this is Russ.  I was just calling to say hello and see how you’re doing.”  It takes him about a minute to do that, but [...]

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A better use of time.

I don’t get it.  Why do some people derive such fulfillment in being continually negative?
I read a rant in the paper this morning about what the city needed to be doing in regard to some land development.  I wanted to send the writer to Merced’s 10–month course, Leadership Merced. That would open his eyes.
On second [...]

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New Header

Ever since I started blogging a year and a half ago, I’ve wished for a header to my blog that was more Merced specific.  My wishes got a little closer to reality today.
Tom Bustos is helping me redesign the header using Merced imagery.  Now, when you look at monoLogue, you will be reminded that this [...]

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Rap Lyrics

My friend Dwight Whitsett wrote the following about Rap music in his blog. He cracked me up, and I thought his talent was worth showcasing.
In the interest of being “current” and “hip,” I suppose I should have my own rap song. I’m looking for a producer who can make a fat, gray-haired man look [...]

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“Meant to be”

I’m puzzled by the frequency with which I hear the phrase, “It was meant to be.” It implies that some force or god was controlling events and that the meant-to-be experience was orchestrated.
It’s interesting that the phrase is used equally by christians and non-christians. So for christians, the phrase points to God for [...]

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Eucharist

Adam did the “table talk” Sunday.  The table talk is the brief talk that is done just before we have the Lord’s Supper.  LifeSpring observes the Lord’s Supper weekly.
Some people call it Eucharist.  It is a symbolic meal consisting of a symbolic piece of bread and a small cup of wine or grape juice.  It [...]

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6:45 AM

I try to get to Playhouse Merced at 6:45 AM in order to get everything set up for our Sunday worship.  This normally includes putting out signage, turning on the lights, unpacking the car, and rehearsing the morning sermon.
There’s not much going on at 6:45 AM on Sunday.  Traffic lights are mostly green, and those [...]

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Public Show

I had a conversation recently that is troubling to me.  The gist of it was that the local Christian community should find a very public and visible place and schedule a prayerfest there.  In-your-face prayer.

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Conversation

I’ve had a very busy day.  It began with an 8:30 meeting.  A city official brought together a group of pastors to talk about faith-based initiatives and how churches could help the city.  It was a good meeting, and it was also heartening to hear a public official talking about the role of faith in [...]

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