Preparation.  It is one of the tougher things in life.  It requires both working hard and waiting for the finished product.  For most of us, either one or the other of those is really difficult.  But imagine going to a concert, a retreat, or a wedding, where the preparation had been skimpy: the sound system is off, the slideshow has misspellings, the dip has no chips, the cake has no plates, and a key person is missing.  Or imagine attending without doing your own personal preparation: you...

It is the height of the football rivalry season in the United States.  People are taking sides, rooting for their favorite team.  I remember the intensity during my high school years, playing in the band as loud as I could.  I also remember when my rival high school’s gym was vandalized. Fun rivalries can go too far and become destructive.  They can also leave sports and enter into other areas of life where they don’t belong.  The Apostle Paul had this problem in one of his churches: “it has...

What star will your friend follow?