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The Pivot: But How …
Gideon’s but is the objection of inadequacy. God’s answer in v.16 overwhelms it. Gideon’s but feels familiar. I’m not enough for this. I don’t have the background, the strength, the influence, or the ability. He looks at himself and finds plenty of evidence for why God must have the wrong person. But God never argues with Gideon’s… Continue reading
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But Chosen by God
“As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him…”—1 Peter 2:4 Sometimes the difference between what we see and what God sees is enormous. First Peter 2:4–10 is teeming with buts—five of them in seven verses. And Peter uses those little conjunctions to tell a much bigger story about… Continue reading
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Attention Historians: The Doctor Has Discovered a Rather Important But
Moving from Memorial to Devotion Having last week off gave the doctor time to rummage through history again. This is generally discouraged. Nevertheless, I found myself reading one of the most famous speeches in American history and discovered—quite unexpectedly, although I should have suspected it—that Abraham Lincoln understood the strategic importance of a well-placed but. Twice,… Continue reading
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But Now
“There is no one righteous, not even one…”—Romans 3:10 That’s not exactly the verse you’d expect to find printed beneath a beautiful sunrise on an inspirational Sunday morning graphic. Paul isn’t trying to make us feel particularly good about ourselves in the opening chapters of Romans. Quite the opposite. He has been systematically dismantling our… Continue reading
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The Kingdom Economy
An excerpt from Chapter 18. Greatness Looks Different Here The disciples had a question. It sounds innocent enough. “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” But behind the question lurked something all of us understand. Who matters most? Who’s the most important? Who’s closest to God? Who’s winning? Jesus’ answer would have surprised… Continue reading
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Escalation
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown,… Continue reading
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Proverbial But O’ the Week: Building
The wise woman builds her house, BUT with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. (Proverbs 14:1) A home—and a life—is rarely built or torn down all at once. More often, it happens through the small choices we make every day: the words we speak, the patience we show, the grudges we release or hold,… Continue reading
Darin Michael Shaw
In addition to being the world’s foremost expert on the conjunction but, author and freelance writer Darin Michael Shaw (he/him/his) identifies as a post-evangelical, free-range Jesus Freak, taking Jesus seriously when he says, “Follow me,” while inviting others to come and see for yourself.
