Recommendations, History, Church, Finance, Nature, Suffering
John Beeson
This Week's Recommendations

  1. Take a closer look at Noah’s ark: Pete Lee says, “An analysis of its design indicates that the ark represents three things: a microcosm of creation, a temple-home, and an emblem of resurrection.”

  2. God is everywhere, why go to church? James Williams says, “Of course we can meet with God anywhere, but is that a good reason to dismiss ourselves from a local church? Thankfully, God’s word isn't silent.”

This Week's Recommendations
Leadership, Wisdom
John Beeson
Servant Leadership and Decision Making

What do you want for dinner tonight?

What do you want to watch?

What do you want to do this weekend?

Do you ever feel exhausted by making decisions? More than a few times, Angel and I have come home from hard days at work and looked at each other, “Would you please make a decision about what we are going to eat for dinner?” Researchers note that “by the time the average person goes to bed, they’ve made over 35,000 decisions and all of those decisions take time and energy.”

Servant Leadership and Decision Making
Culture, History, Identity, Racism
John Beeson
Does Systemic Sin Exist?

Is America racist? I’m aware that the question itself likely creates a strong emotional reaction in you. But, if we set aside our temptation to make that question a political question and take our cues from scripture instead of political pundits, there is much we can learn from the question. Before we can answer the question, we have to ask an underlying question: does systemic sin exist?

In other words, is sin just an individual problem or are there elements of sin that are corporate in nature? Does the way a country organizes its government, for instance, have sin imbedded in its design?

Does Systemic Sin Exist?
Recommendations, Church, Culture, Fear, Evangelism, Parenting, Nature
John Beeson
This Week's Recommendations

  1. The lesbian seagulls that weren’t: Maria Baer reports on when “NPR’s popular Radiolab podcast tries but fails to find homosexuality in nature.”

  2. Multiply your time with this simple framework: Craig Groeschel with some helpful advice. His first piece of advice is to “Schedule your values. Wise time management doesn’t mean you do more. It means you do more of what matters you most, so you need to schedule your values.”

This Week's Recommendations
Christian Living, Culture, Spiritual Growth
John Beeson
Cheater

I am not an avid gamer.  

 

I've aspired to be at different intersections of my life, but I just don't have the knack.  And so it goes for those who can throw the football nearly a hundred yards right out of the box, versus those who struggle even to catch the thing.  Thus, the advent of practice, and training.  There have been innumerable stories of nobodies becoming somebodies across history by putting in the effort, by showing up, working hard, day after day until the breakthrough.  For this there is no substitution.

Cheater

Christian Living

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This Week's Recommendations

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This Week's Recommendations

1.       3 Reasons Your Church Shouldn't Be a Perfect Fit for You: Daniel Darling concludes, "Too often our fights aren’t good fights. They’re over preferences and an unwillingness to die to our preferences in order to give, serve, and love our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Not only should you have things in your church you don’t like, you should embrace the privilege of the opportunity to grow in a community that will be used by God to sanctify you."

2.       I'm So Glad Our Vows Kept Us: Jennie Cesario is a masterful writer. Here she reflects on the difficulty and beauty of marriage. Please read this in its entirety. Here is a taste: " Our hearts are so very tender toward one another now with the long years, softened to a sweetness hard-won."

3.       5 Questions to Discern God's Will: Juan Sanchez with sound advice: " [W]e don’t have to fear what God wills for us. And thankfully, God has revealed His plan and purposes—His will—by His Word (Deuteronomy 29:29). We’re not in the dark about what God desires."

4.       How to be an Appropriately Transparent Leader (Without Oversharing): Carey Niewhof packs in a lot in this helpful post. He concludes, "I find often that the speakers or writers who overshare are people who are processing something for their benefit, not for the benefit of their audience."

5.       12 Fascinating Archaeological Finds in 2019: The finds include a $26.8 million Renaissance masterpiece that was hanging in an unsuspecting French woman’s kitchen and a perfectly preserved 32,000-year-old severed wolf head found in Siberian permafrost.

6.       An Unexpected Duet: Wait until 74 seconds in for the "what?!"

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Top Posts of 2019

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Top Posts of 2019

I’ve always written for others. Whether it was creative writing in elementary school where I was excited to share my stories with my teacher and classmates or college when I came home and shared my writing projects with my patient parents.

When I started The Bee Hive, I started it in part because I felt that I needed to steward the gift of writing God had given me. But gifts are stewarded not for our own sake, primarily, but for the sake of the recipient (1 Corinthians 12). My desire was to expand my pastoral reach beyond Sunday morning to serve the church.

If I were to be faithful in stewarding my writing gift but no one were to show up, it would be a struggle to feel the impact of that faithfulness. In my first year of blogging, 2017, I was so encouraged to have 1,767 unique visitors to my website with 3,939 page views. I was so glad that my writing was being read and hopeful that it was helpful. I was concerned, though, that maybe after an acquaintance reading a couple times, maybe the interest would diminish and the impact would wane.

That fear was answered in 2018, when I saw the first year’s numbers nearly double, with 3,463 unique visitors and 6,398 page views. This year I was shocked to have those numbers double again with 8,500 unique visitors and over 13,600 page views. On top of that are my faithful subscribers (thank you!) who read via email. This past year over 10,800 posts via email were read.

My five most-read posts of 2019 follow.

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This Week's Recommendations

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This Week's Recommendations

1.       But Women are Visual Too--Right? An interesting response by social researcher and gender and relationship expert Shaunti Feldhahn. Her bottom line answer to this question is: " We as women have literally never experienced that back-of-the-brain, biological-pleasure temptation that men face every day." It's worth reading the whole article.

2.       6 Things Never to Say to a Bereaved Parent: Angela Miller with thoughtful advice. I love that she doesn't just tell the reader what not to say, but also what to say. For instance, instead of telling a bereaved parent, "Time heals all wounds," Miller suggests, " What would feel healing/helpful to you right now? ~ Is there any way I can help carry your burden? ~ What do you need most today? ~ I am with you. Always."

3.       Ten Questions for Those Who Are Pro-Choice: Andrew Haslam asks important questions for someone to consider as they wrestle with the question of abortion. I appreciate this question: "Why is a woman's body pitted against her baby's?"

4.       3 Postures Leaders Don't Need On Their Leadership Team: Eric Geiger explains why the consultant, senator, and critic hamper leadership teams.

5.       The Fight for Indian Democracy and Persecution in India Continues to Rise: Please keep India in your prayers. “Since BJP has come into power in 2014, minorities in India have lived in constant fear. Persecution of Christians have increased.”

6.       Tyler the Ex-Evangelical: Lutheran Satire has an amazing way at illuminating truths with a wry smile.

How I Read 102 Books this Year

How I Read 102 Books this Year

Last week I shared some of my favorite reads in 2019. There were a lot of books to choose from. This year was my high-water mark for books read. I normally read around 30-50 books a year, so it’s not as though reading is a new passion. This year everything just seemed to line up: I didn’t coach one of my kids’ teams for the first time since they started playing sports and my reading was ramped up because of research for a few writing projects. I hit 85 at Thanksgiving and figured I didn’t want to waste the opportunity to hit triple digits for the first time.

Why Read So Much?

You might have the same reaction I have to ultra-marathoners: but why?! Just because you can doesn’t mean you should! Fair enough. I’m not about to tell you that you should read 100 books in 2020. I understand that not everyone is wired like me, but I believe that most of us would benefit from reading more.

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Christmas Recommendations

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Christmas Recommendations

1.      Five Misconceptions About the Christmas Story: Michael Kruger sets the story straight. How many did you know?  He says, “These five misconceptions remind us that sometimes our picture of scriptural stories is shaped more by popular perceptions and modern retellings than by the text itself. But when we take a closer look at the biblical clues, a wonderful—and hopefully more accurate—picture emerges of what happened that night nearly 2,000 years ago.”

2.      What One Pastor Got Wrong About the Magi: Colin Adams shares a preaching misstep he made at Christmas and what the Magi’s gifts actually tell us about Christmas.

3.      Merry Christmas from Genesis 3: Eric Geiger reminds us, “The Christmas story does not begin in a manger; it begins in a Garden.”

4.      Young Adults Feel Isolated and Anxious: Aaron Earls reports, “Barna classified young adults as anxious If respondents say they feel at least three of the following: anxious about important decisions, sad or depressed, afraid of failure and insecure in who they are. Among those surveyed, 1 in 5 (20%) qualified as anxious according to that definition. Those young adults are more likely to experience other negative emotions asked about in the survey. Almost 3 in 5 in that group (59%) report a sense of isolation. Those who attend a worship service weekly are less likely to say they are experience anxiety (22%) compared to others (33%).”

5.      What Happened When I Showed Vintage Mr. Rogers to My Kids: I love the story of the power of the ageless kindness of Mr. Rogers.

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My Favorite Books of 2019 and What I’m Looking Forward to Reading in 2020

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My Favorite Books of 2019 and What I’m Looking Forward to Reading in 2020

2019 was a heavy reading year for me. This year I read 101 books: almost two a week. I love learning and reading is of my favorite forms of learning. If you’re wondering how I read that many books, I’m going to reflect on that next week.

This year you could divide my reading into six (plus one) categories: Christian Living, Theology, Apologetics, Pastoral Ministry, Leadership, and Fiction. The plus one is in the fiction category. I got on a John Steinbeck kick, so I pulled out an extra Steinbeck category. If you’re interested in tracking my reading, getting fuller reviews (I review every book I read), and sharing with me your favorites, I use Goodreads and would be happy to have you friend me there. Here were some highlights for me in 2019:

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This Week's Recommendations

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This Week's Recommendations

1.       4 Mistakes Parents Make With Technology: Jeff Henderson, " The reason many kids are addicted to technology is because their parents are."

2.       A Parenting Roadmap for Social Media: Jeff and Wendy Henderson begin by reminding us, " Great parenting isn’t controlling. Great parenting is coaching."

3.       4 Reasons to Stop Grumbling: Cass Watson says that simply not grumbling is a powerful witness: " Because complaining is so rampant in the “crooked and twisted generation” around us, our cheerfulness will make us witnesses to the truth. "

4.       Americans Vastly Overestimate LGBT Population: There have been a few studies on this. It's important to right-size our understanding of different populations. " A recent Gallup survey found that on average U.S. adults believe 23.6% of their fellow Americans are gay or lesbian." However, " In Gallup’s most recent survey on the subject, 4.5% of Americans personally identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender."

5.       A Liberating Verse About God's Will: Eric Geiger encourages us to rethink God's will in light of Eden, "God’s desire was for Adam and Eve to not eat from one tree, but there was a lot of freedom beyond that. God did not say, ‘On Monday and Wednesday mornings you eat from the apple tree and on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, you eat from the avocado tree but only during odd months.’"

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Antonio Brown: A Parable

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Antonio Brown: A Parable

One year ago, the consensus best wide receiver in the National Football League was Antonio Brown. Today, he doesn’t play football. And yet, his skills didn’t diminish. He didn’t get injured. He wasn’t arrested. What happened?

One year ago, Brown had just finished his ninth year in the NFL. He was the face of Madden NFL 2019. It was by any measure one of the best first decades any receiver had ever had in the league. Having the unique ability to play any receiver position on the field and run any route, Brown eclipsed 10,000 receiving yards in fewer games than all but two receivers in NFL history. And, all of this from someone who was all but dismissed as a pro prospect coming out of college. Brown was picked 195th overall in the 6th round of the 2010 draft. It took him until his third season to finally break through as a starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Brown was fortunate to be on a team where he was able to work with a Hall of Fame Quarterback. Ben Roethlisberger had fed Brown nearly all his 837 catches. They seemed to share a mind on the field.

But trouble was brewing. In December, Brown got in an argument with Ben Roethlisberger. Angry, Brown skipped practices and then was benched. He was outraged the team would back their quarterback and overlook his value. In his mind, he was the cornerstone of the franchise.

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Kyrie Irving: A Parable

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Kyrie Irving: A Parable

There once was a man who was gifted by God as one of the greatest basketball players on the planet. Only a few in the world had the ability to handle the ball like he did: the ball seemed more a part of his body than an external object. His crossover, hesitation move, and step back ought to be put on a loop and played in the basketball hall of fame. At 6’2” he was far from tall by basketball standards, and yet his body glided through the air so effortlessly and he could use either hand from any angle so perfectly, that he could finish at the hoop like almost no other player.

But Kyrie prided himself on his intellect. He went to fine schools including Duke, he loved studying, and he got a thrill from defending unpopular perspectives. He chafed whenever he was lumped into the category of just being just an athlete.  

His aspirations were higher. He wanted to leave his mark on the world, he wanted to make a difference. He wanted to be a thought leader, a culture-changer, a philosopher. What difference could he make with a leather sphere in his hands?

So, he accepted the praise, money, and fame that his skills on the basketball court afforded him, but he did so with a condescending sneer. The world didn’t understand what he really had to offer.

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This Week's Recommendations

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This Week's Recommendations

1.       10 Ways Leaders Shape Their Teams: Eric Geiger with excellent advice to each of us leaders. His tenth is "Sacrifice of the leader, sacrifice of the team. Leaders who make sacrifices for the mission of the team have credibility to invite others to do the same. And the others are often inspired by the leader to make sacrifices themselves."

2.       The BBC Reveals 100 Genders: Stephen McAlpine's opines, " I’m tempted to just get out the popcorn and sit and watch the train-wreck, but it’s too sad for that.  It’s just a sign of the cultural/intellectual suicide we’re seeing in a society that has no base other than the individuated self.   The bodies – whatever gender they deem themselves to be  – will start to wash up on our cultural shores at some stage.  I just hope there are enough people willing to care for these broken, confused souls."

3.       Why God Made Your Mouth: Scott Hubbard begins, " The average person speaks at least 7,000 words a day, or about 50,000 words a week — the length of a short book. We are authors, all of us, publishing 52 books a year from this printing press called the mouth."

4.       The Reward of Sin: This is a short but powerful analogy about our relationship with sin.

5.       The Most Beautiful Natural Wonder in Every State: What a beautiful nation we live in! This will do just fine as a travel itinerary ;-).

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