TwelveTwelve: The Leader Blog of North Wake Church

Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash Scripture  "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.  For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words." Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 (ESV)   The teacher of Ecclesiastes cares

Photo by Colton Sturgeon on Unsplash Read: Ecclesiastes 4:4-16 "Find the right balance"—that thought has become something of a cliché in the modern West. We are exhorted to find the right balance between work and family, not spending too much time at the former or too little time with the latter. It is important, we are told, to balance our time serving others with time for ourselves. Counselors, doctors, human resources personnel, advertisers, and more all repeat the mantra "find balance." "Despite the fact that the idea of "finding the right balance" has become somewhat of a

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash When I was a teenager and a budding Christian, I discovered Ecclesiastes.  Full of angst and driving questions, my young heart found a friend in the Teacher.  This man was emotional.  This man spoke what I felt—that nothing made sense.  He was right; life was pointless, circular, tragic. I still consider the Teacher a dear friend. Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:3                   And I saw something else under the sun:             In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.             I said to myself,             “God will bring into judgment

Photo by USGS on Unsplash Ecclesiastes 2:18-22 (ESV) 18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, 19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes a person who has toiled

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash   Read:  Ecclesiastes 1:16-2:17   Ecclesiastes is an extraordinary book for our culture and context.  Various people throughout time have found understanding, comfort, and hope from books of the Bible that seem to particularly address their context and situation.  People suffering from oppression have found solace in promises of justice from the books of Exodus, Isaiah, and Psalms.  Those who live in dark times or suffer from a darkness that seems to chase them, find companionship with Job, Jeremiah, and David in their laments.  Just as there seems to be a season for everything, the Bible seems to have something to say to everyone, in every place, and in

Photo by Zugr on Unsplash Read: Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 When this book was first mentioned to me, I was sitting next to Pastor Larry and exclaimed, “I love Ecclesiastes! It is so encouraging.” Needless to say I got a bit of a quizzical look from our Pastor. He even questioned why I wouldn’t pick Philippians or Colossians as encouraging books. It isn't that I don’t see those books as encouraging, but for me, there is a different type of encouragement that comes from the message of Ecclesiastes.  I often describe myself as a recovering perfectionist. From an early age I

Jesus, in my pain, in this disappointment, in the hurt I haven't even processed, I need you! Even if there's been no other time I've ever really sought you, I need you now. Our leaders fail us. Our minds play tricks. Our memories deceive us. Our shows distract us, but don't guide us. Like a sailor looking for stars to guide them on a cloudy night, we look to your eyes to guide us in this life. And yet, when we read your in your word that You are the Son of God; that you are the Way, the

Photo by Samuel McGarrigle on Unsplash “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” --Exodus 20:16-17   In the beginning, there was a lie. “You will not certainly die.” Satan gave false testimony against the Lord, implying that God wasn’t good, that God was a liar. And then there was covetousness. Adam and Eve wanted what God had: complete knowledge. Satan wanted to be king. In the trail to the cross,