Being a Career Christian

21 February 2008 | Aaron Linne

Hebrews 6 encourages us to leave behind the milk and move to a more meaty spirituality. There should be movement in our spiritual lives. We should be moving to a deeper understanding of… something… as we stumble and sprint through faith and life. But sometimes it’s very unclear as to what the next goal is, and so few people seem to be able to tell me the difference between spiritual meat and milk. Tied up into all of that is the question of what do we, as Christians, do with our work career? Is it separate from our spiritual growth? Do the two go hand in hand?

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The Tough Sayings of Jesus: A Video Conversation

22 January 2008 | Aaron Linne

Michael Kelley is an editor for the Threads team’s (undated) Bible study products. Before he began to work for LifeWay full-time, he wrote a study for us called “Tough Sayings of Jesus,” which spotlighted four times in the Bible where Jesus doesn’t seem to be quite as nice as we might normally think (from the Tough Sayings webpage: the rich young ruler in Mark 10, the Canaanite woman in Matt. 15, the unforgivable sin in Matt. 12, and a contradiction about who Jesus is in Matt. 10 and Luke 12).Threads is getting ready to launch volume two of the study, so I sat down with Kelley for a bit to talk about his job here at LifeWay, and some of the concepts behind these studies.

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The Tension of Gift Giving

21 December 2007 | Aaron Linne

In my circle of online blogging friends, there is a distinct trend calling for a change in how we do Christmas. But… I like giving presents. And I like receiving presents. For me, it’s no selfish thing or a materialist thing… it’s the way I express love and receive love best.

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Words for Worship

13 December 2007 | Aaron Linne

Last Sunday, I got to partake in worship at my church in a way that I never have before; I got to help lead with the worship band. I don’t sing or play any instrument, though. Instead, I got to read. Now, that may not sound innovative or different or special. I mean, I’ve read scripture before in services… pastors usually read quotes and what not… but this was a little bit different. It was more of a spoken word piece, where the band played music and I read along, integrated into it.

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Thinking About Your Next Job

21 November 2007 | Aaron Linne

On Monday, November the 19th, I began a new job here at LifeWay. In my post-college career, this is actually just my third job. I’ve been with LifeWay for five years now, and can honestly say that I’m hoping to spend many more with this ministry. Changing jobs is always an interesting time because you are changing tasks, changing daily routines, and changing the everyday people you see. Amongst all those changes inevitably come reflections and new hopes and dreams for the future.

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What Do I Really Want?

23 August 2007 | Aaron Linne

I’m stuck with a “hard” decision. Let’s just be honest for a bit here and expose my struggle: the thing that I’ve been wrestling with the past few nights out to the ether of the internet: should I, or shouldn’t I, buy a PlayStation 3? This shouldn’t be such a spiritual struggle, should it? I mean… it’s just stuff, right?

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Trying to Read the Bible

16 June 2007 | Aaron Linne

On April 1st, I set out to read the Bible cover-to-cover in 90 days. I started the experience with much vigor and excitement. I’ve tried my hardest to take in the words on the page and comprehend what they mean and how they affect life.

I’ve discovered some awesome things… did you know God likes the smell of cinnamon? He makes the smell a part of the anointing oil in Exodus 30:23. The realization that God might prefer some smells to others is simply fascinating to me. Knowing the rules put forth in the early books of the Old Testament adds such depth to the culture and stories in the later books. And, of course, there’s something special about reading God’s passionate conversation with Job.

So, at what point did this become hard for me?

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Going to the SBC Annual Meeting

08 June 2007 | Aaron Linne

So next week is the actual Southern Baptist Convention, and I’m going.

This is actually the third time I’ll have gone to the Convention… but it’s always been in relation to work. What’s strange to me is that here is this denomination, this group of people who I am a part of and is so very important to me… but I’m very ignorant of the politics and issues and people that will happen this weekend.

So I know where to look for gadget news, comic books and research on future trends… but finding out where the pertinent SBC information is was a bit harder. I’d like to have some kind of preparation to know what the hot issues are going in are…

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Throwing Away Memories

02 June 2007 | Aaron Linne

My wife and I are moving to a new home so that, of course, means getting this house cleaned out and ready to sell. And so, today, I began to work through the little drawer in the corner of my office; the one that holds notes and cards, pictures and papers. The one little place where my memories live on, frozen in time.

How do you choose what memories to throw away?

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Answering the Question

24 May 2007 | Aaron Linne

I remember being in college and James and I being jealous as our friends married off. We wanted so desperately to love and be loved. We wanted a “successful” relationship. Now, just a couple years later and very happily married, I have learned something: Every relationship should be a success.

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Sexual Temptation After Marriage

15 May 2007 | Aaron Linne

Recently, one of my friends made a presumption:

“When you get married, all this temptation gets easier, right?”

I remember thinking that way before I got married. I remember thinking that suddenly all of these lusts and desires would disappear and the world would be a wonderland, free of sexual temptation.

I responded to my friend in the most truthful manner I could:

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My Cause for Alarm is Another’s Riches

10 May 2007 | Aaron Linne

Today I checked our bank account and saw that we have a whopping $150 to last us until our next paycheck. It was startling because it’s the first time our finances have been that low since we’ve been married. We’re in no danger, we get paid in a few days and our bills are paid up… but it was startling.

I think it’s a healthy thing to know for a little bit what living on a tight budget is like again. It wasn’t really that long ago when I was in college… $150 would have been like a gold mine that could stretch out across a whole semester. It’s amazing how quickly our perspectives on money can change.

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