Archives
Stumbling Over the Manger – Part 2
By Dr. Scott Rodin | In last week’s blog, we looked at how the manger can become a stumbling block because of its indictment of our sinful nature and our deep brokenness that can only be healed through the coming of God in the flesh. For those who don’t believe they need anyone to save them, or who carry too much anger to hear the message, the little babe in the manger will not bring hope, peace, or joy. This week we turn to the second truth that will cause so many to stumble over the manger; you cannot separate the cradle from the cross...
Archives
Stumbling Over the Manger – Part 1
By Dr. Scott Rodin | I am looking out over our nativity on a snowy Spokane December morning. The ensemble is replete with wiseman, shepherds, donkeys, camels, sheep, an angel, an adoring Mary and Joseph, and of course at the center, a tiny manger enfolding a baby. The scene is quiet, peaceful. The words from the Carol come to mind, “Oh come, let us adore him, Christ the King.” Yet I am acutely aware that for so many in the world this baby Jesus does not bring quiet. He is not a source of peace. And He certainly is not a king to be adored. In fact, if we read our Bibles through the end, we know that this tiny infant grew up to be the most divisive figure in human history.
Archives
The Joy of Work
By Dr. Scott Rodin | Steward leaders are entrusted by God with time, treasure, talent, and relationships. Of these good gifts, relationships are the most precious. Nowhere is this more true than in the context of institutions like the family, church, government, neighborhoods and organizations. It is important that CEOs embrace the final responsibility for who the organizations they serve as steward leaders ultimately hire. This final interview should not be a mere formality. I remember a time in an organization I served as CEO when I met with a potential hire for a key position. As I read through this young man’s resume and information, I grew increasingly excited about the person. The same day, I had another meeting with a young lady for a similar position. The organization was a Christian school, and both positions were coaching positions...
Archives
Grateful Disappointment
By Dr. Scott Rodin | The title of this blog post seems self-contradictory. Recently I’ve come to discover it is not. Here’s my quick story. For the last five months I have been training hard to be part of a small team of people to climb Mount Baker in Washington state, as part of a wonderful local ministry called Peak 7. At 10,800 feet it is a challenging climb that includes crampons, ropes, and significant glacial travel. Last week we made the journey. The hike to the high base camp included crossing several rivers and ascending a final 3/4 of a mile along a steep and challenging ridgeline with our 45lb packs. Along the way, I pulled a muscle in my right quad forcing me to overuse my left leg to compensate. As a result, the final ascent up the ridge took a significant toll. By the time I reached base camp, I had expended far more energy than I could afford. When the alarm went off at midnight the next morning to get up and start the eight-hour trek to the summit, my body made it clear to me that I was not going to be going along. I watched as my son and his friend along with our two guides disappeared as little dots of light over a dark ridge in the distance.
Archives
When Pride and Grace Collide
By Dr. Scott Rodin | Consider with me for a moment this one assertion: the major issues we face today as a world, a nation, and a church – from divineness to hatred to anger to fear to despair and more – all stem from one cataclysmic point of contact: the collision of pride and grace. From Genesis 3 through the judgment scenes in Revelation, this collision is at the center of the story of Israel, the teachings of Jesus, and the birth of the church. It is also at the core of our steward theology. In this theology we see how we fight the battle with our old sinful nature that begs us to play the owner, to grasp at control, to claim our own rights and privileges, in short, to be the Lord of our life.
Archives
The Glory of Chaos: A Black Saturday Reflection
By Dr. Scott Rodin | Dissent, in the context of organizational leadership, is the expression or holding of opinions at variance with those held by other organizational leaders and especially the ones at the top of the organization. Effective leaders mine out, like precious gold in the organization’s veins, dissenting opinions of others with the fierce determination to ground decision-making on the bedrock of ideation. These leaders refuse the mistaken and proud notion that they always know what is best for the organizations they lead. Disloyalty, on the other hand, defines a traitor and his/her treacherous, dangerous or deceptive acts in opposition to the mission, belief statements and core values of the organizations they help lead.
Archives
Stewarding Life in Chaotic Times: What a German Word and a Pair of Glasses Can Teach Us
By Dr. Scott Rodin | Max Dupree said famously, “The first job of a leader is to define reality.” Yet in an age of the dehumanizing effects of social media, propagandized news, politicization of almost every facet of our society and the rise of A.I., how do we know for certain what is real? Add to this the sense of a loss of control we feel over most areas of life and work, and it is a challenging time for Christian leaders seeking to cast clear vision and mobilize people to move confidently into a chaotic future. We all believe God is in control, at least we like to use the line to calm our doubts. But what does that mean? Do we see a world being controlled by a loving, guiding hand? Or do we see a world careening toward catastrophe? Do we experience love and grace abounding or do we feel the anger, vitriol, and vileness of an increasingly godless global culture?
Archives
The Change in Perspective That Can Set You Free
By Dr. Scott Rodin | To borrow an idiom from Cervantes’s Don Quixote, I am going to ‘tilt at a windmill’. I want to challenge us to reconsider how we interpret and use a familiar and favorite scripture. There is a phrase recorded in both Matthew 25 and Luke 19 that is a favorite of motivational speakers, leadership trainers, and spiritual guides. I’ve heard it referenced countless times at conferences, trainings, and sermons. It has risen to the ranks of scriptural superlative nearly unparalleled in the rest of the Bible. The verse comes from Jesus’ parable of the talents. He commends the two stewards who invested wisely what he had left them and returned a doubling of the principal. Jesus says that the owner commends them with the words, “well done, good and faithful servant.” It seems their good stewardship is applauded and rewarded by the one who entrusted them with something that was not their own.
Archives
Face It, We’re Just Plain Afraid
By Dr. Scott Rodin | Last week I shared with you a 2025 vision and challenge to embark on the journey to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ than you have ever experienced. Jesus has so much more for us than we would ever dare ask or even dream of. Now a week on, I am sobered with the reality of the powerful force that will keep us from experiencing this abundant life. It is, in a word, fear. The deeper walk with Jesus is not for the faint of heart. Scripture, the Saints of the church and the Holy Spirit all testify that the first steps on this deeper journey will take us across terrain we have been reluctant to cross. These are not steps that bring comfort dressed up in the counterfeit reassurance of growth without cost or progress without pain. It is truly new territory.
Archives
2025: The Year of So Much More….
By Dr. Scott Rodin | In February 1974, I made the decision to follow Jesus. I did not choose Him that day, He chose me. For 51 years I have been a Christian. For the majority of those years, I have tried to follow Jesus. However, it is only in the last two years that I have begun to understand what that really means. This realization brings both joy and sadness. The joy of being on a deeper journey with Jesus is inexpressible. The sadness of lost years meandering through a maze of relational mediocrity is profoundly sad...
