I believe more people are afraid of the reality of grace than not. Grace, as defined in the Bible, is confrontational and deeply troubling. It demands a response and says this is the right way to live and to be human. In the face of grace all our delusions, well crafted excuses and alternative realities […]
Each parable Jesus uses is meant to illuminate some spiritual principle or value unique to the Kingdom of God that we don’t really understand very well by getting us to engage in a story that we do understand and perhaps have even lived. Parables usually begin by saying something like, “The Kingdom of God is […]
For the most part we already know the basics of the Easter story. What I mean is we know the timeline. Palm Sunday is followed by the Lord’s Supper (although we may not call it Maundy Thursday or know that it is derived from the Latin “mandatum” for command. Check out John 13:34 to see […]
I had to take my car into the garage last week for a tune-up. It was running very rough and wouldn’t even idle when in gear, which meant I had to put it in neutral every time I came to a stoplight or traffic slowed down. What a pain! I think it was actually misfiring […]
For Them – Every Child deserves a chance to experience, explore and embrace God’s love in and among God’s people. When children see real life men and women living as disciples, they are encouraged to learn about God’s dream for their lives too. They deserve to have a place where people give generously of the time, talents and […]
As early as the Emmaus experience on the day of Resurrection, recorded in Luke 24:13-35, Christians recognized the presence of Jesus Christ in the breaking of bread. The traditional Jewish practice of taking bread, blessing and thanking God, and breaking and sharing the bread took on new meaning for them. When followers of Christ […]
I spoke to a man the other day who does market research (focus groups and interviews) with a wide range of people: what they like and don’t like; what they think and feel about various things. He said that overwhelmingly what people want more than anything else is belonging: to fit in and be accepted; […]
From The Apology of Aristides the Philosopher to Emperor Hadrian, 125 A.D.: Further, if one or other of them have bondmen or bondwomen or children, through love towards them they persuade them to become Christians, and when they have done so, they call them brethren without distinction. They do not worship strange gods, and they go their […]
“a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Luke 13:11-12 This passage is part of a bigger discussion […]
We’re beginning a series in Jonah, and so I spent much of the last weeks digging into why men and women of faith run from God. As I studied and allowed the Word to sink in to my own journey of faith, the Lord impressed several things upon my heart that I thought I would […]
I think we all love a good story about an underdog that has been discounted and ridculed, only to rise above and be far more than anyone ever thought. These are the stories that leave us speechless and crying out for more. They are little glimpses of light that not everthing is as it appears. […]
Lectio Divina Reading: Matthew 12:9-13 Jesus left there and went into their synagogue, where there was a man with a crippled hand. They were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they asked him, “Is it right to heal on the Sabbath day?” Jesus answered, “If any of you has a sheep, and it […]
Lectio Divina Read John 13:1-5; 23 What would go through your mind, your heart, and your soul if you were able to reclining at the table with Jesus like John? Your head resting gently on His chest, feeling each breath, listening to the beat of His heart, feeling the closeness and His acceptance? How would your […]
Have you ever found yourself in the middle of something so bizarre that you wonder how you ever got there? Sometimes those moments are tragic and find yourself just hanging on day by day. Sometimes they are golden moments of joy that reminds us that God comes to us in the most amazing ways and […]
As part of a course I’m taking at Asbury Seminary, I’ve been engaged in a personal journey through the ancient practice of Lectio Divina or Sacred Reading. Lectio Divina assumes that the scriptures want to speak to us personally, not just teach us, but through God’s voice of compassion and conviction engage us and love […]
Grace is not a philosophical construct that you can mentally get you head around [ you can’t] and say you understand it [you won’t]. Grace is beyond our understand and is totally illogical that’s what makes it so wonderful. God bypasses the “what ifs” and the “yea but…” and “but how…” and appeals to the […]