Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
[email protected] 
Just as through one human being sin came into the world, and death came through sin, so death has come to everyone, since everyone has sinned. — Romans 5:12 The old concept of original sin, formulated by Augustine, was that the consequences of the first disobedience in the Garden of Eden was passed on to …
There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. — Galatians 3:28 Father Richard Rohr, in one of his daily devotions, made an interesting point about the historic tension between conservatives and liberals. He noted that in the Bible, one of the characteristics of being Jewish was to …
Imagine that someone who’d never read the Bible opened it up to Deuteronomy 21-22. They would read instructions such as: “Stone until [dead]” a rebellious child…an adulterous couple…a woman who had sex before marriage. And if a man mistreats his wife, he’s forbidden to divorce her, a rule that ensures a lifetime of misery for …
Even the hairs of your head are all counted. — Matthew 10:30 I often begin my daily devotions by recalling/celebrating what I consider calling cards from God: those times when the Spirit interrupts things with the wonderfully mysterious. They are wide-ranging and include weird happenings that sound either sublime or ridiculous, according to your perspective. Nonetheless, I …
Our Father who is in heaven, uphold the holiness of your name. — Matthew 6:9 When I used to travel west and ski (before kids, in other words), the top of the mountain was a holy place. I simply seemed closer to God. Looking up, the sky was bluer and the clouds, whiter. Though I …
Can a woman forget her nursing child, fail to pity the child of her womb? Even these may forget, but I won’t forget you. — Isaiah 49:15 A fear in the petition psalms, where the writer is suffering and calls out to God for help, is that God is distracted and not paying attention. “Don’t hide your face from me!” …
He enacts justice for orphans and widows, and he loves immigrants, giving them food and clothing. — Deuteronomy 10:18 I enjoyed dropping into the English as Second Language classes in my church before retiring. The people in this program, sponsored by the Parkway School District, always inspired me. Journeying from around the world to a strange land, vulnerable and hopeful, they sat together …
“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with their brother or sister will be in danger of judgment. If they say to their brother or sister, ‘You idiot,’ they will be in danger of being condemned by the governing council. And if they say, ‘You fool,’ they will be in danger of fiery …
The community of believers was of one mind and one heart. None of them claimed anything as their own; rather, everything was held in common. —Acts 4:32 The odds are pretty good that you share with me the dread of calling tech support for a computer or software issue. The reasons for such dread are …
I don’t call you servants any longer, because servants don’t know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because everything I heard from my Father I have made known to you. — John 15:15 You can learn a lot about friendships from your kids. My son has a best friend, Sam. My daughter …