Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
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John 20:1-18 Jean Vanier (pictured above) encountered the neglect and suffering of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities. He decided to do something about it and established a global movement (“L’Arche”) that provides authentic care and community for them. He once said, “The big thing for me is to love reality, and not live in the imagination …
Read moreMONDAY MEDITATION: Loving Reality (August 19, 2019)
Isaiah 49:13-18 That’s the estimate of how many times a child will be changed before earning their potty training degree. 7,000. A daunting number that could prompt any sane couple to double-think the parenting thing. Yet they choose it. Sometimes they even choose to have an additional child before the first one has graduated from …
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union…” The preamble of our Constitution starts with a plural subject, “we the people.” It goes on to specify the reasons for the document. Domestic tranquility. Justice. Defense. General welfare. The purpose is to move a group of individuals to covenant …
Ephesians 5:8-20 When you’re asleep, you mistake delusions for reality. In daylight you know that you’re not really falling or that you’re not taking a final exam in a class you’ve never attended. The only danger is to believe those dreams are real when you’re awake. It’s easy to live in a dream-like state that …
Genesis 4:2b-16 The earliest story of sibling rivalry doesn’t end well for either brother. One dies a quick death while the other pays for his action a little every day for the rest of his life. Cain’s catalyst for murder is passion. He gulps down a cocktail of anger laced with jealousy. While it’s sweet …
The Ten Commandments form the foundation for honoring God and relating to fellow humans. After reading The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by David Brooks, though, I think we could add a couple of others for the era in which we live. Brooks, a journalist and commentator, offers a candid glimpse into …
John 15:1-9 I’m writing this at the end of the first week of my retirement. It’s been a really weird week. The week before had been a flurry of activity and a jumble of emotions. Emails, phone calls, meetings, a retirement party, preparations for the new pastor, all leading up to final Sunday worship services …
Read moreMONDAY MEDITATION: The Trimming Season (July 22, 2019)
Philippians 4:4-9 I believe in the value of stress busters. Massage therapy. Aromatherapy. Guided imagery. Meditation. Exercise. Vacation. All are good. They recharge your batteries. However, once you roll off the massage table, you still have to negotiate rush hour traffic. Stress hasn’t left. “Are you finished?” it seems to ask. “Now, let’s get back …
Read moreMONDAY MEDITATION: Peace in Stress? (July 15, 2019)
Light shone down from heaven in a seminary classroom one afternoon. It’s stuck with me all these years. The theology prof provided this moment of clarity when he said that there are basically only two theological orientations. We all fall, in varying degrees, into one of them. He called one “redemptionist.” This is the group …
Hebrews 12:1-3 The writer of Hebrews imagines the Christian life to be a race. He warns that runners should be wary of “the sin that easily distracts” (NRSV, footnote). It’s like you’re running that race and then, just when you see the finish line ahead, you start glancing around. Who’s gaining on me? What’s my …
Read moreMONDAY MEDITATION: The Sin That Easily Distracts (July 8, 2019)