Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
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Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. – Acts 4:46-47a (NRSV) I had the privilege of working for the U. S. Census Bureau in 2020. I …
“At that time, the Lord commanded me to teach you all the regulations and the case laws that you must keep in the land that you are entering to possess.” – Deuteronomy 4:14 It’s been well over a year since I retired. Occasionally I ask myself, “Isn’t there something important I should be doing? Teaching? Writing? Pastoring …
Read moreMONDAY MEDITATION: Singles or Homeruns? (October 19)
I once ran an experiment in a church I pastored. I put black and white beans in a Mason jar and set it on a table next to a sign, “Guess how many beans are in this jar.” People could submit their guesses for a chance to win a fabulous prize (I think it was …
Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. – Philippians 2:3 Humiliation is an important precursor to humility. I once hit a ball over the fence for a homerun in a softball game. It was my first and last time ever to do that. I made a …
Read moreMONDAY MEDITATION: Homeruns, Humiliation, and Humility (October 12)
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here is a genuine Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” – John 1:47 The comedian Jeff Foxworthy has made a career out of that redneck line. Being from the redneck genetic lineage, I can appreciate his humor. One of my favorites of his is, “If …
Read moreMONDAY MEDITATION: “You Might Be a Redneck If…” (October 5)
Probably like some reading this, I felt physically nauseated by the recent presidential debate. I even had trouble sleeping. Visions of constant insults and interruptions haunted my night like Scrooge’s ghosts from A Christmas Carol. The haunt-in-chief was President Trump. I thought his behavior in the hour and a half debacle was deplorable. Couldn’t everybody …
[Love] isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints. – 1 Corinthians 3:5 Paradoxically, while we’ve practiced social distancing during the Covid pandemic, we’ve also practiced lessening the distance between us and the ones we love. Children come home and stay home from school. Spouses …
Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there any other prophet of the Lord whom we could ask?” “There is one other man who could ask the Lord for us,” Israel’s king told Jehoshaphat, “but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, only bad.” – 1 Kings 22:7-8 The problem with the Bible isn’t the Bible but how people …
Read moreMONDAY MEDITATION: Tailoring the Bible (September 21)
The goal I pursue is the prize of God’s upward call in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:14 Duke University did a study on what makes people happy. The result was a checklist for happiness: ___ Absence of suspicion/resentment. Resisting the temptation to nurse a grudge or think the worst in people. ___ Not living in the …
Read moreMONDAY MEDITATION: A Happiness Checklist (September 14)
Over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed my inner fuse growing shorter. The riots, the politics, the covid. The lack of travel and human contact simply intensifies the burn, like a magnifying glass on a sunny day. Of course ranting, cursing, and exploding aren’t the most healthful or helpful of things. The wake of the …