Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
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But the Lord said to Samuel, “Have no regard for his appearance or stature…God[ doesn’t look at things like humans do. Humans see only what is visible to the eyes, but the Lord sees into the heart.”…[David] was reddish brown, had beautiful eyes, and was good-looking. The Lord said, “That’s the one. Go anoint him.” – 1 Samuel 16:7,12 Well, that’s …
I have a new hope for 2021. The tragedy of the raid on the Capitol by President Trump’s radicalized supporters on January 6 prompted some officials to call it a day of infamy, similar to December 7. But Christians may also remember it’s Epiphany day. Maybe there’s a bit of epiphany in the aftermath of …
He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. – Luke 17:16 I bowl, and continually try to get better at it. I find it less frustrating than golf, which seems overly brutal on the ego. At a training facility for bowlers (yes, they have them), a study was …
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! – 2 Corinthians 9:15 One of the best spiritual exercises a Christian can undertake is to ask the simple question, “What would my life be like if Jesus hadn’t lived?” I’d miss out on grace. “Forgive seventy times seven.” I’d miss out on an extended family. “Whoever …
Perfect love drives out fear. – 1 John 4:18 When I was five or six, Dad and I went on an overnight train ride to Chicago. We slept in a sleeping car called a “Pullman.” Our compartment had bunk beds you could pull down from the wall. I wanted the top berth, and Dad slept …
The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people…This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.” – Luke 2:10, 12 My father, in his latter years, was slowed by dementia. Luckily he still retained his …
Why, with overwhelming facts to the contrary, do so many people believe the presidential election was rigged or stolen? To understand this, I turned to psychologist Rob Brotherton’s Suspicious Minds: Why We Believe Conspiracy Theories. Here are some of his points, as I understand them. Conspiracy theorists don’t like ambiguity. It’s unsettling not being on …
I faced these dangers with hard work and heavy labor, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, and in the cold without enough clothes…Who is weak without me being weak? – 2 Corinthians 11:27, 29a There are times in following Christ that you have to stop and ask, “Is it worth it?” When …
Part company with every brother who bucks out of the harness. – 2 Thessalonians 3:6a (Cotton Patch Version of the New Testament) Way before tractors/trucks were horses/mules/oxen and plows/wagons. It was a popular image in Jesus’ day (Matthew 11:28-30; Luke 9:62). The sense is that if you follow Jesus, you have to be directed by …
While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, Jesus said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” – Luke 24:41 (NRSV) One thing you can say about Jesus with pinpoint precision: He liked to eat. He’s eating with sinners at their parties. He’s eating with Pharisees in their homes. He’s hosting fish …