Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
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A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds… – Luke 10:33-34a In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus got right to the heart of the matter. What you believe is totally irrelevant …
The Egyptians enslaved the Israelites. They made their lives miserable with hard labor, making mortar and bricks, doing field work, and by forcing them to do all kinds of other cruel work. – Exodus 1:13-14 The late theologian Marcus Borg said in a lecture, “There’s a ‘mental Pharaoh’ that each of us hears.” “Mental Pharaoh.” How …
Their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. They said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts on fire when he spoke to us along the road and when he explained the scriptures for us?” – Luke 24:31-32 I don’t want Jesus to disappear, and I’m sure you don’t, either. In …
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you didn’t trust me to show my holiness before the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I am giving them.” – Numbers 20:12 You’ll find a really weird story in Numbers 20:1-13. The complaining Israelites are thirsty as they wander in the wilderness. Moses takes …
So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived! – 2 Corinthians 5:17 During a worship team meeting, we were brainstorming about a theme for Easter. Someone suggested butterflies. My inner arrogance kicked in, and I thought to myself, “Great. So …
Intending to look mortality squarely in the eye, I recently attended the 50th reunion of my high school class in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. It turned out to be a lot of fun. Something strange happened, though. Someone brought up the name of Sam Giambelluca. He had been a leader in local sports when I was …
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. – Revelation 21:1 Sometimes I think the Good News comes down to this: You are now free to live God’s dream on earth. Jesus outlined it in the Sermon on the Mount. What does a …
He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” – Luke 10:27 As I’ve lived with the Bible for decades, one fundamental truth has made itself clear: How we interpret the Bible reflects who we are at the time we’re interpreting it. For example, as a teenage Christian I …
Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 What do you see in the title of this meditation? Admittedly, what I see is: God Is Nowhere Maybe that’s because I see too many news feeds. Right now people are tagging different crises as Armageddons. Climate-ageddon. Violence-ageddon. Economic-ageddon. Racism-ageddon. …
God told Abram: “Leave your country, your family, and your father’s home for a land that I will show you.” – Genesis 12:1 My sister sent a picture that captures the tenacity of squirrels. She’d just bought another failed attempt by a manufacturer to create a squirrel-proof bird feeder. These rodents are eternally restless, creative, fearless, …