Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
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I grew up in an era when people of color lived in segregated parts of communities. They were caricatured and stereotyped, and scarcely seen on Bonanza. Confederate flags waved freely, including on the Dukes of Hazzard’s car. The Stone Mountain, Georgia, tribute to heroes of the Confederacy, a monument celebrated by the Ku Klux Klan, …
Praise God in his mighty acts! Praise God as suits his incredible greatness!…Let every living thing praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! – Psalm 150:2,6 Probably most of us wish we could have a mulligan, a do-over, for 2020. COVID-19. Racism. Bitter politics. National division. Shaky economy. Other than that, it’s been a great year. We don’t …
We must celebrate with feasting because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life! He was lost and is found!’ – Luke 15:23b-24a Luke, chapter 15: A widow loses a coin, a shepherd a sheep, and a father a son. All three grieve. Something of value has been lost, and there’s agitation and …
Supposedly, the older you get, the wiser you become. Life’s experiences deepen character. You’re more patient, understanding, empathetic, and kind. Things become more flexible and conditional, and less inflexible and absolute. Younger generations discover how to cope with life, and prosper in it, by learning from wise silver-haired gurus. This is the theory. Unfortunately, incidents …
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that somebody hid in a field, which someone else found and covered up. Full of joy, the finder sold everything and bought that field.” – Matthew 13:44 This one-verse parable stresses that the new way of living offered by Jesus is worth more than anything else in …
Naaman went away in anger. He said, “I thought for sure that he’d come out, stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the bad spot, and cure the skin disease.” – 2 Kings 5:11 Most white Christians are avowed anti-racists. Those of us who fit that category want the …
He replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” – Matthew 22:37-40 One …
After every senseless, racist murder, and after the public outcry and protests, we hope that we’ve moved closer to exposing racism and achieving a more just, peaceful society. Then there’s another George Floyd instance, and we’re back to pain and more division. As a white person who doesn’t know what it’s like to live the …
Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses on account of the Cushite woman whom he had married—for he had married a Cushite woman. They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” The Lord heard it. Now the man Moses was humble, more so than anyone on earth. – Numbers 12:1-3 These verses are a soap opera …
[The magi] asked [King Herod], “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, and we’ve come to honor him.” – Matthew 2:2 During the pandemic and people staying in their homes, an interesting phenomenon occurred. Pollution lifted and people saw things that they couldn’t see before. In one …