Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
Bring in your kingdom so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven. — Matthew 6:10 I find theologian Brian McLaren to be very insightful. He’s written about our unseen biases and how they interfere with us being open to new perspectives. He said that arguing with someone is usually counterproductive because we’re …
A little child will lead them. — Isaiah 11:6 While they were there, the time came for Mary to have her baby. She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger. — Luke 2:6-7 Note that this Christmas text did NOT say that Mary gave birth to the Savior, Messiah, Son of …
Joseph got up and, during the night, took the child and his mother to Egypt. — Matthew 2:14 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens, and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Human One has no place to lay his head.” — Matthew 8:20 Two well-known groups of people, the immigrants and the homeless, prompt society to ask, “What …
Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them to the top of a very high mountain…Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. — Matthew 17:1,3 We should always remember that those who have gone on before us haven’t really gone very far. When my Dad was dying …
God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them, male and female God created them. — Genesis 1:27 I ran across an article from a conservative podcaster and pastor who was upset that the Anglican church just approved a woman to be the Archbishop of Canterbury. This was proof of the decline of the modern church because “1,400 …
People were overcome with wonder, saying “[Jesus] does everything well! He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who can’t speak.” — Mark 7:37 Have you ever been given something that was overwhelming, a complete surprise, and you thought you hadn’t done anything to deserve it? If so, how did you …
“How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You give to God a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, but you forget about the more important matters of the Law: justice, peace, and faith. You ought to give a tenth but without forgetting about those more important matters.” — Matthew 23:23 …
Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity. They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved. — Acts 2:46-47 Usually, two occasions cause me to cry. The first is when I …
“You ignore God’s commandment while holding on to rules created by humans and handed down to you.” Jesus continued, “Clearly, you are experts at rejecting God’s commandment in order to establish these rules.” — Mark 7:8-9 The Achille’s heal of religious people is following unquestioned rules because it makes them look and feel good. “The Bible says so…” …
There’s a season for everything and a time for every matter under the heavens: a time for giving birth and a time for dying. — Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a It seems to me that there’s a certain rhythm to life, or “seasons” as the writer of Ecclesiastes described it. 1st stage: Accept and Anticipate As children, we receive …