Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
The Word became flesh and made his home among us. — John 1:14a Just then, Jesus’ disciples arrived and were shocked that he was talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” — John 4:27 My earliest understanding of Jesus was “vertical.” He came …
I’m already being poured out like a sacrifice to God, and the time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. — 1 Timothy 4:6-7 Life is like driving a car, isn’t it? You’re focused on looking ahead, mapping out where you’re going, making sure you …
Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” — John 6:35 Jesus tapped human experiences as a way of teaching and of connecting us to a deeper side of life that we may too often ignore. Thirst is one …
But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to abandon you, to turn back from following after you. Wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” — Ruth 1:16 Last fall there was a special election to decide whether …
Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t sow seed or harvest grain or gather crops into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are? — Matthew 6:26 I have no scientific proof of this but, based on personal experience, we grow fonder of birds the older …
Kings aren’t saved by the strength of their armies; warriors aren’t rescued by how much power they have. A warhorse is a bad bet for victory; it can’t save despite its great strength. But look here: the Lord’s eyes watch all who honor him, all who wait for his faithful love, to deliver their lives from death — Psalm 33:16-19 Shell-shocked …
We even take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. — Romans 5:3-4 Popular Christianity focuses on what Jesus can do for us. We confess our sins, we get heaven. We invest in church, we get rewarded in difficult times. In other words, Jesus is …
Then he said to them, “Therefore, every legal expert who has been trained as a disciple for the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings old and new things out of their treasure chest.” — Matthew 13:52 I have become familiar with antiques through marriage. Barbara’s love for them has helped …
A. Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. — Matthew 9:36 B. Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus: Though he was in the form of God, he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit. — Philippians 2:5-6 C. “Look, …
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 …