Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
Look! I’m doing a new thing; now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it? I’m making a way in the desert, paths in the wilderness. — Isaiah 43:19 On our trip to Scotland last fall, I saw a trend that was a bit shocking at first. It seemed that if you saw a big, old church somewhere, …
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 The current emphasis upon migrant deportation and the turning away of people seeking asylum is heartbreaking. The foreigner in our land has …
Bring in your kingdom so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven. — Matthew 6:10 I see the Lord’s Prayer as something more than a model of how to pray or as something we say as a religious act. I see it as affirming our loyalty to the Father’s kingdom. …
Fools find no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing their opinion. — Proverbs 18:2 My daily routine starts with coffee, cereal, and reading the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper (in that order). But in reading the Post today, what stood out to me was the “Opinion” section. That’s where you’ll find letters to the editor and …
The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants too. — Psalm 24:1 I believe “converting” to Christianity is a very limiting term. It implies feeling sorry for how you’ve lived, re-thinking things, and reorganizing your life. When I was younger, that described my becoming a Christian. But looking back now, I see all those things …
The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. — 1 John 4:4b I’m writing this on the morning after the “winter storm of the year” started. We had gone to bed with dire warnings of ice, snow, downed power lines, impassable roads–basically, Armageddon–floating in our minds. My wife …
God saw how good the light was. God separated the light from the darkness. — Genesis 1:4 I’m always amazed at how powerful the first creation story is. Here are the highlights as I see them: *God creates against the backdrop of darkness and chaos. *God was contemplating whether or not to start creating (literally …
But clear thinking, like an expert gardener, pulls out the weeds, trims, supports, waters, and cares for the plants in every way. So it tames the jungle of habits and emotions. — 4 Maccabees 1:29 The farmhouse in which I grew up overlooked a small lake. It was a wonderful backdrop as we ate our meals. …
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in a pitch-dark land, light has dawned. — Isaiah 9:2 A few inches of snow had fallen on Christmas Eve in Poplar Bluff. Streets were not plowed. But as a teenager who had had a deeply moving encounter with Jesus a year …
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in a pitch-dark land, light has dawned. — Isaiah 9:2 In Scotland, beauty comes in sudden, unexpected ways, such as when you glance out the tour bus and see this panorama. Two layers of gray/blue-gray clouds separated magnificently by rays of persistent sunlight breaking through and …