Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! – 2 Corinthians 9:15 One of the best spiritual exercises a Christian can undertake is to ask the simple question, “What would my life be like if Jesus hadn’t lived?” I’d miss out on grace. “Forgive seventy times seven.” I’d miss out on an extended family. “Whoever …
Perfect love drives out fear. – 1 John 4:18 When I was five or six, Dad and I went on an overnight train ride to Chicago. We slept in a sleeping car called a “Pullman.” Our compartment had bunk beds you could pull down from the wall. I wanted the top berth, and Dad slept …
The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people…This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.” – Luke 2:10, 12 My father, in his latter years, was slowed by dementia. Luckily he still retained his …
I faced these dangers with hard work and heavy labor, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, and in the cold without enough clothes…Who is weak without me being weak? – 2 Corinthians 11:27, 29a There are times in following Christ that you have to stop and ask, “Is it worth it?” When …
Part company with every brother who bucks out of the harness. – 2 Thessalonians 3:6a (Cotton Patch Version of the New Testament) Way before tractors/trucks were horses/mules/oxen and plows/wagons. It was a popular image in Jesus’ day (Matthew 11:28-30; Luke 9:62). The sense is that if you follow Jesus, you have to be directed by …
While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, Jesus said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” – Luke 24:41 (NRSV) One thing you can say about Jesus with pinpoint precision: He liked to eat. He’s eating with sinners at their parties. He’s eating with Pharisees in their homes. He’s hosting fish …
God understands [wisdom]; he knows her place; for he looks to the ends of the earth and surveys everything beneath the heavens. – Job 28:23-24 The online encyclopedia, where people contribute articles, is amazing. There are over 3.5 million contributions, with about 7,000 new ones appearing each day. If you want to know about anything, …
“Whoever does God’s will is my brother, sister, and mother.” – Mark 3:35 We sometimes forget how inclusive Jesus was as he walked the earth. When told that his family had come to see him, he expanded the definition of family. “Whoever does God’s will.” I grew up in a culture that restricted who was …
Diotrephes, who loves to be the leader, refuses to have anything to do with us…Not only does he refuse to welcome the traveling teachers, he also tells others not to help them. And when they do help, he puts them out of the church. – 3 John 9, 10b (NLT) This intimate scene from the …
Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. – Acts 4:46-47a (NRSV) I had the privilege of working for the U. S. Census Bureau in 2020. I …