Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
Remind them of these things and warn them in the sight of God not to engage in battles over words that aren’t helpful and only destroy those who hear them. – 2 Timothy 2:14 Not only can the Bible be confusing, but it can be used to justify things that are truly cringe-worthy. When you give people a book that’s called …
John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone throwing demons out in your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.” — Mark 9:38 Why did John say that to Jesus? Did he assume that, because Jesus had chosen him, other people weren’t chosen? Did he think that he had a …
Then the older son was furious and didn’t want to enter in, but his father came out and begged him. — Luke 15:28 The unexpected encounter with grace is life transforming, such as when the young (“prodigal”) son returns home and discovers unconditional acceptance–and a party–when he meets his dad. But grace can also be transforming …
Their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. — Luke 24:31 This may sound strange, but I’m fascinated by psychedelic drugs. It must be the repressed hippie in me. I’m fascinated by how they alter perceptions of reality in people. When they’ve been administered in medical and therapeutic sessions, patients have often been helped. The …
The crowds in front of him and behind him shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” — Matthew 21:9 “Hosanna” is a derivation of two words. “Yasha,” meaning “save,” and “na,” meaning now. Put them together, and you hear the crowd on …
When they came up out of the water, the Lord’s Spirit suddenly took Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. Philip found himself in Azotus. He traveled through that area, preaching the good news in all the cities until he reached Caesarea. — Acts 8:39-40 A great deal of …
If you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift at the altar and go. First make things right with your brother or sister. — Matthew 5:23-24 “Revenge fantasies” is a genre of movies that features an over-the-top bad guy getting a really …
Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. — Romans 14:13 (The Message) When Paul wrote “forget about deciding what’s right for each other,” he was addressing Christians who …
“Here’s my recommendation in this case: Distance yourselves from these men. Let them go! If their plan or activity is of human origin, it will end in ruin. If it originates with God, you won’t be able to stop them. Instead, you would actually find yourselves fighting God!” — Acts 5:38-39 These words were spoken by …
You return people to dust, saying, “Go back, humans.” — Psalm 90:3 I was reading an old sermon of mine on the eternal question of why we suffer. In it, I ran across a poem written by Ken Brewer, a man dying of pancreatic cancer. I measure my life in family who speak through tears, who serve me …