Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
1 Corinthians 13:8-11 Having served as a campus minister for several years, I became acutely aware of how traumatic the transition between high school and college could be. Many young people, having been raised in sheltered environments, had to discover shocking truths. Clothes don’t wash themselves. Bathrooms don’t clean themselves. Checking accounts have to be …
According to an article in the Christian Post, the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church recently passed a resolution affirming belief that God created the world “in six natural days.” This might come as a surprise to the Creator, since we know earth to be over four billion years old. There’s irrefutable proof of that, as Bill …
John 20:1-18 Jean Vanier (pictured above) encountered the neglect and suffering of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities. He decided to do something about it and established a global movement (“L’Arche”) that provides authentic care and community for them. He once said, “The big thing for me is to love reality, and not live in the imagination …
Isaiah 49:13-18 That’s the estimate of how many times a child will be changed before earning their potty training degree. 7,000. A daunting number that could prompt any sane couple to double-think the parenting thing. Yet they choose it. Sometimes they even choose to have an additional child before the first one has graduated from …
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union…” The preamble of our Constitution starts with a plural subject, “we the people.” It goes on to specify the reasons for the document. Domestic tranquility. Justice. Defense. General welfare. The purpose is to move a group of individuals to covenant …
Ephesians 5:8-20 When you’re asleep, you mistake delusions for reality. In daylight you know that you’re not really falling or that you’re not taking a final exam in a class you’ve never attended. The only danger is to believe those dreams are real when you’re awake. It’s easy to live in a dream-like state that …
Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” When they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. –– Genesis 4:8 The earliest story of sibling rivalry doesn’t end well for either brother. One dies a quick death while the other pays for his action a little …
The Ten Commandments form the foundation for honoring God and relating to fellow humans. After reading The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by David Brooks, though, I think we could add a couple of others for the era in which we live. Brooks, a journalist and commentator, offers a candid glimpse into …
John 15:1-9 I’m writing this at the end of the first week of my retirement. It’s been a really weird week. The week before had been a flurry of activity and a jumble of emotions. Emails, phone calls, meetings, a retirement party, preparations for the new pastor, all leading up to final Sunday worship services …
Philippians 4:4-9 I believe in the value of stress busters. Massage therapy. Aromatherapy. Guided imagery. Meditation. Exercise. Vacation. All are good. They recharge your batteries. However, once you roll off the massage table, you still have to negotiate rush hour traffic. Stress hasn’t left. “Are you finished?” it seems to ask. “Now, let’s get back …