Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
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 …
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me…Why would people gain the whole world but lose their lives? What will people give in exchange for their lives?” — Matthew 16:24, 26 There is a reason why the late Jimmy Carter only …
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 …
My brothers and sisters, what good is it if people say they have faith but do nothing to show it? — James 2:14 The room in this picture is from Dunnottar castle, a ruined medieval fortress on the northeastern shoreline of Scotland. It played a part in the miscellaneous struggles going on between England and …
Just as a rainbow lights up a cloud on a rainy day, so its brightness shone all around. This was how the form of the Lord’s glory appeared. When I saw it, I fell on my face. I heard the sound of someone speaking. — Ezekiel 1:28 One of the things I discovered about Scotland is that it’s …
I know the experience of being in need and of having more than enough; I have learned the secret to being content in any and every circumstance, whether full or hungry or whether having plenty or being poor. — Philippians 4:12 In the picture above, Barb and I are about to fly the Atlantic, 8+ hours, and …
Since retiring a few years ago, I’ve been adrift from congregational life. I’ve followed the mandate that you separate yourself from the last congregation to which you’ve been appointed. That gives the new pastor the opportunity to form relationships that are important for pastoral duties. In this outside-church period, I’ve discovered how difficult it is …
God saw everything he had made: it was supremely good. There was evening and there was morning: the sixth day. — Genesis 1:31 One evening my wife opened a box and found a long-ago picture of our kids. Our son was around 7 and our daughter, 2. Their smiles are boundless in that photo. They’re beaming, …