Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
Go, eat your food joyfully and drink your wine happily, because God has already accepted what you do. — Ecclesiastes 9:7 The most important rule in studying the Bible is this: Whenever you read a passage, see what comes before and after it. Right before the verse above, the “Teacher” (as the writer of Ecclesiastes …
I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the Lord; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope. — Jeremiah 29:11 This verse from Jeremiah is one of the most inspirational in the Bible. I remember stumbling upon it while in a dark period of …
This I know, that God is for me. — Psalm 56:9 I subscribe to a weekly meditation offered by Pastor Debbie Bronkema on her connect.faith website. In a midweek meditation she recalled a seminary professor, in one of her classes, pulling out a wrinkled piece of paper upon which he had written the above verse from …
Those who heard him went away, one by one, beginning with the elders. Finally, only Jesus and the woman were left in the middle of the crowd. — John 8:9 One of the ways to let the Bible speak is simply to be curious and ask questions about the things you read. It opens up …
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 …
Growing up in southern Missouri, my evangelical roots ran deep. I planned on majoring in religion, studying in seminary, and then help save the world. Two pieces of advice came my way the summer before I left on that adventure. One came from a farmer: “Remember, the devil is alive and well in college and …
But Jesus turned and spoke sternly to them. – Luke 9:55 A key to believing in Jesus is trusting the writers of the New Testament. Of the many books and debates over its authenticity, there’s one simple fact that points to its truthfulness: The disciples are portrayed as thick-headed, ambitious, prejudiced, quick-tempered, selfish, and cowardly. …
“Go in through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction is broad and the road wide, so many people enter through it. But the gate that leads to life is narrow and the road difficult, so few people find it.” – Matthew 7:13-14 In my Bible-belt-pious years as a young Christian, I knew exactly …
He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” – Luke 10:27 As I’ve lived with the Bible for decades, one fundamental truth has made itself clear: How we interpret the Bible reflects who we are at the time we’re interpreting it. For example, as a teenage Christian I …
Actually, the problem is with the words, not the values. It arises when you use a phrase, understanding what you mean by it, but the reader or listener takes it another way. A conservative newspaper columnist recently wrote of her apprehension that liberals were pushing the LGBTQ agenda. She feared they were attacking the “biblical …