Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
He shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I’m suffering in this flame.’ – Luke 16:34 This request from the rich man in hell is easy to gloss over, because of the drama of the whole scene. Yet, look …
We are fools for Christ. – 1 Corinthians 4:10a When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was imprisoned in 1963 because of a protest against segregation, he took it as an opportunity to write a letter. Known now as the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” he was responding to white clergymen who urged him to show more moderation, instead …
We must celebrate with feasting because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life! He was lost and is found!’ – Luke 15:23b-24a Luke, chapter 15: A widow loses a coin, a shepherd a sheep, and a father a son. All three grieve. Something of value has been lost, and there’s agitation and …
If there are some poor persons among you…don’t be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward your poor fellow Israelites. To the contrary! Open your hand wide to them. You must generously lend them whatever they need. — Deuteronomy 15:7-8 What striking contrasts. “Hard-hearted” vs. soft-hearted. “Tightfisted” vs. open-handed. Which do we choose to be? Hard-hearted/tightfisted was the …
Matthew 5:14-16 A young man, who’d been in my youth ministry twenty-five years earlier, walked into my church one day. After catching up with each other, he got to the point. “I stopped by to say thanks for saving my life.” That’s a conversation starter. He went on to explain how, as a youth, he’d …
Friends: I’m starting a “Monday Meditation.” If you’re subscribing to my blog, you’ll receive it in your inbox early Monday morning. It is a brief, practical reflection on a scripture that I hope will start your week on a positive note. My blog posts, dealing with current issues, will still come out about every 2-3 …