Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to abandon you, to turn back from following after you. Wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” — Ruth 1:16 Last fall there was a special election to decide whether …
Let all of these praise the Lord’s name because only God’s name is high over all. Only God’s majesty is over earth and heaven. — Psalm 148:13 I look forward to those seasons when cicadas make their mysterious presence known. For 13 to 17 years, they live underground. The larvae look like white, ghostly caterpillars, feeding …
So stop judging each other. Instead, this is what you should decide: never put a stumbling block or obstacle in the way of your brother or sister. — Romans 14:13 Paul wrote these words to a church where people disagreed with each other over what was correct or not regarding food. There were some who …
Who put wisdom in remote places, or who gave understanding to a rooster… –Job 38:36 …or to a mama sparrow? I’m amazed each spring how Mr. and Ms. House Sparrow take up residence on our front porch. They build/mend the nest by the porch light with the meticulousness of a surgeon. Then mama fritters and fusses until three …
I praise the Lord–let the suffering listen and rejoice. — Psalm 34:2, CEB My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. — Psalm 34:2, NRSV It’s always struck me that beginning worship with a big song or songs that are upbeat and praisy can disconnect with people. Imagine …
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? — Psalm 8:3-4 Barb and I got Covid, for the second time, back in August. We had mild symptoms, …
Simon Peter answered, “Lord, where would we go? You have the words of eternal life.” — John 6:68 Here are two quotes that summarize two different ways to approach Jesus. Quote One: The belief that some cosmic Jewish Zombie can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him that you accept him as your …
“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 …
Remember the Sabbath day and treat it as holy. – Exodus 20:8 What does being holy mean? Sometimes it’s defined in negative terms. The old “holiness” movement conveyed that if you didn’t play cards, drink, and go to movies, you were approaching a holy life. It’s also been defined as something non-human. Some of the …
A popular political cartoon has a man holding two signs. On one: “No Mask Mandate! My body. My choice.” On the second: “No Abortion After 6 Weeks. Her body. My choice.” This is, of course, hypocritical. How can you plead for freedom from government regulation at times, and for it at others? Yet, the cartoon …