… is most dangerous when you stare at it. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. [1 Peter 5:8] How often to you consciously think about evil?
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You Learn Something New Every Day
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost […]
Continue readingMore TagAffairs Of The Heart
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance […]
Continue readingMore TagWhat About The Third Line?
In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love. Augustine Yeah, but what are the “essentials”? Yesterday I asked the question Who’s “They”? in the context of our propensity to draw lines and categorize ourselves in terms of we and they. Then I ran across this familiar Augustine quote. It made me wonder why, […]
Continue readingMore TagI’m Sorry
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. [1 John 1:9] I’m sorry. Those words don’t always come easily, and sometimes really meaning them is harder than saying them. But what happens once you’ve mustered the courage to apologize?
Continue readingMore TagA New Thing
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. [Isaiah 43:18-19] How long does “new” last? Just a few weeks ago we celebrated a new […]
Continue readingMore TagWhere’s Jesus?
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that […]
Continue readingMore TagHow Do I Represent Jesus?
Am I a Christian? Yesterday I wrote about labels (What’s Your Label?) from my perspective as a wheelchair user. One commenter observed that labels make it easier to navigate our relationships. Once I know you’re one of “those” I automatically respond in a certain manner. While that may not be right, it’s probably realistic.
Continue readingMore TagGrace And Truth
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. [John 1:14] Grace and truth? I think a lot about John’s opening verses describing Jesus simply as The Word. I love the poetry, […]
Continue readingMore TagThe Light Of The World
What happens when there’s no light? Last evening I sat in the dark with nearly two thousand people. As we passed the flame from candle to candle, the room took on a warm glow. Then, in unison, we raised the candles and proclaimed: YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD That’s exactly what happened in […]
Continue readingMore TagAdversity And Christmas
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back […]
Continue readingMore TagYou And A Manger
What would Jesus think? Last time I wrote about A Wheelchair And A Manger and wondered how Jesus would respond to the presence of a disabled person in the nativity circle. As I considered comments and reactions, I realized that I avoided my own question. I began by asking “What would Jesus think?” but I […]
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