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- The Enemy Within - The Enemy Within: The scene is a locked room in a house, far from the marketplace in Jerusalem. The location is shared in secret among the followers and disciples of Jesus, for they are afraid of the Romans and the Pharisees. Jesus came and stood among them, saying, “do not be afraid”. He walked around the room, showing the wounds He had suffered. Then Jesus spoke to those disciples, and to us, saying, “Go and forgive each other, love your enemies, pray for those who insult you, come as a child, trusting, forgiving.” Continue reading
- From Word to Spirit - From Word to Spirit: Recently our men’s group has been studying Philippians. We've had lively discussions, some on point, others not so much. Mostly reverent, some based on the trust within the group. Over all, we had an enriching time, learned a few things, and, because of the bond between us, openly shared. That is the beauty of such groups. We all need that kind of support as we do our very best to walk with Jesus through this life. We can study the Bible inside and out, memorize chapter and verse, but the relevance of our study and our faith rests in the way and manner in which it is reflected in our lives. Continue reading
- Surely the Presence - Surely the Presence: On Friday, October 20, 1983, my friend Mac and I walked into an old school in Columbus Ohio and began a weekend which deepened our relationship with Jesus Christ. By the time we walked out on Sunday afternoon we had had an experience so profound it shaped our Christian walk the rest of our lives. Cursillo, Via Di Christo, Brethren Way of Christ, Emmas Walk, the name you give the three-day retreat matters little, it’s the content that is so powerful: An uninterrupted, focused time with Jesus. One of my persisting and vivid memories of that weekend was being introduced to a song I now frequently sing early in the morning, in the shower, almost anytime, anywhere -- "Surely The Presence of the Lord" Continue reading
- Being Renewed - Being Renewed: Our lives are marked by change. We grow up - that's a change. We fall in love - that's a change. We get married - that's a change.We start a career - that's a change. We have a baby! That brings a lot of changes. As we live our lives, every obstacle we encounter carries with it change. Change by it's very nature requires renewal, often introducing to us a 'New Normal'. New Normal: I have come to dread and to embrace that condition. As we encounter these changes, we tend to want to just push ahead on our own limited strength, and only when our reserves are exhausted will we trust God. Continue reading
- Slow Down and Listen - Slow Down and Listen: There are times, within my long standing Bible study group when I am surprised by how some of us read meanings into scripture passages that seems to run counter to how I would interpret the passage. When we dig into the meaning of certain passages, even to the point of researching Hebrew, or Greek or Latin, we are confronted with multiple definitions of the same word. Just between you and me, I don’t want to get lost in semantics, or the multiple meanings of words in different languages, or within a parable story. I want the message to be clear, not encumbered with extraneous sidebars. When we spend 30 minutes in our Bible group discussing whether this occurred at 900 BC, or 450 BC, I begin to have unChristian-like thoughts. Continue reading
- Cost of Discipleship, Part 3 - Cost of Discipleship, Part 3: In the early years of Christianity, the cross was a symbol of discipleship. In reality, the cross was an implement of slow torturous death, and becoming a disciple means that our daily walk with Jesus was a process of daily death to selfish desires and of the willingness to bear reproach for His name’s sake. If people revile us for being Christians, we, in turn, must bless them. You know this state of discipleship does not come over us, in a flash of a ‘born-again’ emotion, or an altar call. It is a process in which we all must grow. If we blow it, and we do, we must confess it to the Lord and seek to be obedient next time we have an opportunity to suffer for him. Continue reading
- Cost of Discipleship, Part 2 - Cost of Discipleship, Part 2: Let’s put the Savior verse Lord question on hold for a moment. I’m in the process of writing a story, based on the man in the above passage of Luke. So, I have the rich young man, I called him Caleb, walking away from his encounter with Jesus. He is sad and has this conversation with Rachel, his wife or girlfriend (yet to be determined). May this story bring some understanding to this Luke 18 passage. Continue reading
- Cost of Discipleship, Part 1 - Cost of Discipleship, Part 1: Being a disciple of Jesus can be hard. Salvation is both absolutely free and yet it costs you your very life. You receive it freely at no expense to you, but once you receive it, you have just committed everything you are to Jesus Christ. Absolutely free? Can you imagine the large crowds that were following Jesus, hearing him say that to be his disciples you had to hate your mother and father, your wife and all those other loved ones? It is amazing that there wasn’t a stampede for the exit. Let me get out of here, hate my wife? She’d kill me! Besides, I don’t own a cross! Continue reading
- There Are No Little Things # - There Are No Little Things: Do you remember the song from the 1950’s, “Little Things Mean a Lot”? A sweet, little love song, maybe a little sappy and romantic, but loaded with truth. Do we realize that when we do what could be considered small acts of kindness for others, in the name of Jesus, we are glorifying his Holy Name? You express genuine concern for hurting people. You give to worthy causes. Your generosity and compassion are seen by the All-Seeing: “You did it unto me.” Continue reading
- Cherish Your Gifts - Cherish Your Gifts: Think about the gifts or talents given to each of us. Every person has the task of releasing angels by shaping and transfiguring all those raw materials that lie within into our life, artistic works, careers, etc. We chip, and scratch, and file away at our raw material to discover our gifts, and the transformational process begins. Beneath this shell of hard-headedness, stubbornness, self-importance, low self-esteem, etc., waits the angel of our worth. Because our gifts carry us into the world and makes us participants in life, the uncovering of them is one of the most important tasks confronting any one of us. Continue reading
- Pride # - Pride: We all struggle with pride! The seeds of pride are planted very early in life. One of the first words we learn is "Mine!" Who among us has never said, “That’s mine!!” We grow out of some of that childish possessiveness, but little threads of pride remain in each of us. These are two concepts - the danger of pride and the need for positive self-image - are always in a state of tension. There needs to be balance. While we want self-love, self-confidence, and a positive self-image, yet, there is always the danger of going overboard in these areas, and the result is a kind of arrogance. Continue reading
- God’s Watchword - God's Watchword: God‘s word, peace. God‘s peace is the focal point throughout our reading of the word. To Mary at the tomb, the message from Jesus was ‘peace’. To the disciples on their way to a Emmaus, the message was peace. To those gathered in the upper room, confused and not knowing what to do, Jesus stood in their midst, and his message was peace. The message from Jesus when sending out the disciples was peace, be with you, as a Father has sent me. I am sending you. Continue reading
- Love Never Dies - Love Never Dies: I hope you have discovered over the course of your life, that our true love relationships have not changed. Maybe you observe that absence makes the heart grow fonder, in many cases. I can’t disagree with that, but, then, I also believe that love is an absolute. An absolute? Well, yes. I’m one of those romantics who believes that love never dies. Even death does not diminish it. Nor does it dim because of conflict, arguments and disagreements. I don’t believe there are differing shades love. Continue reading
- Cheap Grace - Cheap Grace: In Tim Keller’s book, The Prodigal God, he reminds us of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, being appalled at how many in the German church gave in to Hitler in the early 1930s, that he took it upon himself to write his great work, The Cost of Discipleship. In that book, Bonhoeffer warns about the dangers of what he referred to as “cheap grace”, the idea that stresses only that God’s grace is free, so that it doesn’t really matter how we live. I have read and reread The Cost of Discipleship, and tried to understand Bonhoeffer’s thesis. I believe his point is that if we subscribe to cheap grace then we ignore how seriously God takes our sinful lives Continue reading
- The Presence of God - The Presence of God: It seems to me that we hear a lot of words, many of them, born out of an advanced course in theology, some of which truly do have practical meanings for us if we but understood. The reference to Genesis and Jonah are just two of many instances throughout the Bible of the Presence of God in lives. We practice the Presence of the Lord in our lives through our readings, through our prayer-life and through our ministry. What is the difference between ‘Manifest Presence of God’, and ‘Omni Presence of God’? Does it matter to us who are trying to maintain our understanding of our faith? I think it is helpful and reassuring to know the difference because it reflects the fullness of God’s Presence. Continue reading
- Contentment - Contentment: Oh, my, what an interesting word. The Urban Dictionary defines contentment this way: “Contentment is true peace of mind and has absolutely nothing to do with any external pleasure or condition, but rather your attitude.”I agree with the Urban dictionary that contentment is a matter of attitude not latitude. It is what is in your mind, not where you are or what is happening around you.Unfortunately, we find ourselves conforming to the behavior and customs of this world and we inch away from God’s will. Continue reading
- Personal Miracles? - Personal Miracles? Have you ever seen a miracle? No? Are you sure? Maybe you were part of it, and you have no recollection of having been there, or seen it, or heard it. Maybe, without you knowing it, someone had observed you doing something for the Lord, and it caused them to think, to re-evaluate. Just a little thing, a seedling, yet there is meaning and purpose. Little miracles, happening every day. Graces touching each moment, of each day, of each week, throughout our lifetimes. Continue reading
- Trust - Trust: Jesus tells us to trust Him and not to be afraid, despite the many things in our lives that feel out of our control. We don’t find it easy to adapt to ‘new normals’. I know because, although I have lived at in my retirement community for 14 years, five days ago I left that apartment for a place in the Manor, in some ways it was exciting, while in other ways I felt slightly out of kilter. Old comfort zones were left behind and new ones had to be established over time. So many of you have experienced just that kind of transition. Continue reading
- At Jesus’ Feet – Part 2 - At Jesus' Feet - Part 2: Yesterday was Pentecost, the 49th day from Easter. The infilling of the Holy Spirit, equipping the disciples, and us, to be the eyes, the voice and the hands of the Lord. Our faith journeys are many and varied, but each one is led by that Holy Spirit. Yesterday we considered the walk that Mark followed to discipleship. Today, let’s consider the journey followed by others that helped transform God’s Will into our own path to belief. Biblical facts mixed with a bit of fiction: Capernaum, on the Sea of Galilee. The four boys had lived in the city all their lives, and had grown up to become fisherman, in partnership with their fathers. It was a good life, they made an adequate living. Continue reading
- At Jesus’ Feet – Part 1 - At Jesus' Feet - Part 1: Imagine you are in Jerusalem, at the house of Mary. She’s expecting Jesus and his friends to arrive soon, and she is preparing a simple meal. She’s looking forward to this time together, it is always a good evening, filled with stories and humor. And here they are, Jesus and many of his disciples and followers, they smile as they file in and make themselves at home in the gathering room. They have been here many times, using Mary’s house life a fellowship hall, a church. These times together follow a comfortable routine, because everyone likes the easy way Jesus has of relating to all those present and they like what he has to say and they listen. It will be later when we understand fully those conversations; friendly, full of humor and lessons in life are from not a man but God himself. But who do you say I am? You are the Messiah. Continue reading
