This political season, I have been particular discouraged by the actions of some Christians who have chosen to play dirty politics. Regardless of what side we find ourselves on politically, God cares very deeply about how we treat one another as we do politics. The Bible has a lot to say about the character we should display as Christ followers. They are called the Fruit of the Spirit or love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfuln
Recently while watching the latest reality TV show The Bachelorette with my daughter, I was struck by the difference between Hollywood’s concept of love and Biblical love. Hollywood's love is fleeting, here today and gone tomorrow, more based on how one feels than what one commits to. Biblical love on the other hand is chock full of promises that are really hard to keep which are based on how God loves us.
I heard it said recently that movement is life. Indeed, if we stop moving, eventually we will die. That is certainly true in life's journey as well. I recently walked 160 miles of the Camino de Santiago in Spain and though it got really rough at times, this certainly proved true. Even on our most challenging of days, we needed to just keep moving.
Intermittent Fasting is all the diet craze today. This requires people to restrict their eating to an 8 or 10 hour period of the day. If you just do that allegedly, the pounds are supposed to just melt off your body. While it may work for some, it didn’t work for me, so I stopped.
In today’s scripture from Isaiah, God confronts his people who were fasting for all the wrong reasons. They made it an outward show, expecting
The story in the Book of Ruth is about how God comes through to miraculously care for two widows in their distress. But it is truly about so much more. It’s also about waiting, having faith, and the importance of showing kindness to one another and most especially the most vulnerable in our midst. And it shows how God birth’s Jesus the Messiah from their desperate situation.
“Hokmah" is the Hebrew word for wisdom. It describes the God given collective knowledge passed down through the generations planted in one’s gut. The Books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Job comprise what is known as the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. In them they ask, how should we live in the world, what is the good life, and what will God do if we try to live this way?
Instant coffee. Instant messaging. Instant photography. We love things we can get right away without having to wait for them. But have you ever noticed that God never seems to be in a hurry for anything? In fact, God’s ways and particularly God’s creative works in us, take time. This is something that requires us to wait though our emotions and the world around us want God to hurry up! Indeed, the way forward is often slow and uncertain.
Jesus said, ‘I have come that you may have joy and that your joy may be complete.” So clearly God wants us to have joy. But so often, the world, life circumstance, politics, and others can rob us of the joy we should have. Today, we look at joy in order to learn better what is it, what is it not, and how can we have more of it in our lives today.
Scripture is very clear about the role that community plays in God’s kingdom. Here, we share life, food, resources, and support. When times are good, we celebrate with one another. When times are tough, we provide support to one another. Community is a reflection of God’s self who dwells in community as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Any follower of Jesus who says they can do without Christian community sells themselves sho
After the assassination attempt against former President Trump, both sides have been calling to tone down the political rhetoric. Words are incredibly powerful and cultivate the soil from which events happen, both good and bad. Words can be creative, life giving, enlightening, and empowering. They can also be destructive, draining, darkening, and belittling. This week, we look at many things the Bible has to say about our words and the impac
