Sep 8, 2021 | Mission, Practices
“What do you want? A medal? A prize just for showing up? Do your job!” Ouch, that’s a little harsh. Use your mind’s ear to hear those words delivered with sarcasm at high volume, by a shrill friend, or an exasperated boss, or a military drill instructor. How does that...
Sep 2, 2021 | Mission, Practices
History is made of moments. Days of pride and days of infamy. In infamy, Dec. 7, 1941. Sept. 11. Burned into our souls. Let Jan. 6 be burned there, too. Lest we forget. The Tulsa Race Massacre of June 1921 is now burning into America’s soul. Rightly so. Too much of...
Aug 23, 2021 | Choice, Practices
Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. “Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?” He answered, “What’s written in God’s Law? How do you interpret it?” He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer...
May 24, 2021 | Choice, Practices
Good choices are hard, especially in weak moments. Does it help us with our choices to know that Jesus had weak moments and tough choices, too? Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wild. For forty wilderness days and...
Feb 8, 2021 | Choice, Practices
Repentance is turning around. A 180-degree turn to God’s Grace. But is all repentance identical? Does it matter whether you’re poor or rich? Compare these two stories. The Prodigal Son of Jesus’ Parable of the Loving Father (Luke 15) makes a relatively clear, obvious...
