Longing to Be Right
You and I might quickly look at two boys arguing over who gets to keep a birthday balloon or two distraught women seeking justice when only one baby is left between them, and try to figure out which one is “right.” A longing to be right is often at the heart of so many of our divisions.
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Faithful Leadership
Have you ever been faced with making a difficult decision; a decision with which someone was sure to disagree?
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House Blessing
There’s a sweet tradition that exists among certain communities. When a person, or a family moves into a new dwelling — whether that dwelling is owned, rented, or borrowed — the occupants of the dwelling invite the community to come and bless the house. Often, a clergy person is invited to lead the event, but that isn’t always the case. Nor is it actually necessary.
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Tell Me About Epiphany
“Tell me about Epiphany,” I asked my friends.
I didn’t grow up in a church tradition that celebrated Epiphany, so my knowledge about the day and its traditions is very limited. A quick search on the Internet told me that, in the Western church, Epiphany marks the visitation of the Magi to the baby Jesus. Eastern Christian traditions, remember Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist during Epiphany.
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Never an Inconvenience
The bible tells us Christ willingly moved into the neighborhood, leaving heaven for earth to be with us, in human form. Compelled by an inexplicable love for his creation, God somehow took on the form of a baby and came to be with us.
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Fifteen Seconds to Beauty
I once heard a theologian say that, “Fearful, negative, hateful thoughts are like Velcro®.” If we’re not careful, they will stick to us. The same theologian went on to say this:
“Positive, grateful, loving thoughts are like Teflon®. They just slide off, unless you savor them, consciously, for at least fifteen seconds.”
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God is Great, God is Good…
With my eyes closed, and breathing in the aroma of fresh vegetables, warm bread, protein, herbs, and spices, makes me much more aware of the interconnectedness I share with people I may never meet.
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Not So Quick to Judge
Thumbs up or thumbs down?Recently, I read an article disparaging people who plan to vote for a certain presidential candidate. The article has been shared more than 300,000 times on Facebook. If you tell him you’re voting for this particular candidate, the author says, “Instantly, I know there are certain things about you and your character that I can assume that I wouldn’t like if you told me you supported any other …candidate.” And, according to the author, none of those characteristics are good.
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Reaching Out, Instead of Lashing Out
What’s your reaction when people strike out at you? How do you respond when someone speaks out in public to ridicule or criticize you?
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Amplify!
A recent article in The Washington Post tells the ingenious method used by a collective of brilliant White House staffers to make sure their ideas were heard. Realizing they were often outnumbered in (or uninvited to) some of the high power meetings of Washington elite, these female staffers banded together…
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Running Your Race
“Why did I sign up for this? How in the world will I ever finish? What was I thinking? Look at all of these people running so much better than I’m running this race!”
Isn’t that the way it goes?
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How to “Deal With” the Strangers Among Us
My friend, Kristin, has started a revolution. She bought a picnic table from Lowe’s, painted it turquoise, and set it up in her front yard. Then, she sat at her Turquoise Table and prayed for God to send whomever he chose.
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What the Great Commission Teaches Us About Talking to Strangers
A recent study conducted by the Barna Group found that many evangelical Americans have a difficult time striking up a conversation with people who are different from them. This struggle to communicate with people who are different from us is consistent across the board. The Barna study found that all Americans find it difficult to engage in conversations with people from groups that are different than theirs. However, what’s most striking is the discovery that evangelical Christians appear to struggle more than any other groups in the study.
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Beyond What We Can See With our Eyes
I’m intrigued by that word, beyond. As followers of Christ, we are beyond people. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we have unique access to the God of the Universe, who is making all things new. God sees beyond the way things are and knows how things can be. When we claim as our inheritance this same divine perspective, we bring the hope of beyond into every encounter, every situation, every relationship along the way. As the righteousness of God, we bring beyond to all systems of injustice and every instance of hopelessness.
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