Christians--instinctively, I think--tend to divide up our understanding of Jesus-as-baby versus Jesus-as-savior. The cosmic moment, the violent sacrifice, the grand and undying love: we save our contemplation of those things for Easter. But they started in the manger. [Click title to read more.]
Category: Christian living
The Burden of the Teacher
I'm writing this because every now and then I'm struck by how easy it is for believers to become teachers. At some churches all you have to do is volunteer. And because of that, I think we can often come to view teaching casually, as though it's just another duty to fulfill or just another activity to take on. But it isn't. [Click title to read more.]
Weekly Round-Up
Let's catch up, pray, and rest together. [Click title to read more.]
The Joyful Work
I would say that a godly definition of "work" differs significantly from the way we typically define it in our materially-minded, results-obsessed culture. [Click title to read more.]
Redefining Our Understanding of Strength
Peacefulness, the refusal to depend on the self or on physical strength, the healing of those who would harm us, the deliberate avoidance of indulging one's "right" to retribution: if we interpret those things as weakness, we miss the point of the Gospel. [Click title to read more.]
Giving Up Our Right To Retribution
I'm struck by how anti-entitlement God's Word seems to be. Been wronged? Been hurt? Been harmed? Have a justifiable case to make against a person/group/corporation who's causing you trouble? If so, the Bible tells you to give up your right to vengeance. [Click title to read more.]
Weekly Roundup
So I'm hosting a giveaway! Get your name in now while there's still time. Beyond that, this week as we all struggled to get our bearings from Thanksgiving I wrote about how your time means everything to others, what happens when we gossip, and the danger of being "fruit inspectors." Also, the final week of … Continue reading Weekly Roundup
Fruit Inspectors
For all of us, I'm sure, there is a collective set of identity markers and clues that scream to us "fellow believer." But the Bible tells us that's not how you identify Christians. [Click title to read more.]
What Happens When We Talk About Other People
The judgments we make about others and the opinions we form about them are cultivated in those moments of ownership when, by talking about someone, we feel that their life is rightfully ours to comment on or discuss. Such acts lead to can lead to feelings of superiority and to the idea that we know best. [Click title to read more].
Introverts In The Church: A Survival Guide – Week Six Now Available
Week Six is now available in the Study section. [Click title to read more.]
Samaritan's Song 