With the blessing of history and hindsight, we can see it. We, from our vantage point, always see the aftermath of the crucifixion illuminated by the glow of the resurrection. But the disciples didn't. What we understand as the transition from death to life they saw as a tangled mess of failure, despair, fear, and confusion. [Click title to read more.]
Tag: spirituality
Yes, The Parable of the Prodigal Son Is Unfair and Uncomfortable.
I'd like to be honest and say that if the parable of the prodigal son doesn't sometimes irritate you just a little, you might be missing another truth inside it. [Click title to read more.]
Honoring The Past Without Idolizing It
If we value the past more than the present - if we perceive the best part of our lives as having come and gone - we run the risk of always trying to return to it rather than growing and living and being. [Click title to read more.]
You Are A Story You’ve Never Dreamed Of
God also knows all of our possibilities and strengths and what we have the capacity to do. More than we do, God has the vision of who exactly we are meant to be, what we might be like when we're everything He created us for. [Click title to read more.]
A Blessing For The New Year
May you never have enough of God, and may your desire for more be your glory. [Click title to read more.]
Prayer As An Attitude
Prayer is not just an act which one commits at a certain time and a certain place. It is a way of life and of being: an attitude. To "pray without ceasing" requires attention and mindfulness--it requires seeing people, or moments that are passing by, and to recognize them right then as meaningful to God whether or not you feel they are meaningful to you. [Click title to read more.]
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.]
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
