My friend Daisy once reminded me of a story of a little church up in the mountains located so far out in a hollow that for many years there was no electricity. Finally, electricity came to their area. At one of the church board meetings someone stood and said, “I make a motion that our […]
In his book, Peace Is Every Step, Thich Nhat Hanh writes, “If a child smiles, if an adult smiles, that is very important. If in our daily lives, we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it… You know a smile can relax hundreds of […]
I recently heard a story that a pastor once told about a church he served in Tennessee where an eccentric and flamboyant elder impressed him with her intense commitment to the faith. She was not really pious in the least, but nonetheless, she was clear and articulate when it came to expressing her faith. One […]
The Apostle Paul once wrote: “Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries.” (1 Corinthians 4:1) What does it mean to be a Steward of God’s mysteries? I was thinking recently about those who handed down the faith to me, and several different people came to mind. I […]
Every year at this time, churches around the world typically read passages of scripture that lift up the person of John the Baptizer. John was a close relative of Jesus, and he was a prophet. John knew his calling: It was very simple – very clear: Prepare the way of the Lord. Prepare people for […]
It’s written in the book of James, “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.” That’s not easy, is it? We live in a very polarized world. It’s easy to demonize people who don’t agree with us theologically or politically. And it is sometimes hard to love people […]
Yesterday we reflected on Moses, standing on the top of Mount Pisgah, looking out on the promised land, knowing that he would not live long enough to enter. I used to think – Moses had to have been longing to go with them – even just to step foot in the land. But more and […]
At the very end of the book of Deuteronomy (34:1-12), we get this picture of Moses standing on Mount Pisgah, at the very end of his life. The scripture tells us he could see the land that had been promised to his ancestors. His whole life had been leading up to this point. He knew […]
In one of his commentaries on Romans, pastor and scholar Eugene Peterson writes about the way the Apostle Paul opens his letter. In verse 8, Paul begins, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you…” Peterson makes the following observations: “Paul, mature in all matters of spiritual formation, begins, as life […]
Can you recall a time when someone spoke encouraging, inspiring, or affirming words to you? How did those words affect you? I know plenty of people who have been shaped by other people’s encouragement and have carried it around with them their entire lives. Pastor and author Rob Bell makes the claim that in scripture, […]
