Over the past couple of days, we’ve reflected on a passage in the Gospel of John (12:1-8) where Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with oil. I remember a couple of years ago, near the very end of the day, I was just about to head out to go home, and a woman walked in the church. […]
Yesterday we reflected on a passage in the Gospel of John (12:1-8) where Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with oil. Several years ago an elder in our church, Sharon Hartsell was in a High School auditorium for an end-of-year banquet. A student she was mentoring had won a Character Counts award. But what was unique about […]
There is this story in the Gospel of John (12:1-8) where Jesus was with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, this family who he clearly loved, when Mary brings in a bottle of very costly perfume. You can just imagine the scene where she is pouring it on Jesus’ feet, and the house is filled with this […]
Some time ago, I read a touching story. Three times a month, Jermaine Washington and Michelle Stevens get together for what they call a “gratitude lunch.” They do this for a very good reason! Washington donated one of his kidneys to Stevens. Originally, they met at work and often ate lunch together. One day Michelle […]
There’s an old Peanuts comic strip where Linus says, “So, I had to tell the teacher that I just didn’t know….” Charley Brown responds, “Maybe some questions don’t have an answer.” “Like what?,” Lucy asks. Snoopy replies, “Like, did Jesus ever own a dog?” It’s true. Charley Brown is right. Some questions don’t have answers […]
The Apostle Paul once wrote, “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become servants to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:13-14) Today all […]
St. Paul writes to the church in Rome: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1) Sacrifice is not a concept we like to talk about much these days. Even […]
Several years ago now, I remember helping some friends clean up after Hurricane Irma swept through North East Florida. It was heartbreaking to go back into the same homes that had been flooded by Hurricane Matthew just the year before. We removed wet drywall and soggy insulation, carried out appliances that had been floating, and […]
There is a story about a young boy who attended church with his grandfather on Sunday. The church had beautiful stained-glass windows, and Grandpa told his grandson that the windows contained pictures of Saint Matthew, Saint Mark, Saint Luke, Saint John, and Saint Paul, along with many other saints. When they got home, the boy […]
I was recently reading something about Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen related to using the technique of art therapy for people who have experienced great loss. Apparently, she spent some time helping a twenty-four-year-old young man who had to have one of his legs amputated to stop the spread of bone cancer. This young man was […]
