Every school kid knows that the tip of an iceberg represents only 10% of its size. There is more there than meets the eye. Every parent of a school kid knows that when a kid admits to doing something wrong, he is only revealing about 10% of what actually happened. Likewise pastors and others who counsel know that presenting problems […]
Do you have set prayers you use every day? Many Christians through the ages have prayed The Lord’s Prayer daily. Assorted table prayers are offered up daily. A common one is “Bless us, Oh Lord, and these thy gifts which we are about to receive, from thy bounty, through Christ, Our Lord. Amen” The so called “Serenity Prayer” is a […]
Don’t you like a good line? A good phrase? Something with a little punch? G. K. Chesterton was famous for such things. C. S. Lewis too. Mark Twain, Will Rogers, and Yogi Berra had a flare with language and witticisms. They could all say a lot with just a few words. A reader might respond, “Wow, that’s saying something.” This […]
Don’t be in a hurry to get through Advent and onto Christmas. This year Advent is as short as it can get; the Fourth Sunday in Advent is Christmas Eve. In a sense the calendar is hurrying us through Advent to get on to Christmas. We lose a whole week of Adventide. Let Advent linger. Linger on the Advent of […]
Check out how often in John’s Gospel Jesus invites us to abide in him or in his word. Actually, both are the same thing: to abide in Jesus is to abide in his word. When Jesus invites us to abide, he is inviting us to be deeply at home in him. (You should hear the word “abode” in “abide”.) Recently, […]
We get them once in a while. They are little reminders from our King that he really is. Yesterday I sent an overdue note to a friend of mine who had had a major life change. The note was just to check in. There was a free moment as I sat in an airport waiting for a plane home. The […]
WATCH OUT I It’s good for us to be careful walking as a child of God in the midst of a sin-filled world. It’s not unlike being careful standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon. I remember a story from a number of years ago about a little four-year-old girl who fell off the side of the Canyon and […]
Across America a farm-to-table movement continues to grow. People look for the freshest fruits, vegetables, and meats. We have grown suspicious of highly processed foods with unknown additives and preservatives. We are not sure where the food has really come from either in terms of location and producers. Is the food safe? Is the food healthy? Is it really food? […]
I think I’ll wear a chair. Not that I will wear a chair as such, but I will wear a chair necklace, a pectoral chair. Some pastors wear a crucifix, a cross necklace with a dead Jesus. Some pastors wear an empty cross, a cross necklace without the figure of Jesus. There is great symbolism and historical precedence for both. […]
(This repost is in celebration of summer vacations in Michigan.) People love sports. People relish the thrill of victory. Winner! People love games. Board games continue to be popular. Card games haven’t gone away. Some people love video gaming to the point of addiction. Competition! I win; you lose. You win; I lose. While competition may have its place as […]