Instead of looking inside of ourselves we spend a great deal of time and money on gimmicks that only make us look good on the outside.
Read MoreThey seemed to be fighting with each other over how to be a Christian and even who was the best Christian. They may have been arguing over who should be in charge. If they were constantly fighting and arguing over worldly standards, Paul argues, they were not living in peace. They were not showing how, by becoming a follower of Jesus, they had been changed by God.
Read MoreWe all have prejudices and preferences. We develop them to help us navigate the difficulties of life. We use them when we have to make a decision. They are most usable when that decision has to be quick although all of our decisions are shaded by them. The problem comes when our prejudices are based upon opinion and not truth.
Read MoreThe shopping for presents, the traveling to Grandma’s house, gathering together for meals, and the football. Actually, none of that makes for a normal Christmas, at least not if you use that first Christmas as a guide.
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This does not absolve us of the terrible things that we have done to his world or prevent terrible things from happening to us. Instead it calls us to live by faith, work to right the wrongs we have committed, and help others when chaos meets their lives.
Read MoreAnother theme in the Bible is that being God’s people is not always easy. In fact it often is a struggle. I can give you a long list of people that expected things to be easy because they were Christians and those who, when trouble and chaos occur in their lives, expect God to clear it away and make things easy.
Read MoreThose unwritten intangible unbreakable never-clear rules of how to be a son, daughter, mother, father . . . Some good. Some bad. Others less so.
Read MoreMy father used to joke that God created time so that everything did not happen at once. But, whatever it is it is not fair. Time treats individuals differently. Just scan the obituaries and you will see this. Right beside those who are in their nineties are others in their thirties or younger. Who has not looked into heaven and pondered how short life is in the vast plan of God?
Read MoreInstead of teaching us what my mom used to always say when I got antsy, “All good things take time,” we are learning to be rude and angry when we have to wait. Those are two qualities that Christians should not incorporate into their lives especially since waiting is a Christian’s life.
Read MoreAs we celebrate Thanksgiving, we are reminded of the sacrifice of our forefathers and mothers who have struggled to build a better life for themselves and their descendants and to set great wrongs right: native Americans, those forced into slavery, and immigrants. Together we remember them as ourselves.
Read MoreOpening yourself up to new ideas and experiences can be difficult and painful. For that reason we avoid it. Yet we are able to change our mind and ways. That is what repentance is.
Read MoreJesus calls you to live in him, not to escape from making decisions or have someone else tell you what to do, how to act, or what to say.
Read MoreThis becomes a morning joy; to be interrupted by the song of a bird or the chatting of a squirrel who was surprised by my presence as he climbed up to see if Jaye had put anything out for him. That is why I enjoy sitting out on my porch. I get to enjoy God's creation and the little surprises that come along with it. Although sometimes, like now, it does distract me a bit from the task at hand.
Read MoreMany who have become members have allowed the world to fill their lives with false hopes, dreams, and desires. Luther reminds us that, while we do not need to do anything for membership, once we know the gift we have received we will desire to return the gift.
Read MoreHow about you? Do you have giants in your life? Were there people who shaped you into who you have become? Can you still hear them? Have you had the chance to thank them? More importantly, have you followed in their footsteps and become a giant in someone else’s life?
Read Morees, I know, it will be good to get back to in-person visits and worship, shopping in stores instead of on-line or curbside pickup, let alone finding toilet paper and affordable meat in a store. There are many things that we all miss during this time, but do we really want to go back to exactly what it was like before?
Read MoreOur response can and will make a difference to our neighbors. We are not the first human society to suffer through a pandemic. There have been many throughout history. Luther himself experienced one, the plague named “Black Death.”
Read MoreWe have seemingly become a society where doing the absolute minimum is alright. That means the job is done quicker and we can get on to playing games on our phone, or sending texts with the minimum amount of typing, or just wasting our time.
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