Use it or Lose It, It’s Biblical!
Use it or lose it! We didn’t invent the phrase. It’s been around for generations, maybe for millenia. My Grandfather, though I never knew him to lift a weight or go for a jog, applies the adage to a quite familiar, but hard to swallow, parable which concludes… I tell you, to all those who have, […]
One little thing stands in your way
Really, again? When Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” what Peter really wanted to know was not how long he ought to keep forgiving, but how soon he could stop forgiving!* Jesus, of course, knowing what Peter is up to, […]
I’m there if you need me
Even the least of us must do our part… How often do you run into an Einstein, Beethoven or Karl Barth? Someone has said such people are like four-leaf clovers, but what really keeps the pastures green, the cows fed, and the bees happy is the vastly more numerous ordinary, run-of-the-mill, three-leaf variety.* I’ve got […]
It’s a Wonder We Ever Forgive
Why are we not more grateful? That’s the million dollar question, or actually the $140 million question (adjusted for inflation) posed to us in the parable of the Unforgiving Servant, who, once he’s been forgiven his huge debt, refuses to extend the same kindness to his own debtor. Why does this central message of the New Testament not evoke […]
Who’s Stealing Your Good Day?
“We must be prepared to have certain things done to us.” Well, you don’t have to tell me that twice. Have you seen the way people drive around here? Cutting you off, swerving in and out of your lane, passing you on the right… And don’t get me started on the pushing and shoving at […]
When Words Undo Us, Silence Speaks
“To have a good day, one must be willing not only to do things, but to let other things go undone.” During our ramp up to the holidays that’s an oft used expression. Don’t DO so much. When opportunities become obligations, our energy is sapped and the glow goes right out of the season. Simplify, […]
Two forces are at work in the world
“If we are to have a good day, there are certain things that we must do as Christians, and certain things that we must be content to leave undone. Further, there are certain things that we must be prepared to have done to us just because we are Christians. Our text opens with a kind of […]
Seeking to See – Glimmer or Grand Illumination?
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and rich. He sought to see who Jesus was, but could not on account of the crowd. ~ Luke 19:1-3 “The thing that Zacchaeus wanted to do more than anything else that day was to […]
Are You Making that Up?
A visitor to an Austrian refugee camp felt sorry for a little wisp of a girl, carrying a bucket of water along a muddy path. He asked her, “How long have you been without a home?” Surprised, the nine-year-old looked up at him and replied, “Our family has a loving home. We just don’t have […]
Why Would Anyone Write a Book?
Grandfather wrote his own Preface, so let’s begin there. “The spectacle of sermons in print has been compared to a visit to a mortuary for the purpose of viewing a departed friend. What we cherished — the smile, the personality, even the mannerisms are all gone, leaving only the cold and lifeless remains.” Ah, preaching […]