It takes wisdom to know when our voice is needed and when it’s just noise.
Viewing entries tagged
Lent
It is important to call out oppression, and yet, Jesus offers mercy.
Herding sheep is a never-ending task. As soon as one is found, another may go missing.
What would your boss do if you were employed for three years and hadn’t provided any value to the company during that time? I expect they would fire you. And there would probably be a lot of people asking why they hadn’t fired you sooner.
In many translations, Jesus says that “Mary has chosen the better part,” which has been used to create a divide between Mary and Martha.
In our world, many of our physical neighbors are strangers to us, and many of our neighbors—those closest to us—feel like strangers in divisive political climates.
They are supposed to be praising Caesar. Instead, they are shouting for the one entering the city on a donkey. Their singing is subversive, courageous, and contagious.
How many times should I forgive? Jesus’s math is not predictable; it’s infinite. Forgiveness is abundant. Grace is not earned.
What does it look like to welcome complexity? Can you stay fixed upon your convictions while expanding your perspective?
When we have the courage to say, “This, I believe…,” that conviction has a ripple effect on others. If you had to speak your faith in one sentence, what would you say?
Many of us know what it feels like to be thrown off balance, to feel as if we’re sinking. In this story, we empathize with the desperation Peter feels as he cries out, and we pray for God to save us when we sink.
What is the beginning of your faith story? When has God sought you out? Have you ever felt like your calling was pursuing—or chasing—you? Did you resist? Did you follow?
What we find is that “holier-than-thou” Jesus doesn’t arrive to a throng of cheering crowds on his high horse; he arrives on a donkey.
Steelers legend Mike Webster left a message for me. He wanted to talk about something I had shared with thousands of people. He was not happy, but, looking back, he taught me something about humility.
When you have no other option, leftovers satisfy, but when you have plenty, leftovers feel like not enough.
What would you do with true popularity? How would you treat crowds of people following you? What would Jesus do?
Here it is, the perfect opportunity for Jesus to show his power right out of the gate. God has affirmed him, and he is greeted by none other than Satan himself.
When describing someone, you don’t often hear it said, “They are such a humble person.” Humility is one of the most underused characteristics in our American culture today.
It is easy to get caught up in the hype and energy that follows a crowd around, leading us to do things we would never do if we stopped to think about it.
We might try everything in our power to stop them from happening, but unexpected setbacks are simply a part of life.